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Berean
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THE OLD TESTAMENT
GENESIS
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and void,
and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of
God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,”
and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw that the light was good,
and He separated the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5 God called the light “day,” and the
darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was
morning—the first day.
Genesis 1:6 And God said, “Let there be an
expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the
waters.”
Genesis 1:7 So God made the expanse and
separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was
so.
Genesis 1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” And
there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
Genesis 1:9 And God said, “Let the waters under
the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may
appear.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:10 God called the dry land “earth,”
and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it
was good.
Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring
forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each
bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:12 The earth produced vegetation:
seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing
fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was
good.
Genesis 1:13 And there was evening, and there
was morning—the third day.
Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights
in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the
night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and
years.
Genesis 1:15 And let them serve as lights in the
expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights: the
greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the
night. And He made the stars as well.
Genesis 1:17 God set these lights in the expanse
of the sky to shine upon the earth,
Genesis 1:18 to preside over the day and the
night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw
that it was good.
Genesis 1:19 And there was evening, and there
was morning—the fourth day.
Genesis 1:20 And God said, “Let the waters teem
with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the
open expanse of the sky.”
Genesis 1:21 So God created the great sea
creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters
teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after
its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:22 Then God blessed them and said, “Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let
birds multiply on the earth.”
Genesis 1:23 And there was evening, and there
was morning—the fifth day.
Genesis 1:24 And God said, “Let the earth bring
forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land
crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And
it was so.
Genesis 1:25 God made the beasts of the earth
according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds,
and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in
Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea
and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the
earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own
image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He
created them.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every
creature that crawls upon the earth.”
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “Behold, I have
given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth,
and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for
food.
Genesis 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and
every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the
earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given
every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:31 And God looked upon all that He had
made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and
there was morning—the sixth day.
Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were
completed in all their vast array.
Genesis 2:2 And by the seventh day God had
finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from
all His work.
Genesis 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of
creation that He had accomplished.
Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the heavens
and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God
made them.
Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub of the field had yet
appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted;
for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there
was no man to cultivate the ground.
Genesis 2:6 But springs welled up from the earth
and watered the whole surface of the ground.
Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man from
the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his
nostrils, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden in
Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.
Genesis 2:9 Out of the ground the LORD God gave
growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for
food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to
water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:
Genesis 2:11 The name of the first river is
Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is
gold.
Genesis 2:12 And the gold of that land is pure,
and bdellium and onyx are found there.
Genesis 2:13 The name of the second river is
Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.
Genesis 2:14 The name of the third river is
Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth
river is the Euphrates.
Genesis 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and
placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded him,
“You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,
Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of
it, you will surely die.”
Genesis 2:18 The LORD God also said, “It is not
good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable
helper.”
Genesis 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God
formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He
brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And
whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
Genesis 2:20 The man gave names to all the
livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the
field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Genesis 2:21 So the LORD God caused the man to
fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the
man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.
Genesis 2:22 And from the rib that the LORD God
had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.
Genesis 2:23 And the man said: “This is now bone
of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’
for out of man she was taken.”
Genesis 2:24 For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will
become one flesh.
Genesis 2:25 And the man and his wife were both
naked, and they were not ashamed.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than
any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to
the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in
the garden?’”
Genesis 3:2 The woman answered the serpent, “We
may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,
Genesis 3:3 but about the fruit of the tree in
the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or
touch it, or you will die.’”
Genesis 3:4 “You will not surely die,” the
serpent told her.
Genesis 3:5 “For God knows that in the day you
eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was
good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable
for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave
some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of both of them were
opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together
fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the
voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the
day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:9 But the LORD God called out to the
man, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:10 “I heard Your voice in the garden,”
he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid
myself.”
Genesis 3:11 “Who told you that you were naked?”
asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I
commanded you not to eat?”
Genesis 3:12 And the man answered, “The woman
whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the
woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,”
she replied, “and I ate.”
Genesis 3:14 So the LORD God said to the
serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all
livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go,
and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you
and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush
your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said: “I will
sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring
forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will
rule over you.”
Genesis 3:17 And to Adam He said: “Because you
have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the
tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground
because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of
your life.
Genesis 3:18 Both thorns and thistles it will
yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
Genesis 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will
eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it
were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:20 And Adam named his wife Eve,
because she would be the mother of all the living.
Genesis 3:21 And the LORD God made garments of
skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.
Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold,
the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now,
lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life,
and eat, and live forever...”
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God banished him
from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been
taken.
Genesis 3:24 So He drove out the man and
stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along
with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of
life.
Genesis 4:1 And Adam had relations with his wife
Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of
the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.
Genesis 4:2 Later she gave birth to Cain’s
brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a
tiller of the soil.
Genesis 4:3 So in the course of time, Cain
brought some of the fruit of the soil as an offering to the LORD,
Genesis 4:4 while Abel brought the best portions
of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on
Abel and his offering,
Genesis 4:5 but He had no regard for Cain and
his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.
Genesis 4:6 “Why are you angry,” said the LORD
to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen?
Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you
not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is
crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”
Genesis 4:8 Then Cain said to his brother Abel,
“Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field,
Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:9 And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is
your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my
brother’s keeper?”
Genesis 4:10 “What have you done?” replied the
LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the
ground.
Genesis 4:11 Now you are cursed and banished
from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your
brother’s blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:12 When you till the ground, it will
no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a
wanderer on the earth.”
Genesis 4:13 But Cain said to the LORD, “My
punishment is greater than I can bear.
Genesis 4:14 Behold, this day You have driven me
from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I
will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds
me will kill me.”
Genesis 4:15 “Not so!” replied the LORD. “If
anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the
LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would
kill him.
Genesis 4:16 So Cain went out from the presence
of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17 And Cain had relations with his
wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a
city and named it after his son Enoch.
Genesis 4:18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and
Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of
Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech.
Genesis 4:19 And Lamech married two women, one
named Adah and the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was
the father of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock.
Genesis 4:21 And his brother’s name was Jubal;
he was the father of all who play the harp and flute.
Genesis 4:22 And Zillah gave birth to
Tubal-cain, a forger of every implement of bronze and iron. And
the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
Genesis 4:23 Then Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my
speech. For I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for
striking me.
Genesis 4:24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then
Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Genesis 4:25 And Adam again had relations with
his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying,
“God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain
killed him.”
Genesis 4:26 And to Seth also a son was born,
and he called him Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the
name of the LORD.
Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the generations
of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own
likeness.
Genesis 5:2 Male and female He created them, and
He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them
“man.”
Genesis 5:3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had
a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him
Seth.
Genesis 5:4 And after he had become the father
of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years,
and then he died.
Genesis 5:6 When Seth was 105 years old, he
became the father of Enosh.
Genesis 5:7 And after he had become the father
of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:8 So Seth lived a total of 912 years,
and then he died.
Genesis 5:9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he
became the father of Kenan.
Genesis 5:10 And after he had become the father
of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:11 So Enosh lived a total of 905
years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he
became the father of Mahalalel.
Genesis 5:13 And after he had become the father
of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and
daughters.
Genesis 5:14 So Kenan lived a total of 910
years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he
became the father of Jared.
Genesis 5:16 And after he had become the father
of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and
daughters.
Genesis 5:17 So Mahalalel lived a total of 895
years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:18 When Jared was 162 years old, he
became the father of Enoch.
Genesis 5:19 And after he had become the father
of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:20 So Jared lived a total of 962
years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he
became the father of Methuselah.
Genesis 5:22 And after he had become the father
of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons
and daughters.
Genesis 5:23 So Enoch lived a total of 365
years.
Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he
was no more, because God had taken him away.
Genesis 5:25 When Methuselah was 187 years old,
he became the father of Lamech.
Genesis 5:26 And after he had become the father
of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and
daughters.
Genesis 5:27 So Methuselah lived a total of 969
years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he
had a son.
Genesis 5:29 And he named him Noah, saying, “May
this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by
the ground that the LORD has cursed.”
Genesis 5:30 And after he had become the father
of Noah, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:31 So Lamech lived a total of 777
years, and then he died.
Genesis 5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he
became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Genesis 6:1 Now when men began to multiply on
the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:2 the sons of God saw that the
daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever
they chose.
Genesis 6:3 So the LORD said, “My Spirit will
not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be
120 years.”
Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in
those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had
relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children
who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the
wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every
inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all
the time.
Genesis 6:6 And the LORD regretted that He had
made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Genesis 6:7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out
man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and
beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved
that I have made them.”
Genesis 6:8 Noah, however, found favor in the
eyes of the LORD.
Genesis 6:9 This is the account of Noah. Noah
was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with
God.
Genesis 6:10 And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham,
and Japheth.
Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in the
sight of God, and full of violence.
Genesis 6:12 And God looked upon the earth and
saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had
corrupted their ways.
Genesis 6:13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of
all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the
earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them
and the earth.
Genesis 6:14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher
wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out.
Genesis 6:15 And this is how you are to build
it: The ark is to be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30
cubits high.
Genesis 6:16 You are to make a roof for the ark,
finish its walls a cubit from the top, place a door in the side of
the ark, and build lower, middle, and upper decks.
Genesis 6:17 And behold, I will bring
floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the
heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will
perish.
Genesis 6:18 But I will establish My covenant
with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your
wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Genesis 6:19 And you are to bring two of every
living creature into the ark—male and female—to keep them alive
with you.
Genesis 6:20 Two of every kind of bird and
animal and crawling creature will come to you to be kept alive.
Genesis 6:21 You are also to take for yourself
every kind of food that is eaten and gather it as food for
yourselves and for the animals.”
Genesis 6:22 So Noah did everything precisely as
God had commanded him.
Genesis 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into
the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you
righteous in this generation.
Genesis 7:2 You are to take with you seven pairs
of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of
every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate;
Genesis 7:3 and seven pairs of every kind of
bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on
the face of all the earth.
Genesis 7:4 For seven days from now I will send
rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe
from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”
Genesis 7:5 And Noah did all that the LORD had
commanded him.
Genesis 7:6 Now Noah was 600 years old when the
floodwaters came upon the earth.
Genesis 7:7 And Noah and his wife, with his sons
and their wives, entered the ark to escape the waters of the
flood.
Genesis 7:8 The clean and unclean animals, the
birds, and everything that crawls along the ground
Genesis 7:9 came to Noah to enter the ark, two
by two, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
Genesis 7:10 And after seven days the
floodwaters came upon the earth.
Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s
life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the
fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the
heavens were opened.
Genesis 7:12 And the rain fell upon the earth
for forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 7:13 On that very day Noah entered the
ark, along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and his wife, and
the three wives of his sons—
Genesis 7:14 they and every kind of wild animal,
livestock, crawling creature, bird, and winged creature.
Genesis 7:15 They came to Noah to enter the ark,
two by two of every creature with the breath of life.
Genesis 7:16 And they entered, the male and
female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the
LORD shut him in.
Genesis 7:17 For forty days the flood kept
coming on the earth, and the waters rose and lifted the ark high
above the earth.
Genesis 7:18 So the waters continued to surge
and rise greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface
of the waters.
Genesis 7:19 Finally, the waters completely
inundated the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the
heavens were covered.
Genesis 7:20 The waters rose and covered the
mountaintops to a depth of fifteen cubits.
Genesis 7:21 And every living thing that moved
upon the earth perished—birds, livestock, animals, every creature
that swarms upon the earth, and all mankind.
Genesis 7:22 Of all that was on dry land,
everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
Genesis 7:23 And every living thing on the face
of the earth was destroyed—man and livestock, crawling creatures
and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth, and
only Noah and those with him in the ark remained.
Genesis 7:24 And the waters prevailed upon the
earth for 150 days.
Genesis 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the
animals and livestock that were with him in the ark. And God sent
a wind over the earth, and the waters began to subside.
Genesis 8:2 The springs of the deep and the
floodgates of the heavens were closed, and the rain from the sky
was restrained.
Genesis 8:3 The waters receded steadily from the
earth, and after 150 days the waters had gone down.
Genesis 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the
seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Genesis 8:5 And the waters continued to recede
until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the
tops of the mountains became visible.
Genesis 8:6 After forty days Noah opened the
window he had made in the ark
Genesis 8:7 and sent out a raven. It kept flying
back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.
Genesis 8:8 Then Noah sent out a dove to see if
the waters had receded from the surface of the ground.
Genesis 8:9 But the dove found no place to rest
her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, because the waters
were still covering the surface of all the earth. So he reached
out his hand and brought her back inside the ark.
Genesis 8:10 Noah waited seven more days and
again sent out the dove from the ark.
Genesis 8:11 And behold, the dove returned to
him in the evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her beak.
So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.
Genesis 8:12 And Noah waited seven more days and
sent out the dove again, but this time she did not return to him.
Genesis 8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first
year, on the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up
from the earth. So Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw
that the surface of the ground was dry.
Genesis 8:14 By the twenty-seventh day of the
second month, the earth was fully dry.
Genesis 8:15 Then God said to Noah,
Genesis 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you and your
wife, along with your sons and their wives.
Genesis 8:17 Bring out all the living creatures
that are with you—birds, livestock, and everything that crawls
upon the ground—so that they can spread out over the earth and be
fruitful and multiply upon it.”
Genesis 8:18 So Noah came out, along with his
sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.
Genesis 8:19 Every living creature, every
creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves upon the
earth—came out of the ark, kind by kind.
Genesis 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the
LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird,
he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Genesis 8:21 When the LORD smelled the pleasing
aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground
because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil
from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living
creatures as I have done.
Genesis 8:22 As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and
night shall never cease.”
Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons
and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:2 The fear and dread of you will fall
on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air,
every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the
sea. They are delivered into your hand.
Genesis 9:3 Everything that lives and moves will
be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give
you all things.
Genesis 9:4 But you must not eat meat with its
lifeblood still in it.
Genesis 9:5 And surely I will require the life
of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will
demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow
man:
Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by
man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made
mankind.
Genesis 9:7 But as for you, be fruitful and
multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”
Genesis 9:8 Then God said to Noah and his sons
with him,
Genesis 9:9 “Behold, I now establish My covenant
with you and your descendants after you,
Genesis 9:10 and with every living creature that
was with you—the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the
earth—every living thing that came out of the ark.
Genesis 9:11 And I establish My covenant with
you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a
flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
Genesis 9:12 And God said, “This is the sign of
the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living
creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:
Genesis 9:13 I have set My rainbow in the
clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the
earth.
Genesis 9:14 Whenever I form clouds over the
earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,
Genesis 9:15 I will remember My covenant between
Me and you and every living creature of every kind. Never again
will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
Genesis 9:16 And whenever the rainbow appears in
the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant
between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the
earth.”
Genesis 9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the
sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and every
creature on the earth.”
Genesis 9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of
the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of
Canaan.
Genesis 9:19 These three were the sons of Noah,
and from them the whole earth was populated.
Genesis 9:20 Now Noah, a man of the soil,
proceeded to plant a vineyard.
Genesis 9:21 But when he drank some of its wine,
he became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent.
Genesis 9:22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw
his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
Genesis 9:23 Then Shem and Japheth took a
garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking
backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were
turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Genesis 9:24 When Noah awoke from his
drunkenness and learned what his youngest son had done to him,
Genesis 9:25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A
servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
Genesis 9:26 He also declared: “Blessed be the
LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the servant of Shem.
Genesis 9:27 May God expand the territory of
Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his
servant.”
Genesis 9:28 After the flood, Noah lived 350
years.
Genesis 9:29 So Noah lived a total of 950 years,
and then he died.
Genesis 10:1 This is the account of Noah’s sons
Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.
Genesis 10:2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog,
Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
Genesis 10:3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz,
Riphath, and Togarmah.
Genesis 10:4 And the sons of Javan: Elishah,
Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
Genesis 10:5 From these, the maritime peoples
separated into their territories, according to their languages, by
clans within their nations.
Genesis 10:6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim,
Put, and Canaan.
Genesis 10:7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah,
Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and
Dedan.
Genesis 10:8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who
began to be a mighty one on the earth.
Genesis 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the
LORD; so it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the
LORD.”
Genesis 10:10 His kingdom began in Babylon,
Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Genesis 10:11 From that land he went forth into
Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,
Genesis 10:12 and Resen, which is between
Nineveh and the great city of Calah.
Genesis 10:13 Mizraim was the father of the
Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
Genesis 10:14 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites
(from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.
Genesis 10:15 And Canaan was the father of Sidon
his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
Genesis 10:16 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the
Girgashites,
Genesis 10:17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the
Sinites,
Genesis 10:18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and
the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite clans were scattered,
Genesis 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended
from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom,
Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Genesis 10:20 These are the sons of Ham
according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
Genesis 10:21 And sons were also born to Shem,
the older brother of Japheth; Shem was the forefather of all the
sons of Eber.
Genesis 10:22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur,
Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
Genesis 10:23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether,
and Mash.
Genesis 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,
and Shelah was the father of Eber.
Genesis 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One
was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and
his brother was named Joktan.
Genesis 10:26 And Joktan was the father of
Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
Genesis 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
Genesis 10:28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
Genesis 10:29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All
these were sons of Joktan.
Genesis 10:30 Their territory extended from
Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
Genesis 10:31 These are the sons of Shem,
according to their clans, languages, lands, and nations.
Genesis 10:32 All these are the clans of Noah’s
sons, according to their generations and nations. From these the
nations of the earth spread out after the flood.
Genesis 11:1 Now the whole world had one
language and a common form of speech.
Genesis 11:2 And as people journeyed eastward,
they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
Genesis 11:3 And they said to one another,
“Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used
brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.
Genesis 11:4 “Come,” they said, “let us build
for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens,
that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over
the face of all the earth.”
Genesis 11:5 Then the LORD came down to see the
city and the tower that the sons of men were building.
Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, “If they have
begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then
nothing they devise will be beyond them.
Genesis 11:7 Come, let Us go down and confuse
their language, so that they will not understand one another’s
speech.”
Genesis 11:8 So the LORD scattered them from
there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building
the city.
Genesis 11:9 That is why it is called Babel, for
there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from
that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
Genesis 11:10 This is the account of Shem. Two
years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the
father of Arphaxad.
Genesis 11:11 And after he had become the father
of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and
daughters.
Genesis 11:12 When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he
became the father of Shelah.
Genesis 11:13 And after he had become the father
of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and
daughters.
Genesis 11:14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he
became the father of Eber.
Genesis 11:15 And after he had become the father
of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:16 When Eber was 34 years old, he
became the father of Peleg.
Genesis 11:17 And after he had become the father
of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he
became the father of Reu.
Genesis 11:19 And after he had become the father
of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:20 When Reu was 32 years old, he
became the father of Serug.
Genesis 11:21 And after he had become the father
of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:22 When Serug was 30 years old, he
became the father of Nahor.
Genesis 11:23 And after he had become the father
of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he
became the father of Terah.
Genesis 11:25 And after he had become the father
of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:26 When Terah was 70 years old, he
became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Genesis 11:27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran
became the father of Lot.
Genesis 11:28 During his father Terah’s
lifetime, Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Genesis 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for
themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was
named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of
both Milcah and Iscah.
Genesis 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no
children.
Genesis 11:31 And Terah took his son Abram, his
grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife
of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land
of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.
Genesis 11:32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died
in Haran.
Genesis 12:1 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave
your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to
the land I will show you.
Genesis 12:2 I will make you into a great
nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that
you will be a blessing.
Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth
will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had
directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years
old when he left Haran.
Genesis 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his
nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired
in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to
the land of Canaan,
Genesis 12:6 Abram traveled through the land as
far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time
the Canaanites were in the land.
Genesis 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and
said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an
altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
Genesis 12:8 From there Abram moved on to the
hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to
the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD,
and he called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 12:9 And Abram journeyed on toward the
Negev.
Genesis 12:10 Now there was a famine in the
land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while
because the famine was severe.
Genesis 12:11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he
said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful
woman,
Genesis 12:12 and when the Egyptians see you,
they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will
let you live.
Genesis 12:13 Please say you are my sister, so
that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you
my life will be spared.”
Genesis 12:14 So when Abram entered Egypt, the
Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Genesis 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw
Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the
palace of Pharaoh.
Genesis 12:16 He treated Abram well on her
account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female
donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
Genesis 12:17 The LORD, however, afflicted
Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s
wife Sarai.
Genesis 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and
asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was
your wife?
Genesis 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my
sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your
wife. Take her and go!”
Genesis 12:20 Then Pharaoh gave his men orders
concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his
possessions.
Genesis 13:1 So Abram went up out of Egypt into
the Negev—he and his wife and all his possessions—and Lot was with
him.
Genesis 13:2 And Abram had become extremely
wealthy in livestock and silver and gold.
Genesis 13:3 From the Negev he journeyed from
place to place toward Bethel, until he came to the place between
Bethel and Ai where his tent had formerly been pitched,
Genesis 13:4 to the site where he had built the
altar. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling with
Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
Genesis 13:6 But the land was unable to support
both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many
possessions that they were unable to coexist.
Genesis 13:7 And there was discord between the
herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the
Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
Genesis 13:8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let
there be no contention between you and me, or between your
herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.
Genesis 13:9 Is not the whole land before you?
Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to
the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”
Genesis 13:10 And Lot looked out and saw that
the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well
watered like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This
was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Genesis 13:11 So Lot chose the whole plain of
the Jordan for himself and set out toward the east. And Abram and
Lot parted company.
Genesis 13:12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan,
but Lot settled in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent
toward Sodom.
Genesis 13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked,
sinning greatly against the LORD.
Genesis 13:14 After Lot had departed, the LORD
said to Abram, “Now lift up your eyes from the place where you
are, and look to the north and south and east and west,
Genesis 13:15 for all the land that you see, I
will give to you and your offspring forever.
Genesis 13:16 I will make your offspring like
the dust of the earth, so that if one could count the dust of the
earth, then your offspring could be counted.
Genesis 13:17 Get up and walk around the land,
through its length and breadth, for I will give it to you.”
Genesis 13:18 So Abram moved his tent and went
to live near the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar
to the LORD.
Genesis 14:1 In those days Amraphel king of
Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and
Tidal king of Goiim
Genesis 14:2 went to war against Bera king of
Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber
king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).
Genesis 14:3 The latter five came as allies to
the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
Genesis 14:4 For twelve years they had been
subject to Chedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
Genesis 14:5 In the fourteenth year,
Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated
the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites
in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
Genesis 14:6 and the Horites in the area of
Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
Genesis 14:7 Then they turned back to invade
En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and they conquered the whole
territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in
Hazazon-tamar.
Genesis 14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of
Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of
Bela (that is, Zoar) marched out and arrayed themselves for battle
in the Valley of Siddim
Genesis 14:9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam,
Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of
Ellasar—four kings against five.
Genesis 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full
of tar pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some men
fell into the pits, but the survivors fled to the hill country.
Genesis 14:11 The four kings seized all the
goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and they went on
their way.
Genesis 14:12 They also carried off Abram’s
nephew Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in Sodom.
Genesis 14:13 Then an escapee came and reported
this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the Oaks of
Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were
bound by treaty to Abram.
Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his
relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born
in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
Genesis 14:15 During the night, Abram divided
his forces and routed Chedorlaomer’s army, pursuing them as far as
Hobah, north of Damascus.
Genesis 14:16 He retrieved all the goods, as
well as his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the
women and the rest of the people.
Genesis 14:17 After Abram returned from
defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of
Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the
King’s Valley).
Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem
brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—
Genesis 14:19 and he blessed Abram and said:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,
Genesis 14:20 and blessed be God Most High, who
has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave
Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:21 The king of Sodom said to Abram,
“Give me the people, but take the goods for yourself.”
Genesis 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of
Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD God Most High, Creator
of heaven and earth,
Genesis 14:23 that I will not accept even a
thread, or a strap of a sandal, or anything that belongs to you,
lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’
Genesis 14:24 I will accept nothing but what my
men have eaten and the share for the men who went with me—Aner,
Eshcol, and Mamre. They may take their portion.”
Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the
LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am
your shield, your very great reward.”
Genesis 15:2 But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD,
what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my
house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Genesis 15:3 Abram continued, “Behold, You have
given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my
heir.”
Genesis 15:4 Then the word of the LORD came to
Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes
from your own body will be your heir.”
Genesis 15:5 And the LORD took him outside and
said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are
able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:7 The LORD also told him, “I am the
LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this
land to possess.”
Genesis 15:8 But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how
can I know that I will possess it?”
Genesis 15:9 And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me
a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a
turtledove and a young pigeon.”
Genesis 15:10 So Abram brought all these to Him,
split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite
each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half.
Genesis 15:11 And the birds of prey descended on
the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
Genesis 15:12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell
into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness
overwhelmed him.
Genesis 15:13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know
for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that
is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four
hundred years.
Genesis 15:14 But I will judge the nation they
serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many
possessions.
Genesis 15:15 You, however, will go to your
fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.
Genesis 15:16 In the fourth generation your
descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is
not yet complete.”
Genesis 15:17 When the sun had set and darkness
had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared
and passed between the halves of the carcasses.
Genesis 15:18 On that day the LORD made a
covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given
this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—
Genesis 15:19 the land of the Kenites,
Kenizzites, Kadmonites,
Genesis 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
Genesis 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites,
and Jebusites.”
Genesis 16:1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne
him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Genesis 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now,
the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my
maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram
listened to the voice of Sarai.
Genesis 16:3 So after he had lived in Canaan for
ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and
gave her to Abram to be his wife.
Genesis 16:4 And he slept with Hagar, and she
conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she
began to despise her mistress.
Genesis 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the
wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your
arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has
treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
Genesis 16:6 “Here,” said Abram, “your servant
is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai
treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.
Genesis 16:7 Now the angel of the LORD found
Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road
to Shur.
Genesis 16:8 “Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said,
“where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running
away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.
Genesis 16:9 So the angel of the LORD told her,
“Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”
Genesis 16:10 Then the angel added, “I will
greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous
to count.”
Genesis 16:11 The angel of the LORD proceeded:
“Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall
name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.
Genesis 16:12 He will be a wild donkey of a man,
and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against
him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
Genesis 16:13 So Hagar gave this name to the
LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she
said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”
Genesis 16:14 Therefore the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
Genesis 16:15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and
Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.
Genesis 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old
when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years
old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk
before Me and be blameless.
Genesis 17:2 I will establish My covenant
between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Genesis 17:3 Then Abram fell facedown, and God
said to him,
Genesis 17:4 “As for Me, this is My covenant
with you: You will be the father of many nations.
Genesis 17:5 No longer will you be called Abram,
but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of
many nations.
Genesis 17:6 I will make you exceedingly
fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from
you.
Genesis 17:7 I will establish My covenant as an
everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after
you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:8 And to you and your descendants I
will give the land where you are residing—all the land of
Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 17:9 God also said to Abraham, “You must
keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after
you.
Genesis 17:10 This is My covenant with you and
your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male
among you must be circumcised.
Genesis 17:11 You are to circumcise the flesh of
your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me
and you.
Genesis 17:12 Generation after generation, every
male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including
those born in your household and those purchased from a
foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.
Genesis 17:13 Whether they are born in your
household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in
your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
Genesis 17:14 But if any male is not
circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My
covenant.”
Genesis 17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for
Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be
Sarah.
Genesis 17:16 And I will bless her and will
surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be
the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”
Genesis 17:17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he
laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is
a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”
Genesis 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “O that
Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”
Genesis 17:19 But God replied, “Your wife Sarah
will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will
establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his
descendants after him.
Genesis 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you,
and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply
him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I
will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 17:21 But I will establish My covenant
with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
Genesis 17:22 When He had finished speaking with
Abraham, God went up from him.
Genesis 17:23 On that very day Abraham took his
son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with
his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and
he circumcised them, just as God had told him.
Genesis 17:24 So Abraham was ninety-nine years
old when he was circumcised,
Genesis 17:25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
Genesis 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were
circumcised on the same day.
Genesis 17:27 And all the men of Abraham’s
household—both servants born in his household and those purchased
from foreigners—were circumcised with him.
Genesis 18:1 Then the LORD appeared to Abraham
by the Oaks of Mamre in the heat of the day, while he was sitting
at the entrance of his tent.
Genesis 18:2 And Abraham looked up and saw three
men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of
his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
Genesis 18:3 “My lord,” said Abraham, “if I have
found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.
Genesis 18:4 Let a little water be brought, that
you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.
Genesis 18:5 And I will bring a bit of bread so
that you may refresh yourselves. This is why you have passed your
servant’s way. After that, you may continue on your way.” “Yes,”
they replied, “you may do as you have said.”
Genesis 18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent
and said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour,
knead it, and bake some bread.”
Genesis 18:7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd,
selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who
hurried to prepare it.
Genesis 18:8 Then Abraham brought curds and milk
and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the
men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.
Genesis 18:9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they
asked. “There, in the tent,” he replied.
Genesis 18:10 Then the LORD said, “I will surely
return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will
have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance
to the tent.
Genesis 18:11 And Abraham and Sarah were already
old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of
childbearing.
Genesis 18:12 So she laughed to herself, saying,
“After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this
pleasure?”
Genesis 18:13 And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why
did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am
old?’
Genesis 18:14 Is anything too difficult for the
LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a
year—and Sarah will have a son.”
Genesis 18:15 But Sarah was afraid, so she
denied it and said, “I did not laugh.” “No,” replied the LORD,
“but you did laugh.”
Genesis 18:16 When the men got up to leave, they
looked out over Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see
them off.
Genesis 18:17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide
from Abraham what I am about to do?
Genesis 18:18 Abraham will surely become a great
and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth
will be blessed.
Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he
will command his children and his household after him to keep the
way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the
LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”
Genesis 18:20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry
against Sodom and Gomorrah is great. Because their sin is so
grievous,
Genesis 18:21 I will go down to see if their
actions fully justify the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I
will find out.”
Genesis 18:22 And the two men turned away and
went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.
Genesis 18:23 Abraham stepped forward and said,
“Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
Genesis 18:24 What if there are fifty righteous
ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the
place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there?
Genesis 18:25 Far be it from You to do such a
thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous
and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the
Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
Genesis 18:26 So the LORD replied, “If I find
fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I
will spare the whole place.”
Genesis 18:27 Then Abraham answered, “Now that I
have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes—
Genesis 18:28 suppose the fifty righteous ones
lack five. Will You destroy the whole city for the lack of five?”
He replied, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”
Genesis 18:29 Once again Abraham spoke to the
LORD, “Suppose forty are found there?” He answered, “On account of
the forty, I will not do it.”
Genesis 18:30 Then Abraham said, “May the Lord
not be angry, but let me speak further. Suppose thirty are found
there?” He replied, “If I find thirty there, I will not do it.”
Genesis 18:31 And Abraham said, “Now that I have
ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there?” He
answered, “On account of the twenty, I will not destroy it.”
Genesis 18:32 Finally, Abraham said, “May the
Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. Suppose ten are
found there?” And He answered, “On account of the ten, I will not
destroy it.”
Genesis 18:33 When the LORD had finished
speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned home.
Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels arrived at Sodom
in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.
When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,
Genesis 19:2 and said, “My lords, please turn
aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the
night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they
answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
Genesis 19:3 But Lot insisted so strongly that
they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and
baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Genesis 19:4 Before they had gone to bed, all
the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the
house.
Genesis 19:5 They called out to Lot, saying,
“Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so
we can have relations with them!”
Genesis 19:6 Lot went outside to meet them,
shutting the door behind him.
Genesis 19:7 “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded,
“don’t do such a wicked thing!
Genesis 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have
never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do
to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for
they have come under the protection of my roof.”
Genesis 19:9 “Get out of the way!” they replied.
And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is
already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than
them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the
door.
Genesis 19:10 But the men inside reached out,
pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
Genesis 19:11 And they struck the men at the
entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied
themselves trying to find the door.
Genesis 19:12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Do
you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or
anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
Genesis 19:13 because we are about to destroy
this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so
great that He has sent us to destroy it.”
Genesis 19:14 So Lot went out and spoke to the
sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get
up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to
destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
Genesis 19:15 At daybreak the angels hurried Lot
along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who
are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the
city.”
Genesis 19:16 But when Lot hesitated, the men
grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters.
And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s
compassion for them.
Genesis 19:17 As soon as the men had brought
them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back,
and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or
you will be swept away!”
Genesis 19:18 But Lot replied, “No, my lords,
please!
Genesis 19:19 Your servant has indeed found
favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by
sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster
will overtake me, and I will die.
Genesis 19:20 Look, there is a town nearby where
I can flee, and it is a small place. Please let me flee there—is
it not a small place? Then my life will be saved.”
Genesis 19:21 “Very well,” he answered, “I will
grant this request as well, and will not demolish the town you
indicate.
Genesis 19:22 Hurry! Run there quickly, for I
cannot do anything until you reach it.” That is why the town was
called Zoar.
Genesis 19:23 And by the time the sun had risen
over the land, Lot had reached Zoar.
Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur
and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
Genesis 19:25 Thus He destroyed these cities and
the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and
everything that grew on the ground.
Genesis 19:26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and
she became a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:27 Early the next morning, Abraham
got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the
LORD.
Genesis 19:28 He looked down toward Sodom and
Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke
rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
Genesis 19:29 So when God destroyed the cities
of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the
catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.
Genesis 19:30 Lot and his two daughters left
Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in
Zoar—where they lived in a cave.
Genesis 19:31 One day the older daughter said to
the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land
to sleep with us, as is the custom over all the earth.
Genesis 19:32 Come, let us get our father drunk
with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve his line.”
Genesis 19:33 So that night they got their
father drunk with wine, and the firstborn went in and slept with
her father; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
Genesis 19:34 The next day the older daughter
said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let
us get him drunk with wine again tonight so you can go in and
sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.”
Genesis 19:35 So again that night they got their
father drunk with wine, and the younger daughter went in and slept
with him; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
Genesis 19:36 Thus both of Lot’s daughters
became pregnant by their father.
Genesis 19:37 The older daughter gave birth to a
son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today.
Genesis 19:38 The younger daughter also gave
birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of
the Ammonites of today.
Genesis 20:1 Now Abraham journeyed from there to
the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While
he was staying in Gerar,
Genesis 20:2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah,
“She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought
to him.
Genesis 20:3 One night, however, God came to
Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead
because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
Genesis 20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near
her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though
it is innocent?
Genesis 20:5 Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my
sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done
this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”
Genesis 20:6 Then God said to Abimelech in the
dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and
so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not
let you touch her.
Genesis 20:7 Now return the man’s wife, for he
is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you
do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all
who belong to you.”
Genesis 20:8 Early the next morning Abimelech
got up and summoned all his servants; and when he described to
them all that had happened, the men were terrified.
Genesis 20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and
asked, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you,
that you have brought such tremendous guilt upon me and my
kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done.”
Genesis 20:10 Abimelech also asked Abraham,
“What prompted you to do such a thing?”
Genesis 20:11 Abraham replied, “I thought to
myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will
kill me on account of my wife.’
Genesis 20:12 Besides, she really is my sister,
the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and
she became my wife.
Genesis 20:13 So when God had me journey from my
father’s house, I said to Sarah, ‘This is how you can show your
loyalty to me: Wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
Genesis 20:14 So Abimelech brought sheep and
cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham
and restored his wife Sarah to him.
Genesis 20:15 And Abimelech said, “Look, my land
is before you. Settle wherever you please.”
Genesis 20:16 And he said to Sarah, “See, I am
giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your
vindication before all who are with you; you are completely
cleared.”
Genesis 20:17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and
God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that
they could again bear children—
Genesis 20:18 for on account of Abraham’s wife
Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s
household.
Genesis 21:1 Now the LORD attended to Sarah as
He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised.
Genesis 21:2 So Sarah conceived and bore a son
to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.
Genesis 21:3 And Abraham gave the name Isaac to
the son Sarah bore to him.
Genesis 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days
old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.
Genesis 21:5 Abraham was a hundred years old
when his son Isaac was born to him.
Genesis 21:6 Then Sarah said, “God has made me
laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”
Genesis 21:7 She added, “Who would have told
Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a
son in his old age.”
Genesis 21:8 So the child grew and was weaned,
and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
Genesis 21:9 But Sarah saw that the son whom
Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son,
Genesis 21:10 and she said to Abraham, “Expel
the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never
share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”
Genesis 21:11 Now this matter distressed Abraham
greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael.
Genesis 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not
be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to
everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring
will be reckoned.
Genesis 21:13 But I will also make a nation of
the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
Genesis 21:14 Early in the morning, Abraham got
up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders,
and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the
Wilderness of Beersheba.
Genesis 21:15 When the water in the skin was
gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes.
Genesis 21:16 Then she went off and sat down
nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to
watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice
and wept.
Genesis 21:17 Then God heard the voice of the
boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is
wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the
boy where he lies.
Genesis 21:18 Get up, lift up the boy, and take
him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
Genesis 21:19 Then God opened her eyes, and she
saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water
and gave the boy a drink.
Genesis 21:20 And God was with the boy, and he
grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer.
Genesis 21:21 And while he was dwelling in the
Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land
of Egypt.
Genesis 21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol
the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all
that you do.
Genesis 21:23 Now, therefore, swear to me here
before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children
or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside
the same kindness that I have shown to you.”
Genesis 21:24 And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”
Genesis 21:25 But when Abraham complained to
Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,
Genesis 21:26 Abimelech replied, “I do not know
who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about
it until today.”
Genesis 21:27 So Abraham brought sheep and
cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a
covenant.
Genesis 21:28 Abraham separated seven ewe lambs
from the flock,
Genesis 21:29 and Abimelech asked him, “Why have
you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”
Genesis 21:30 He replied, “You are to accept the
seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.”
Genesis 21:31 So that place was called
Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an
oath.
Genesis 21:32 After they had made the covenant
at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got
up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk
tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD,
the Eternal God.
Genesis 21:34 And Abraham resided in the land of
the Philistines for a long time.
Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham
and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
Genesis 22:2 “Take your son,” God said, “your
only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer
him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I
will show you.”
Genesis 22:3 So Abraham got up early the next
morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants
and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set
out for the place God had designated.
Genesis 22:4 On the third day Abraham looked up
and saw the place in the distance.
Genesis 22:5 “Stay here with the donkey,”
Abraham told his servants. “The boy and I will go over there to
worship, and then we will return to you.”
Genesis 22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt
offering and placed it on his son Isaac. He himself carried the
fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on
together.
Genesis 22:7 Then Isaac said to his father
Abraham, “My father!” “Here I am, my son,” he replied. “The fire
and the wood are here,” said Isaac, “but where is the lamb for the
burnt offering?”
Genesis 22:8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will
provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two
walked on together.
Genesis 22:9 When they arrived at the place God
had designated, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the
wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar, atop the
wood.
Genesis 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand
and took the knife to slaughter his son.
Genesis 22:11 Just then the angel of the LORD
called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he
replied.
Genesis 22:12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy or
do anything to him,” said the angel, “for now I know that you fear
God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.”
Genesis 22:13 Then Abraham looked up and saw
behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and
took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his
son.
Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called that place The
LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of
the LORD it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called
to Abraham from heaven a second time,
Genesis 22:16 saying, “By Myself I have sworn,
declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not
withheld your only son,
Genesis 22:17 I will surely bless you, and I
will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the
sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of
their enemies.
Genesis 22:18 And through your offspring all
nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My
voice.”
Genesis 22:19 Abraham went back to his servants,
and they got up and set out together for Beersheba. And Abraham
settled in Beersheba.
Genesis 22:20 Some time later, Abraham was told,
“Milcah has also borne sons to your brother Nahor:
Genesis 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz,
Kemuel (the father of Aram),
Genesis 22:22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph,
and Bethuel.”
Genesis 22:23 And Bethuel became the father of
Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.
Genesis 22:24 Moreover, Nahor’s concubine, whose
name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Genesis 23:1 Now Sarah lived to be 127 years
old.
Genesis 23:2 She died in Kiriath-arba (that is,
Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and
to weep for her.
Genesis 23:3 Then Abraham got up from beside his
dead wife and said to the Hittites,
Genesis 23:4 “I am a foreigner and an outsider
among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my
dead.”
Genesis 23:5 The Hittites replied to Abraham,
Genesis 23:6 “Listen to us, sir. You are God’s
chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs.
None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”
Genesis 23:7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down
before the people of the land, the Hittites.
Genesis 23:8 “If you are willing for me to bury
my dead,” he said to them, “listen to me, and approach Ephron son
of Zohar on my behalf
Genesis 23:9 to sell me the cave of Machpelah
that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell
it to me in your presence for full price, so that I may have a
burial site.”
Genesis 23:10 Now Ephron was sitting among the
sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come
to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:11 “No, my lord. Listen to me. I give
you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to
you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
Genesis 23:12 Again Abraham bowed down before
the people of the land
Genesis 23:13 and said to Ephron in their
presence, “If you will please listen to me, I will pay you the
price of the field. Accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead
there.”
Genesis 23:14 Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:15 “Listen to me, my lord. The land
is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between
you and me? Bury your dead.”
Genesis 23:16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms
and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of
the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the
standard of the merchants.
Genesis 23:17 So Ephron’s field at Machpelah
near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and all the trees within the
boundaries of the field were deeded over
Genesis 23:18 to Abraham’s possession in the
presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.
Genesis 23:19 After this, Abraham buried his
wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that
is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 23:20 So the field and its cave were
deeded by the Hittites to Abraham as a burial site.
Genesis 24:1 By now Abraham was old and well
along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Genesis 24:2 So Abraham instructed the chief
servant of his household, who managed all he owned, “Place your
hand under my thigh,
Genesis 24:3 and I will have you swear by the
LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not
take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among
whom I am dwelling,
Genesis 24:4 but will go to my country and my
kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.”
Genesis 24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the
woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take
your son back to the land from which you came?”
Genesis 24:6 Abraham replied, “Make sure that
you do not take my son back there.
Genesis 24:7 The LORD, the God of heaven, who
brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to
me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give
this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take
a wife for my son from there.
Genesis 24:8 And if the woman is unwilling to
follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do
not take my son back there.”
Genesis 24:9 So the servant placed his hand
under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him
concerning this matter.
Genesis 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his
master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from
his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in
Aram-naharaim.
Genesis 24:11 As evening approached, he made the
camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when
the women went out to draw water.
Genesis 24:12 “O LORD, God of my master
Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show
kindness to my master Abraham.
Genesis 24:13 Here I am, standing beside the
spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to
draw water.
Genesis 24:14 Now may it happen that the girl to
whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who
responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be
the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will
know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
Genesis 24:15 Before the servant had finished
praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was
the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s
brother Nahor.
Genesis 24:16 Now the girl was very beautiful, a
virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to
the spring, filled her jar, and came up again.
Genesis 24:17 So the servant ran to meet her and
said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.”
Genesis 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and
she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
Genesis 24:19 After she had given him a drink,
she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have
had enough to drink.”
Genesis 24:20 And she quickly emptied her jar
into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she
had drawn water for all his camels.
Genesis 24:21 Meanwhile, the man watched her
silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a
success.
Genesis 24:22 And after the camels had finished
drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold
bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.
Genesis 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he
asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for
us to spend the night?”
Genesis 24:24 She replied, “I am the daughter of
Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.”
Genesis 24:25 Then she added, “We have plenty of
straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.”
Genesis 24:26 Then the man bowed down and
worshiped the LORD,
Genesis 24:27 saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the
God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and
faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the
journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
Genesis 24:28 The girl ran and told her mother’s
household about these things.
Genesis 24:29 Now Rebekah had a brother named
Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring.
Genesis 24:30 As soon as he saw the ring, and
the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words,
“The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by
the camels near the spring.
Genesis 24:31 “Come, you who are blessed by the
LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared
the house and a place for the camels.”
Genesis 24:32 So the man came to the house, and
the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the
camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions.
Genesis 24:33 Then a meal was set before the
man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I
came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.”
Genesis 24:34 “I am Abraham’s servant,” he
replied.
Genesis 24:35 “The LORD has greatly blessed my
master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle,
silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.
Genesis 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne
him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything
he owns.
Genesis 24:37 My master made me swear an oath
and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters
of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,
Genesis 24:38 but you shall go to my father’s
house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’
Genesis 24:39 Then I asked my master, ‘What if
the woman will not come back with me?’
Genesis 24:40 And he told me, ‘The LORD, before
whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your
journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my
kindred and from my father’s house.
Genesis 24:41 And when you go to my kindred, if
they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my
oath.’
Genesis 24:42 So when I came to the spring
today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You
would make my journey a success!
Genesis 24:43 Here I am, standing beside this
spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her,
‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’
Genesis 24:44 and she replies, ‘Drink, and I
will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the
LORD has appointed for my master’s son.
Genesis 24:45 And before I had finished praying
in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her
shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I
said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
Genesis 24:46 She quickly lowered her jar from
her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as
well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.
Genesis 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter
are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom
Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the
bracelets on her wrists.
Genesis 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped
the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham,
who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my
master’s brother for his son.
Genesis 24:49 Now if you will show kindness and
faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so
that I may go elsewhere.”
Genesis 24:50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This
is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter.
Genesis 24:51 Rebekah is here before you. Take
her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just
as the LORD has decreed.”
Genesis 24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their
words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
Genesis 24:53 Then he brought out jewels of
silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to
Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her
mother.
Genesis 24:54 Then he and the men with him ate
and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next
morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”
Genesis 24:55 But her brother and mother said,
“Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may
go.”
Genesis 24:56 But he replied, “Do not delay me,
since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so
that I may go to my master.”
Genesis 24:57 So they said, “We will call the
girl and ask her opinion.”
Genesis 24:58 They called Rebekah and asked her,
“Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied.
Genesis 24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah
on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his
men.
Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah and said
to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon
thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”
Genesis 24:61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls
got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the
servant took Rebekah and left.
Genesis 24:62 Now Isaac had just returned from
Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev.
Genesis 24:63 Early in the evening, Isaac went
out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels
approaching.
Genesis 24:64 And when Rebekah looked up and saw
Isaac, she got down from her camel
Genesis 24:65 and asked the servant, “Who is
that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the
servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
Genesis 24:66 Then the servant told Isaac all
that he had done.
Genesis 24:67 And Isaac brought her into the
tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac
loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 25:1 Now Abraham had taken another wife,
named Keturah,
Genesis 25:2 and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan,
Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
Genesis 25:3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and
Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites,
and the Leummites.
Genesis 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah,
Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of
Keturah.
Genesis 25:5 Abraham left everything he owned to
Isaac.
Genesis 25:6 But while he was still alive,
Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them
away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
Genesis 25:7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years.
Genesis 25:8 And at a ripe old age he breathed
his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his
people.
Genesis 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried
him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron
son of Zohar the Hittite.
Genesis 25:10 This was the field that Abraham
had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his
wife Sarah.
Genesis 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed
his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
Genesis 25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s
son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to
Abraham.
Genesis 25:13 These are the names of the sons of
Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of
Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
Genesis 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,
Genesis 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and
Kedemah.
Genesis 25:16 These were the sons of Ishmael,
and these were their names by their villages and
encampments—twelve princes of their tribes.
Genesis 25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 137
years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his
people.
Genesis 25:18 Ishmael’s descendants settled from
Havilah to Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go
toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their
brothers.
Genesis 25:19 This is the account of Abraham’s
son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Genesis 25:20 and Isaac was forty years old when
he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from
Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
Genesis 25:21 Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on
behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his
prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
Genesis 25:22 But the children inside her
struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to
me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD,
Genesis 25:23 and He declared to her: “Two
nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be
separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the
older will serve the younger.”
Genesis 25:24 When her time came to give birth,
there were indeed twins in her womb.
Genesis 25:25 The first one came out red,
covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau.
Genesis 25:26 After this, his brother came out
grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. And Isaac was sixty
years old when the twins were born.
Genesis 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became
a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man
who stayed at home.
Genesis 25:28 Because Isaac had a taste for wild
game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Genesis 25:29 One day, while Jacob was cooking
some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished.
Genesis 25:30 He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some
of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also
called Edom.)
Genesis 25:31 “First sell me your birthright,”
Jacob replied.
Genesis 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I am about to
die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
Genesis 25:33 “Swear to me first,” Jacob said.
So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright.
Genesis 25:34 Then Jacob gave some bread and
lentil stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up and went
away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Genesis 26:1 Now there was another famine in the
land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time.
And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
Genesis 26:2 The LORD appeared to Isaac and
said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell
you.
Genesis 26:3 Stay in this land as a foreigner,
and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these
lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that
I swore to your father Abraham.
Genesis 26:4 I will make your descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these
lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be
blessed,
Genesis 26:5 because Abraham listened to My
voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My
laws.”
Genesis 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
Genesis 26:7 But when the men of that place
asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was
afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The
men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she
is so beautiful.”
Genesis 26:8 When Isaac had been there a long
time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the
window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.
Genesis 26:9 Abimelech sent for Isaac and said,
“So she is really your wife! How could you say, ‘She is my
sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought I might die on account
of her.”
Genesis 26:10 “What is this you have done to
us?” asked Abimelech. “One of the people could easily have slept
with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”
Genesis 26:11 So Abimelech warned all the
people, saying, “Whoever harms this man or his wife will surely be
put to death.”
Genesis 26:12 Now Isaac sowed seed in the land,
and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed
him,
Genesis 26:13 and he became richer and richer,
until he was exceedingly wealthy.
Genesis 26:14 He owned so many flocks and herds
and servants that the Philistines envied him.
Genesis 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and
stopped up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the
days of his father Abraham.
Genesis 26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac,
“Depart from us, for you are much too powerful for us.”
Genesis 26:17 So Isaac left that place and
encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there.
Genesis 26:18 Isaac reopened the wells that had
been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which the Philistines
had stopped up after Abraham died. And he gave these wells the
same names his father had given them.
Genesis 26:19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the
valley and found a well of fresh water there.
Genesis 26:20 But the herdsmen of Gerar
quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So
he named the well Esek, because they contended with him.
Genesis 26:21 Then they dug another well and
quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.
Genesis 26:22 He moved on from there and dug
another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it
Rehoboth and said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we
will be fruitful in the land.”
Genesis 26:23 From there Isaac went up to
Beersheba,
Genesis 26:24 and that night the LORD appeared
to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be
afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your
descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
Genesis 26:25 So Isaac built an altar there and
called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. His
servants also dug a well there.
Genesis 26:26 Later, Abimelech came to Isaac
from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of
his army.
Genesis 26:27 “Why have you come to me?” Isaac
asked them. “You hated me and sent me away.”
Genesis 26:28 “We can plainly see that the LORD
has been with you,” they replied. “We recommend that there should
now be an oath between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you
Genesis 26:29 that you will not harm us, just as
we have not harmed you but have done only good to you, sending you
on your way in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD.”
Genesis 26:30 So Isaac prepared a feast for
them, and they ate and drank.
Genesis 26:31 And they got up early the next
morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on
their way, and they left him in peace.
Genesis 26:32 On that same day, Isaac’s servants
came and told him about the well they had dug. “We have found
water!” they told him.
Genesis 26:33 So he called it Shibah, and to
this day the name of the city is Beersheba.
Genesis 26:34 When Esau was forty years old, he
took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and
Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Genesis 26:35 And they brought grief to Isaac
and Rebekah.
Genesis 27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes
were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son
Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied.
Genesis 27:2 “Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old,
and I do not know the day of my death.
Genesis 27:3 Take your weapons—your quiver and
bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me.
Genesis 27:4 Then prepare a tasty dish that I
love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I
die.”
Genesis 27:5 Now Rebekah was listening to what
Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt
game and bring it back,
Genesis 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob,
“Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau,
Genesis 27:7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me
a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of
the LORD before I die.’
Genesis 27:8 Now, my son, listen to my voice and
do exactly as I tell you.
Genesis 27:9 Go out to the flock and bring me
two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish
for your father—the kind he loves.
Genesis 27:10 Then take it to your father to
eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”
Genesis 27:11 Jacob answered his mother Rebekah,
“Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned.
Genesis 27:12 What if my father touches me? Then
I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon
myself a curse rather than a blessing.”
Genesis 27:13 His mother replied, “Your curse be
on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.”
Genesis 27:14 So Jacob went and got two goats
and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father
loved.
Genesis 27:15 And Rebekah took the finest
clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she
put them on her younger son Jacob.
Genesis 27:16 She also put the skins of the
young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck.
Genesis 27:17 Then she handed her son Jacob the
tasty food and bread she had made.
Genesis 27:18 So Jacob went to his father and
said, “My father.” “Here I am!” he answered. “Which one are you,
my son?”
Genesis 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am
Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up
and eat some of my game, so that you may bless me.”
Genesis 27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How did
you ever find it so quickly, my son?” “Because the LORD your God
brought it to me,” he replied.
Genesis 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please
come closer so I can touch you, my son. Are you really my son
Esau, or not?”
Genesis 27:22 So Jacob came close to his father
Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob,
but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
Genesis 27:23 Isaac did not recognize him,
because his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he
blessed him.
Genesis 27:24 Again he asked, “Are you really my
son Esau?” And he replied, “I am.”
Genesis 27:25 “Serve me,” said Isaac, “and let
me eat some of my son’s game, so that I may bless you.” Jacob
brought it to him, and he ate; then he brought him wine, and he
drank.
Genesis 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him,
“Please come near and kiss me, my son.”
Genesis 27:27 So he came near and kissed him.
When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the
smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has
blessed.
Genesis 27:28 May God give to you the dew of
heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new
wine.
Genesis 27:29 May peoples serve you and nations
bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may
the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you
be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
Genesis 27:30 As soon as Isaac had finished
blessing him and Jacob had left his father’s presence, his brother
Esau returned from the hunt.
Genesis 27:31 He too made some tasty food,
brought it to his father, and said to him, “My father, sit up and
eat of your son’s game, so that you may bless me.”
Genesis 27:32 But his father Isaac replied, “Who
are you?” “I am Esau, your firstborn son,” he answered.
Genesis 27:33 Isaac began to tremble violently
and said, “Who was it, then, who hunted the game and brought it to
me? Before you came in, I ate it all and blessed him—and indeed,
he will be blessed!”
Genesis 27:34 When Esau heard his father’s
words, he let out a loud and bitter cry and said to his father,
“Bless me too, O my father!”
Genesis 27:35 But Isaac replied, “Your brother
came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
Genesis 27:36 So Esau declared, “Is he not
rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice. He took my
birthright, and now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked,
“Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”
Genesis 27:37 But Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I
have made him your master and given him all his relatives as
servants; I have sustained him with grain and new wine. What is
left that I can do for you, my son?”
Genesis 27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you
have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, O my father!”
Then Esau wept aloud.
Genesis 27:39 His father Isaac answered him:
“Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of
the land, away from the dew of heaven above.
Genesis 27:40 You shall live by the sword and
serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke
from your neck.”
Genesis 27:41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob
because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in
his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I
will kill my brother Jacob.”
Genesis 27:42 When the words of her older son
Esau were relayed to Rebekah, she sent for her younger son Jacob
and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is consoling himself by
plotting to kill you.
Genesis 27:43 So now, my son, obey my voice and
flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.
Genesis 27:44 Stay with him for a while, until
your brother’s fury subsides—
Genesis 27:45 until your brother’s rage against
you wanes and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will
send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose both
of you in one day?”
Genesis 27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am
weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a
Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”
Genesis 28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and
blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he
commanded.
Genesis 28:2 “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the
house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among
the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.
Genesis 28:3 May God Almighty bless you and make
you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of
peoples.
Genesis 28:4 And may He give the blessing of
Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the
land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to
Abraham.”
Genesis 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram,
to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who
was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Genesis 28:6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had
blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there,
commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,”
Genesis 28:7 and that Jacob had obeyed his
father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram.
Genesis 28:8 And seeing that his father Isaac
disapproved of the Canaanite women,
Genesis 28:9 Esau went to Ishmael and married
Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son
Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
Genesis 28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and
set out for Haran.
Genesis 28:11 On reaching a certain place, he
spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of
the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down
to sleep.
Genesis 28:12 And Jacob had a dream about a
ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to
heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.
Genesis 28:13 And there at the top the LORD was
standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father
Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants
the land on which you now lie.
Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will be like the
dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east
and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed
through you and your offspring.
Genesis 28:15 Look, I am with you, and I will
watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this
land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you.”
Genesis 28:16 When Jacob woke up, he thought,
“Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.”
Genesis 28:17 And he was afraid and said, “How
awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God;
this is the gate of heaven!”
Genesis 28:18 Early the next morning, Jacob took
the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a
pillar. He poured oil on top of it,
Genesis 28:19 and he called that place Bethel,
though previously the city had been named Luz.
Genesis 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If
God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He
will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear,
Genesis 28:21 so that I may return safely to my
father’s house, then the LORD will be my God.
Genesis 28:22 And this stone I have set up as a
pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will
surely give You a tenth.”
Genesis 29:1 Jacob resumed his journey and came
to the land of the people of the east.
Genesis 29:2 He looked and saw a well in the
field, and near it lay three flocks of sheep, because the sheep
were watered from this well. And a large stone covered the mouth
of the well.
Genesis 29:3 When all the flocks had been
gathered there, the shepherds would roll away the stone from the
mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would return the
stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
Genesis 29:4 “My brothers,” Jacob asked the
shepherds, “where are you from?” “We are from Haran,” they
answered.
Genesis 29:5 “Do you know Laban the grandson of
Nahor?” Jacob asked. “We know him,” they replied.
Genesis 29:6 “Is he well?” Jacob inquired.
“Yes,” they answered, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with his
sheep.”
Genesis 29:7 “Look,” said Jacob, “it is still
broad daylight; it is not yet time to gather the livestock. Water
the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
Genesis 29:8 But they replied, “We cannot, until
all the flocks have been gathered and the stone has been rolled
away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
Genesis 29:9 While he was still speaking with
them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was a
shepherdess.
Genesis 29:10 As soon as Jacob saw Rachel, the
daughter of his mother’s brother Laban, with Laban’s sheep, he
went up and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and
watered his uncle’s sheep.
Genesis 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept
aloud.
Genesis 29:12 He told Rachel that he was
Rebekah’s son, a relative of her father, and she ran and told her
father.
Genesis 29:13 When Laban heard the news about
his sister’s son Jacob, he ran out to meet him. He embraced him
and kissed him and brought him to his home, where Jacob told him
all that had happened.
Genesis 29:14 Then Laban declared, “You are
indeed my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a
month,
Genesis 29:15 Laban said to him, “Just because
you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what
your wages should be.”
Genesis 29:16 Now Laban had two daughters; the
older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel.
Genesis 29:17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was
shapely and beautiful.
Genesis 29:18 Since Jacob loved Rachel, he
answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter
Rachel.”
Genesis 29:19 Laban replied, “Better that I give
her to you than to another. Stay here with me.”
Genesis 29:20 So Jacob served seven years for
Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her.
Genesis 29:21 Finally Jacob said to Laban,
“Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep
with her.”
Genesis 29:22 So Laban invited all the men of
that place and prepared a feast.
Genesis 29:23 But when evening came, Laban took
his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her.
Genesis 29:24 And Laban gave his servant girl
Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.
Genesis 29:25 When morning came, there was Leah!
“What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for
Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”
Genesis 29:26 Laban replied, “It is not our
custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the
older.
Genesis 29:27 Finish this week’s celebration,
and we will give you the younger one in return for another seven
years of work.”
Genesis 29:28 And Jacob did just that. He
finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter
Rachel as his wife.
Genesis 29:29 Laban also gave his servant girl
Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.
Genesis 29:30 Jacob slept with Rachel as well,
and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban
another seven years.
Genesis 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was
unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
Genesis 29:32 And Leah conceived and gave birth
to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has
seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
Genesis 29:33 Again she conceived and gave birth
to a son, and she said, “Because the LORD has heard that I am
unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him
Simeon.
Genesis 29:34 Once again Leah conceived and gave
birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become
attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was
named Levi.
Genesis 29:35 And once more she conceived and
gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.”
So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.
Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not
bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me
children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.
Genesis 30:2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and
said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld children from
you?”
Genesis 30:3 Then she said, “Here is my
maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for
me, so that through her I too can build a family.”
Genesis 30:4 So Rachel gave Jacob her servant
Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,
Genesis 30:5 and Bilhah conceived and bore him a
son.
Genesis 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has
vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she
named him Dan.
Genesis 30:7 And Rachel’s servant Bilhah
conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.
Genesis 30:8 Then Rachel said, “In my great
struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named
him Naphtali.
Genesis 30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped
having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
Genesis 30:10 And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore
Jacob a son.
Genesis 30:11 Then Leah said, “How fortunate!”
So she named him Gad.
Genesis 30:12 When Leah’s servant Zilpah bore
Jacob a second son,
Genesis 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am! For
the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.
Genesis 30:14 Now during the wheat harvest,
Reuben went out and found some mandrakes in the field. When he
brought them to his mother, Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me
some of your son’s mandrakes.”
Genesis 30:15 But Leah replied, “Is it not
enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take
my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may
sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
Genesis 30:16 When Jacob came in from the field
that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come
with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he
slept with her that night.
Genesis 30:17 And God listened to Leah, and she
conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.
Genesis 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded
me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him
Issachar.
Genesis 30:19 Again Leah conceived and bore a
sixth son to Jacob.
Genesis 30:20 “God has given me a good gift,”
she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have
borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.
Genesis 30:21 After that, Leah gave birth to a
daughter and named her Dinah.
Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel. He
listened to her and opened her womb,
Genesis 30:23 and she conceived and gave birth
to a son. “God has taken away my shame,” she said.
Genesis 30:24 She named him Joseph, and said,
“May the LORD add to me another son.”
Genesis 30:25 Now after Rachel had given birth
to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can return
to my homeland.
Genesis 30:26 Give me my wives and children for
whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard
I have worked for you.”
Genesis 30:27 But Laban replied, “If I have
found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by
divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
Genesis 30:28 And he added, “Name your wages,
and I will pay them.”
Genesis 30:29 Then Jacob answered, “You know how
I have served you and how your livestock have thrived under my
care.
Genesis 30:30 Indeed, you had very little before
my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The
LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also
provide for my own household?”
Genesis 30:31 “What can I give you?” Laban
asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If
you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and
keeping your flocks.
Genesis 30:32 Let me go through all your flocks
today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every
dark-colored lamb, and every spotted or speckled goat. These will
be my wages.
Genesis 30:33 So my honesty will testify for me
when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any
goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not
dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.”
Genesis 30:34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be
as you have said.”
Genesis 30:35 That very day Laban removed all
the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted
female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every
dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.
Genesis 30:36 Then he put a three-day journey
between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of
Laban’s flocks.
Genesis 30:37 Jacob, however, took fresh
branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark,
exposing the white inner wood of the branches.
Genesis 30:38 Then he set the peeled branches in
the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So
when the flocks were in heat and came to drink,
Genesis 30:39 they mated in front of the
branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or
spotted.
Genesis 30:40 Jacob set apart the young, but
made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s
flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with
Laban’s animals.
Genesis 30:41 Whenever the stronger females of
the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the
troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in
front of the branches.
Genesis 30:42 But if the animals were weak, he
did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban
and the stronger ones to Jacob.
Genesis 30:43 Thus Jacob became exceedingly
prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants,
and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 31:1 Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons
were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father
and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.”
Genesis 31:2 And Jacob saw from the countenance
of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed.
Genesis 31:3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go
back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will
be with you.”
Genesis 31:4 So Jacob sent word and called
Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,
Genesis 31:5 and he told them, “I can see from
your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed;
but the God of my father has been with me.
Genesis 31:6 You know that I have served your
father with all my strength.
Genesis 31:7 And although he has cheated me and
changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.
Genesis 31:8 If he said, ‘The speckled will be
your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he
said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore
streaked offspring.
Genesis 31:9 Thus God has taken away your
father’s livestock and given them to me.
Genesis 31:10 When the flocks were breeding, I
saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were
mating with the females.
Genesis 31:11 In that dream the angel of God
said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’
Genesis 31:12 ‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that
all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked,
spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to
you.
Genesis 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, where you
anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and
leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”
Genesis 31:14 And Rachel and Leah replied, “Do
we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house?
Genesis 31:15 Are we not regarded by him as
outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly
squandered what was paid for us.
Genesis 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God has
taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So
do whatever God has told you.”
Genesis 31:17 Then Jacob got up and put his
children and his wives on camels,
Genesis 31:18 and he drove all his livestock
before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in
Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.
Genesis 31:19 Now while Laban was out shearing
his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household idols.
Genesis 31:20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the
Aramean by not telling him that he was running away.
Genesis 31:21 So he fled with all his
possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill
country of Gilead.
Genesis 31:22 On the third day Laban was
informed that Jacob had fled.
Genesis 31:23 So he took his relatives with him,
pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country
of Gilead.
Genesis 31:24 But that night God came to Laban
the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say
anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”
Genesis 31:25 Now Jacob had pitched his tent in
the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and
his relatives camped there as well.
Genesis 31:26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What
have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters
like captives of war!
Genesis 31:27 Why did you run away secretly and
deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away
with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps.
Genesis 31:28 But you did not even let me kiss
my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. Now you have done a
foolish thing.
Genesis 31:29 I have power to do you great harm,
but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not
to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’
Genesis 31:30 Now you have gone off because you
long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?”
Genesis 31:31 “I was afraid,” Jacob answered,
“for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.
Genesis 31:32 If you find your gods with anyone
here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for
yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did
not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
Genesis 31:33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent,
then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two maidservants, but
he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s
tent.
Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken Laban’s
household idols, put them in the saddlebag of her camel, and was
sitting on them. And Laban searched everything in the tent but
found nothing.
Genesis 31:35 Rachel said to her father, “Sir,
do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having
my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household
idols.
Genesis 31:36 Then Jacob became incensed and
challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of
mine have you so hotly pursued me?
Genesis 31:37 You have searched all my goods!
Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my
brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.
Genesis 31:38 I have been with you for twenty
years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I
eaten the rams of your flock.
Genesis 31:39 I did not bring you anything torn
by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment
from me for what was stolen by day or night.
Genesis 31:40 As it was, the heat consumed me by
day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.
Genesis 31:41 Thus for twenty years I have
served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and
six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times!
Genesis 31:42 If the God of my father, the God
of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by
now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my
affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered
judgment.”
Genesis 31:43 But Laban answered Jacob, “These
daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these
flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I
do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have
borne?
Genesis 31:44 Come now, let us make a covenant,
you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”
Genesis 31:45 So Jacob picked out a stone and
set it up as a pillar,
Genesis 31:46 and he said to his relatives,
“Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and
there by the mound they ate.
Genesis 31:47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,
and Jacob called it Galeed.
Genesis 31:48 Then Laban declared, “This mound
is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was
called Galeed.
Genesis 31:49 It was also called Mizpah, because
Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we
are absent from each other.
Genesis 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or
take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is
a witness between you and me.”
Genesis 31:51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is
the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and
me.
Genesis 31:52 This mound is a witness, and this
pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm
you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me.
Genesis 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God
of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob
swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.
Genesis 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on
the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. And after
they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
Genesis 31:55 Early the next morning, Laban got
up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them.
Then he left to return home.
Genesis 32:1 Jacob also went on his way, and the
angels of God met him.
Genesis 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This
is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
Genesis 32:3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him
to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
Genesis 32:4 He instructed them, “You are to say
to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying
with Laban and have remained there until now.
Genesis 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks,
menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform
my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
Genesis 32:6 When the messengers returned to
Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is
coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.”
Genesis 32:7 In great fear and distress, Jacob
divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds
and camels.
Genesis 32:8 He thought, “If Esau comes and
attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
Genesis 32:9 Then Jacob declared, “O God of my
father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go
back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you
prosper,’
Genesis 32:10 I am unworthy of all the kindness
and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my
staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.
Genesis 32:11 Please deliver me from the hand of
my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me
and the mothers and children with me.
Genesis 32:12 But You have said, ‘I will surely
make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of
the sea, too numerous to count.’”
Genesis 32:13 Jacob spent the night there, and
from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his
brother Esau:
Genesis 32:14 200 female goats, 20 male goats,
200 ewes, 20 rams,
Genesis 32:15 30 milk camels with their young,
40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.
Genesis 32:16 He entrusted them to his servants
in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some
distance between the herds.”
Genesis 32:17 He instructed the one in the lead,
“When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong,
where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’
Genesis 32:18 then you are to say, ‘They belong
to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And
behold, Jacob is behind us.’”
Genesis 32:19 He also instructed the second, the
third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet
Esau, you are to say the same thing to him.
Genesis 32:20 You are also to say, ‘Look, your
servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will
appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I
can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.”
Genesis 32:21 So Jacob’s gifts went on before
him, while he spent the night in the camp.
Genesis 32:22 During the night Jacob got up and
took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and
crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
Genesis 32:23 He took them and sent them across
the stream, along with all his possessions.
Genesis 32:24 So Jacob was left all alone, and
there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
Genesis 32:25 When the man saw that he could not
overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and
dislocated it as they wrestled.
Genesis 32:26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for
it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless
you bless me.”
Genesis 32:27 “What is your name?” the man
asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
Genesis 32:28 Then the man said, “Your name will
no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with
God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
Genesis 32:29 And Jacob requested, “Please tell
me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he
blessed Jacob there.
Genesis 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel,
saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was
spared.”
Genesis 32:31 The sun rose above him as he
passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.
Genesis 32:32 Therefore to this day the
Israelites do not eat the tendon which is at the socket of the
hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck near that
tendon.
Genesis 33:1 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau
coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the
children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants.
Genesis 33:2 He put the maidservants and their
children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and
Joseph at the rear.
Genesis 33:3 But Jacob himself went on ahead and
bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
Genesis 33:4 Esau, however, ran to him and
embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And
they both wept.
Genesis 33:5 When Esau looked up and saw the
women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?” Jacob
answered, “These are the children God has graciously given your
servant.”
Genesis 33:6 Then the maidservants and their
children approached and bowed down.
Genesis 33:7 Leah and her children also
approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached
and bowed down.
Genesis 33:8 “What do you mean by sending this
whole company to meet me?” asked Esau. “To find favor in your
sight, my lord,” Jacob answered.
Genesis 33:9 “I already have plenty, my
brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.”
Genesis 33:10 But Jacob insisted, “No, please!
If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from
my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing
the face of God, since you have received me favorably.
Genesis 33:11 Please accept my gift that was
brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all
I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.
Genesis 33:12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our
way, and I will go ahead of you.”
Genesis 33:13 But Jacob replied, “My lord knows
that the children are frail, and I must care for sheep and cattle
that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard for even a
day, all the animals will die.
Genesis 33:14 Please let my lord go ahead of his
servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the
livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
Genesis 33:15 “Let me leave some of my people
with you,” Esau said. But Jacob replied, “Why do that? Let me find
favor in the sight of my lord.”
Genesis 33:16 So that day Esau started on his
way back to Seir,
Genesis 33:17 but Jacob went on to Succoth,
where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock;
that is why the place was called Succoth.
Genesis 33:18 After Jacob had come from
Paddan-aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land
of Canaan, and he camped just outside the city.
Genesis 33:19 And the plot of ground where he
pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s
father, for a hundred pieces of silver.
Genesis 33:20 There he set up an altar and
called it El-Elohe-Israel.
Genesis 34:1 Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had
borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.
Genesis 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the
Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay
with her by force.
Genesis 34:3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah,
the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her
tenderly.
Genesis 34:4 So Shechem told his father Hamor,
“Get me this girl as a wife.”
Genesis 34:5 Jacob heard that Shechem had
defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his
livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they
returned.
Genesis 34:6 Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor
came to speak with Jacob.
Genesis 34:7 When Jacob’s sons heard what had
happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with
grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel
by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
Genesis 34:8 But Hamor said to them, “My son
Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his
wife.
Genesis 34:9 Intermarry with us; give us your
daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves.
Genesis 34:10 You may settle among us, and the
land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and
acquire your own property.”
Genesis 34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s
father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you
whatever you ask.
Genesis 34:12 Demand a high dowry and an
expensive gift, and I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me
the girl as my wife!”
Genesis 34:13 But because Shechem had defiled
their sister Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father Hamor
deceitfully.
Genesis 34:14 “We cannot do such a thing,” they
said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a
disgrace to us.
Genesis 34:15 We will consent to this on one
condition, that you become circumcised like us—every one of your
males.
Genesis 34:16 Then we will give you our
daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will dwell
among you and become one people.
Genesis 34:17 But if you will not agree to be
circumcised, then we will take our sister and go.”
Genesis 34:18 Their offer seemed good to Hamor
and his son Shechem.
Genesis 34:19 The young man, who was the most
respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to
fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s
daughter.
Genesis 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went
to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:
Genesis 34:21 “These men are at peace with us.
Let them live and trade in our land; indeed, it is large enough
for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage and give our
daughters to them.
Genesis 34:22 But only on this condition will
the men agree to dwell with us and be one people: if all our men
are circumcised as they are.
Genesis 34:23 Will not their livestock, their
possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us
consent to them, and they will dwell among us.”
Genesis 34:24 All the men who went out of the
city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of
the city was circumcised.
Genesis 34:25 Three days later, while they were
still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and
Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and
slaughtered every male.
Genesis 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son
Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and
went away.
Genesis 34:27 Jacob’s other sons came upon the
slaughter and looted the city, because their sister had been
defiled.
Genesis 34:28 They took their flocks and herds
and donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the field.
Genesis 34:29 They carried off all their
possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything
in their houses.
Genesis 34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and
Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to
the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few
in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my
household will be destroyed.”
Genesis 34:31 But they replied, “Should he have
treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Genesis 35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go
up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God
who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
Genesis 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all
who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among
you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.
Genesis 35:3 Then let us arise and go to Bethel.
I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of
distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
Genesis 35:4 So they gave Jacob all their
foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under
the oak near Shechem.
Genesis 35:5 As they set out, a terror from God
fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue
Jacob’s sons.
Genesis 35:6 So Jacob and everyone with him
arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 35:7 There Jacob built an altar, and he
called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had
revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.
Genesis 35:8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died
and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it
Allon-bachuth.
Genesis 35:9 After Jacob had returned from
Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.
Genesis 35:10 And God said to him, “Though your
name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your
name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.
Genesis 35:11 And God told him, “I am God
Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of
nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.
Genesis 35:12 The land that I gave to Abraham
and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your
descendants after you.”
Genesis 35:13 Then God went up from the place
where He had spoken with him.
Genesis 35:14 So Jacob set up a pillar in the
place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured
out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.
Genesis 35:15 Jacob called the place where God
had spoken with him Bethel.
Genesis 35:16 Later, they set out from Bethel,
and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began
to give birth, and her labor was difficult.
Genesis 35:17 During her severe labor, the
midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another
son.”
Genesis 35:18 And with her last breath—for she
was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him
Benjamin.
Genesis 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on
the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Genesis 35:20 Jacob set up a pillar on her
grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.
Genesis 35:21 Israel again set out and pitched
his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.
Genesis 35:22 While Israel was living in that
region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine
Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
Genesis 35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben the
firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and
Benjamin.
Genesis 35:25 The sons of Rachel’s maidservant
Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
Genesis 35:26 And the sons of Leah’s maidservant
Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were
born to him in Paddan-aram.
Genesis 35:27 Jacob returned to his father Isaac
at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and
Isaac had stayed.
Genesis 35:28 And Isaac lived 180 years.
Genesis 35:29 Then he breathed his last and died
and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his
sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 36:1 This is the account of Esau (that
is, Edom).
Genesis 36:2 Esau took his wives from the
daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah
daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
Genesis 36:3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael
and sister of Nebaioth.
Genesis 36:4 And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau,
Basemath gave birth to Reuel,
Genesis 36:5 and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush,
Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to
him in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 36:6 Later, Esau took his wives and sons
and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his
livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had
acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his
brother Jacob.
Genesis 36:7 For their possessions were too
great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could
not support them because of their livestock.
Genesis 36:8 So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in
the area of Mount Seir.
Genesis 36:9 This is the account of Esau, the
father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.
Genesis 36:10 These are the names of Esau’s
sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s
wife Basemath.
Genesis 36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman,
Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
Genesis 36:12 Additionally, Timna, a concubine
of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to Amalek. These are the
grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
Genesis 36:13 These are the sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of
Esau’s wife Basemath.
Genesis 36:14 These are the sons of Esau’s wife
Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) whom she
bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
Genesis 36:15 These are the chiefs among the
sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
Genesis 36:16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. They are
the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, and they are the
grandsons of Adah.
Genesis 36:17 These are the sons of Esau’s son
Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the
chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the
grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
Genesis 36:18 These are the sons of Esau’s wife
Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They are the chiefs
descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
Genesis 36:19 All these are the sons of Esau
(that is, Edom), and they were their chiefs.
Genesis 36:20 These are the sons of Seir the
Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
Genesis 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are
the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of
Edom.
Genesis 36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and
Hemam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.
Genesis 36:23 These are the sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
Genesis 36:24 These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah
and Anah. (This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the
wilderness as he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.)
Genesis 36:25 These are the children of Anah:
Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
Genesis 36:26 These are the sons of Dishon:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
Genesis 36:27 These are the sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
Genesis 36:28 These are the sons of Dishan: Uz
and Aran.
Genesis 36:29 These are the chiefs of the
Horites: Chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
Genesis 36:30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are
the chiefs of the Horites, according to their divisions in the
land of Seir.
Genesis 36:31 These are the kings who reigned in
the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:
Genesis 36:32 Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom;
the name of his city was Dinhabah.
Genesis 36:33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah
from Bozrah reigned in his place.
Genesis 36:34 When Jobab died, Husham from the
land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
Genesis 36:35 When Husham died, Hadad son of
Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his
place. And the name of his city was Avith.
Genesis 36:36 When Hadad died, Samlah from
Masrekah reigned in his place.
Genesis 36:37 When Samlah died, Shaul from
Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.
Genesis 36:38 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of
Achbor reigned in his place.
Genesis 36:39 When Baal-hanan son of Achbor
died, Hadad reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, and his
wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of
Me-zahab.
Genesis 36:40 These are the names of Esau’s
chiefs, according to their families and regions, by their names:
Chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
Genesis 36:41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
Genesis 36:42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
Genesis 36:43 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the
chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they
possessed. Esau was the father of the Edomites.
Genesis 37:1 Now Jacob lived in the land where
his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
Genesis 37:2 This is the account of Jacob. When
Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his
brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he
brought their father a bad report about them.
Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than
his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old
age; so he made him a robe of many colors.
Genesis 37:4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that
their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and
could not speak a kind word to him.
Genesis 37:5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when
he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
Genesis 37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this
dream I had:
Genesis 37:7 We were binding sheaves of grain in
the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while
your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”
Genesis 37:8 “Do you intend to reign over us?”
his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him
even more because of his dream and his statements.
Genesis 37:9 Then Joseph had another dream and
told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream,
and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down
to me.”
Genesis 37:10 He told his father and brothers,
but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you
have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and
bow down to the ground before you?”
Genesis 37:11 And his brothers were jealous of
him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
Genesis 37:12 Some time later, Joseph’s brothers
had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
Genesis 37:13 Israel said to him, “Are not your
brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending
you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied.
Genesis 37:14 Then Israel told him, “Go now and
see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word
back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And
when Joseph arrived in Shechem,
Genesis 37:15 a man found him wandering in the
field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
Genesis 37:16 “I am looking for my brothers,”
Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing
their flocks?”
Genesis 37:17 “They have moved on from here,”
the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So
Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Genesis 37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in
the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
Genesis 37:19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they
said to one another.
Genesis 37:20 “Come now, let us kill him and
throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal
has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
Genesis 37:21 When Reuben heard this, he tried
to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he
said.
Genesis 37:22 “Do not shed his blood. Throw him
into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.”
Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands
and return him to his father.
Genesis 37:23 So when Joseph came to his
brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he
was wearing—
Genesis 37:24 and they took him and threw him
into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
Genesis 37:25 And as they sat down to eat a
meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from
Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on
their way down to Egypt.
Genesis 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers,
“What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his
blood?
Genesis 37:27 Come, let us sell him to the
Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our
own flesh.” And they agreed.
Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite traders
passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him
for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to
Egypt.
Genesis 37:29 When Reuben returned to the pit
and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
Genesis 37:30 returned to his brothers, and
said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
Genesis 37:31 Then they took Joseph’s robe,
slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.
Genesis 37:32 They sent the robe of many colors
to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see
whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
Genesis 37:33 His father recognized it and said,
“It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph
has surely been torn to pieces!”
Genesis 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put
sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Genesis 37:35 All his sons and daughters tried
to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I
will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for
him.
Genesis 37:36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold
Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of
the guard.
Genesis 38:1 About that time, Judah left his
brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
Genesis 38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a
Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with
her.
Genesis 38:3 So she conceived and gave birth to
a son, and Judah named him Er.
Genesis 38:4 Again she conceived and gave birth
to a son, and she named him Onan.
Genesis 38:5 Then she gave birth to another son
and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
Genesis 38:6 Now Judah acquired a wife for Er,
his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
Genesis 38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was
wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
Genesis 38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep
with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law
and raise up offspring for your brother.”
Genesis 38:9 But Onan knew that the offspring
would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his
brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he
would not produce offspring for his brother.
Genesis 38:10 What he did was wicked in the
sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
Genesis 38:11 Then Judah said to his
daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house
until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too,
like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
Genesis 38:12 After a long time Judah’s wife,
the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he
and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers
at Timnah.
Genesis 38:13 When Tamar was told, “Your
father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
Genesis 38:14 she removed her widow’s garments,
covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the
entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that
although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a
wife.
Genesis 38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she
was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
Genesis 38:16 Not realizing that she was his
daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me
sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?”
she inquired.
Genesis 38:17 “I will send you a young goat from
my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me
something as a pledge until you send it.”
Genesis 38:18 “What pledge should I give you?”
he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in
your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she
became pregnant by him.
Genesis 38:19 Then Tamar got up and departed.
And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
Genesis 38:20 Now when Judah sent his friend
Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he
had left with the woman, he could not find her.
Genesis 38:21 He asked the men of that place,
“Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
Genesis 38:22 So Hirah returned to Judah and
said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that
place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”
Genesis 38:23 “Let her keep the items,” Judah
replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I
did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
Genesis 38:24 About three months later, Judah
was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and
now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be
burned to death!”
Genesis 38:25 As she was being brought out,
Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the
man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine
them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”
Genesis 38:26 Judah recognized the items and
said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to
my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
Genesis 38:27 When the time came for Tamar to
give birth, there were twins in her womb.
Genesis 38:28 And as she was giving birth, one
of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and
tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she
announced.
Genesis 38:29 But when he pulled his hand back
and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!”
So he was named Perez.
Genesis 38:30 Then his brother came out with the
scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.
Genesis 39:1 Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken
down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites
who had taken him there.
Genesis 39:2 And the LORD was with Joseph, and
he became a successful man, serving in the household of his
Egyptian master.
Genesis 39:3 When his master saw that the LORD
was with him and made him prosper in all he did,
Genesis 39:4 Joseph found favor in his sight and
became his personal attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his
household and entrusted him with everything he owned.
Genesis 39:5 From the time that he put Joseph in
charge of his household and all he owned, the LORD blessed the
Egyptian’s household on account of him. The LORD’s blessing was on
everything he owned, both in his house and in his field.
Genesis 39:6 So Potiphar left all that he owned
in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except
the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
Genesis 39:7 and after some time his master’s
wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
Genesis 39:8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to
his master’s wife, “with me here, my master does not concern
himself with anything in his house, and he has entrusted
everything he owns to my care.
Genesis 39:9 No one in this house is greater
than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you
are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against
God?”
Genesis 39:10 Although Potiphar’s wife spoke to
Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be
near her.
Genesis 39:11 One day, however, Joseph went into
the house to attend to his work, and not a single household
servant was inside.
Genesis 39:12 She grabbed Joseph by his cloak
and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his cloak in her hand, he
escaped and ran outside.
Genesis 39:13 When she saw that he had left his
cloak in her hand and had run out of the house,
Genesis 39:14 she called her household servants.
“Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make
sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I
screamed as loud as I could.
Genesis 39:15 When he heard me scream for help,
he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
Genesis 39:16 So Potiphar’s wife kept Joseph’s
cloak beside her until his master came home.
Genesis 39:17 Then she told him the same story:
“The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,
Genesis 39:18 but when I screamed for help, he
left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
Genesis 39:19 When his master heard the story
his wife told him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” he
burned with anger.
Genesis 39:20 So Joseph’s master took him and
had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were
confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
Genesis 39:21 the LORD was with him and extended
kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison
warden.
Genesis 39:22 And the warden put all the
prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all
that was done in the prison.
Genesis 39:23 The warden did not concern himself
with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with
Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Genesis 40:1 Some time later, the king’s
cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.
Genesis 40:2 Pharaoh was angry with his two
officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
Genesis 40:3 and imprisoned them in the house of
the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was
confined.
Genesis 40:4 The captain of the guard assigned
them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they
had been in custody for some time,
Genesis 40:5 both of these men—the Egyptian
king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had
a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.
Genesis 40:6 When Joseph came to them in the
morning, he saw that they were distraught.
Genesis 40:7 So he asked the officials of
Pharaoh who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why
are your faces so downcast today?”
Genesis 40:8 “We both had dreams,” they replied,
“but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them,
“Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
Genesis 40:9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph
his dream: “In my dream there was a vine before me,
Genesis 40:10 and on the vine were three
branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters
ripened into grapes.
Genesis 40:11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and
I took the grapes, squeezed them into his cup, and placed the cup
in his hand.”
Genesis 40:12 Joseph replied, “This is the
interpretation: The three branches are three days.
Genesis 40:13 Within three days Pharaoh will
lift up your head and restore your position. You will put
Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his
cupbearer.
Genesis 40:14 But when it goes well for you,
please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to
Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.
Genesis 40:15 For I was kidnapped from the land
of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing for which they
should have put me in this dungeon.”
Genesis 40:16 When the chief baker saw that the
interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I too had a
dream: There were three baskets of white bread on my head.
Genesis 40:17 In the top basket were all sorts
of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of
the basket on my head.”
Genesis 40:18 Joseph replied, “This is the
interpretation: The three baskets are three days.
Genesis 40:19 Within three days Pharaoh will
lift off your head and hang you on a tree. Then the birds will eat
the flesh of your body.”
Genesis 40:20 On the third day, which was
Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in
their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and
the chief baker.
Genesis 40:21 Pharaoh restored the chief
cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in
Pharaoh’s hand.
Genesis 40:22 But Pharaoh hanged the chief
baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation.
Genesis 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did
not remember Joseph; he forgot all about him.
Genesis 41:1 After two full years had passed,
Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,
Genesis 41:2 when seven cows, sleek and
well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the
reeds.
Genesis 41:3 After them, seven other cows,
sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the
well-fed cows on the bank of the river.
Genesis 41:4 And the cows that were sickly and
thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke
up,
Genesis 41:5 but he fell back asleep and dreamed
a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on
one stalk.
Genesis 41:6 After them, seven other heads of
grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.
Genesis 41:7 And the thin heads of grain
swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and
realized it was a dream.
Genesis 41:8 In the morning his spirit was
troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.
Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for
him.
Genesis 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to
Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.
Genesis 41:10 Pharaoh was once angry with his
servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the
captain of the guard.
Genesis 41:11 One night both the chief baker and
I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.
Genesis 41:12 Now a young Hebrew was there with
us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams
and he interpreted them for us individually.
Genesis 41:13 And it happened to us just as he
had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man
was hanged.”
Genesis 41:14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who
was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and
changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.
Genesis 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a
dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of
you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
Genesis 41:16 “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph
replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”
Genesis 41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In
my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
Genesis 41:18 when seven cows, well-fed and
sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
Genesis 41:19 After them, seven other
cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly
cows in all the land of Egypt!
Genesis 41:20 Then the thin, ugly cows devoured
the seven well-fed cows that were there first.
Genesis 41:21 When they had devoured them,
however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance
was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.
Genesis 41:22 In my dream I also saw seven heads
of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk.
Genesis 41:23 After them, seven other heads of
grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind.
Genesis 41:24 And the thin heads of grain
swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the
magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”
Genesis 41:25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh,
“The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to
Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Genesis 41:26 The seven good cows are seven
years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The
dreams have the same meaning.
Genesis 41:27 Moreover, the seven thin, ugly
cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven
worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven
years of famine.
Genesis 41:28 It is just as I said to Pharaoh:
God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Genesis 41:29 Behold, seven years of great
abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
Genesis 41:30 but seven years of famine will
follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be
forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.
Genesis 41:31 The abundance in the land will not
be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.
Genesis 41:32 Moreover, because the dream was
given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by
God, and He will carry it out shortly.
Genesis 41:33 Now, therefore, Pharaoh should
look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of
Egypt.
Genesis 41:34 Let Pharaoh take action and
appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest
of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
Genesis 41:35 Under the authority of Pharaoh,
let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that
they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the
cities.
Genesis 41:36 This food will be a reserve for
the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of
Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”
Genesis 41:37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and
all his officials.
Genesis 41:38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we
find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”
Genesis 41:39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,
“Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as
discerning and wise as you.
Genesis 41:40 You shall be in charge of my
house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with
regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
Genesis 41:41 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I
hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 41:42 Then Pharaoh removed the signet
ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in
garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
Genesis 41:43 He had Joseph ride in his second
chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he
placed him over all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:44 And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I
am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of
Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”
Genesis 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name
Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera,
priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the
land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:46 Now Joseph was thirty years old
when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph
left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:47 During the seven years of
abundance, the land brought forth bountifully.
Genesis 41:48 During those seven years, Joseph
collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it
in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields
around it.
Genesis 41:49 So Joseph stored up grain in such
abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track
of it; for it was beyond measure.
Genesis 41:50 Before the years of famine
arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of
Potiphera, priest of On.
Genesis 41:51 Joseph named the firstborn
Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all
my father’s household.”
Genesis 41:52 And the second son he named
Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my
affliction.”
Genesis 41:53 When the seven years of abundance
in the land of Egypt came to an end,
Genesis 41:54 the seven years of famine began,
just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every
country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:55 When extreme hunger came to all
the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he
told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells
you.”
Genesis 41:56 When the famine had spread over
all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain
to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
Genesis 41:57 And every nation came to Joseph in
Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the
earth.
Genesis 42:1 When Jacob learned that there was
grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one
another?”
Genesis 42:2 “Look,” he added, “I have heard
that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us,
so that we may live and not die.”
Genesis 42:3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went
down to buy grain from Egypt.
Genesis 42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s
brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that
harm might befall him.”
Genesis 42:5 So the sons of Israel were among
those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to
the land of Canaan.
Genesis 42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the
land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his
brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to
the ground.
Genesis 42:7 And when Joseph saw his brothers,
he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke
harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the
land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
Genesis 42:8 Although Joseph recognized his
brothers, they did not recognize him.
Genesis 42:9 Joseph remembered his dreams about
them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is
vulnerable.”
Genesis 42:10 “Not so, my lord,” they replied.
“Your servants have come to buy food.
Genesis 42:11 We are all sons of one man. Your
servants are honest men, not spies.”
Genesis 42:12 “No,” he told them. “You have come
to see if our land is vulnerable.”
Genesis 42:13 But they answered, “Your servants
are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan.
The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
Genesis 42:14 Then Joseph declared, “Just as I
said, you are spies!
Genesis 42:15 And this is how you will be
tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place
unless your youngest brother comes here.
Genesis 42:16 Send one of your number to get
your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth
of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as
Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
Genesis 42:17 So Joseph imprisoned them for
three days,
Genesis 42:18 and on the third day he said to
them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:
Genesis 42:19 If you are honest, leave one of
your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back
grain to relieve the hunger of your households.
Genesis 42:20 Then bring your youngest brother
to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.”
And to this they consented.
Genesis 42:21 Then they said to one another,
“Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his
anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is
why this distress has come upon us.”
Genesis 42:22 And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I
tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now
we must account for his blood!”
Genesis 42:23 They did not realize that Joseph
understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.
Genesis 42:24 And he turned away from them and
wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from
them and had him bound before their eyes.
Genesis 42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill
their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack,
and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was
carried out,
Genesis 42:26 and they loaded the grain on their
donkeys and departed.
Genesis 42:27 At the place where they lodged for
the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey,
and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.
Genesis 42:28 “My silver has been returned!” he
said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank,
and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this
that God has done to us?”
Genesis 42:29 When they reached their father
Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had
happened to them:
Genesis 42:30 “The man who is lord of the land
spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
Genesis 42:31 But we told him, ‘We are honest
men, not spies.
Genesis 42:32 We are twelve brothers, sons of
one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our
father in the land of Canaan.’
Genesis 42:33 Then the man who is lord of the
land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest:
Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your
households, and go.
Genesis 42:34 But bring your youngest brother
back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men.
Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in
the land.’”
Genesis 42:35 As they began emptying their
sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when
they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
Genesis 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them,
“You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no
more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against
me!”
Genesis 42:37 Then Reuben said to his father,
“You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put
him in my care, and I will return him.”
Genesis 42:38 But Jacob replied, “My son will
not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone
is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring
my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
Genesis 43:1 Now the famine was still severe in
the land.
Genesis 43:2 So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all
the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them,
“Go back and buy us a little more food.”
Genesis 43:3 But Judah replied, “The man
solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your
brother is with you.’
Genesis 43:4 If you will send our brother with
us, we will go down and buy food for you.
Genesis 43:5 But if you will not send him, we
will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again
unless your brother is with you.’”
Genesis 43:6 “Why did you bring this trouble
upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another
brother?”
Genesis 43:7 They replied, “The man questioned
us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still
alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him
accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring
your brother here’?”
Genesis 43:8 And Judah said to his father
Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we
may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
Genesis 43:9 I will guarantee his safety. You
may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and
set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my
life.
Genesis 43:10 If we had not delayed, we could
have come and gone twice by now.”
Genesis 43:11 Then their father Israel said to
them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best
products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift
for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh,
pistachios and almonds.
Genesis 43:12 Take double the silver with you so
that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths
of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
Genesis 43:13 Take your brother as well, and
return to the man at once.
Genesis 43:14 May God Almighty grant you mercy
before the man, that he may release your other brother along with
Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
Genesis 43:15 So the men took these gifts, along
with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they
hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
Genesis 43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with his
brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to
my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine
with me at noon.”
Genesis 43:17 The man did as Joseph had
commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.
Genesis 43:18 But the brothers were frightened
that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought
here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first
time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as
slaves, along with our donkeys.”
Genesis 43:19 So they approached Joseph’s
steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
Genesis 43:20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we
really did come down here the first time to buy food.
Genesis 43:21 But when we came to the place we
lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us
found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount
of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
Genesis 43:22 We have brought additional silver
with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our
sacks.”
Genesis 43:23 “It is fine,” said the steward.
“Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the
treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he
brought Simeon out to them.
Genesis 43:24 And the steward took the men into
Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided
food for their donkeys.
Genesis 43:25 Since the brothers had been told
that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift
for Joseph’s arrival at noon.
Genesis 43:26 When Joseph came home, they
presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to
the ground before him.
Genesis 43:27 He asked if they were well, and
then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is
he still alive?”
Genesis 43:28 “Your servant our father is well,”
they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor
him.
Genesis 43:29 When Joseph looked up and saw his
brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your
youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared,
“May God be gracious to you, my son.”
Genesis 43:30 Joseph hurried out because he was
moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to
weep.
Genesis 43:31 Then he washed his face and came
back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”
Genesis 43:32 They separately served Joseph, his
brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the
Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was
detestable to them.
Genesis 43:33 They were seated before Joseph in
order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men
looked at one another in astonishment.
Genesis 43:34 When the portions were served to
them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger
than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with
Joseph.
Genesis 44:1 Then Joseph instructed his steward:
“Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put
each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.
Genesis 44:2 Put my cup, the silver one, in the
mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his
grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.
Genesis 44:3 At daybreak, the men were sent on
their way with their donkeys.
Genesis 44:4 They had not gone far from the city
when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when
you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?
Genesis 44:5 Is this not the cup my master
drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is
wicked!’”
Genesis 44:6 When the steward overtook them, he
relayed these words to them.
Genesis 44:7 “Why does my lord say these
things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a
thing.
Genesis 44:8 We even brought back to you from
the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks.
Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?
Genesis 44:9 If any of your servants is found to
have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”
Genesis 44:10 “As you say,” replied the steward.
“But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and
the rest of you shall be free of blame.”
Genesis 44:11 So each one quickly lowered his
sack to the ground and opened it.
Genesis 44:12 The steward searched, beginning
with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found
in Benjamin’s sack.
Genesis 44:13 Then they all tore their clothes,
loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
Genesis 44:14 When Judah and his brothers
arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to
the ground before him.
Genesis 44:15 “What is this deed you have done?”
Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely
divine the truth?”
Genesis 44:16 “What can we say to my lord?”
Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves?
God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my
lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”
Genesis 44:17 But Joseph replied, “Far be it
from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my
slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”
Genesis 44:18 Then Judah approached Joseph and
said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord.
Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh
himself.
Genesis 44:19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do
you have a father or a brother?’
Genesis 44:20 And we answered, ‘We have an
elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age.
The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons
left, and his father loves him.’
Genesis 44:21 Then you told your servants,
‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’
Genesis 44:22 So we said to my lord, ‘The boy
cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would
die.’
Genesis 44:23 But you said to your servants,
‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see
my face again.’
Genesis 44:24 Now when we returned to your
servant my father, we relayed your words to him.
Genesis 44:25 Then our father said, ‘Go back and
buy us some food.’
Genesis 44:26 But we answered, ‘We cannot go
down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our
younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’
Genesis 44:27 And your servant my father said to
us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.
Genesis 44:28 When one of them was gone, I said:
“Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him
since.
Genesis 44:29 Now if you also take this one from
me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to
Sheol in sorrow.’
Genesis 44:30 So if the boy is not with us when
I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped
up in the boy’s life,
Genesis 44:31 sees that the boy is not with us,
he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of
your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Genesis 44:32 Indeed, your servant guaranteed
the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to
you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’
Genesis 44:33 Now please let your servant stay
here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with
his brothers.
Genesis 44:34 For how can I go back to my father
without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would
overwhelm him.”
Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control
himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Send
everyone away from me!” So none of them were with Joseph when he
made himself known to his brothers.
Genesis 45:2 But he wept so loudly that the
Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household soon heard of it.
Genesis 45:3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am
Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But they were unable to answer
him, because they were terrified in his presence.
Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers,
“Please come near me.” And they did so. “I am Joseph, your
brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt!
Genesis 45:5 And now, do not be distressed or
angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it
was to save lives that God sent me before you.
Genesis 45:6 For the famine has covered the land
these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing
or harvesting.
Genesis 45:7 God sent me before you to preserve
you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great
deliverance.
Genesis 45:8 Therefore it was not you who sent
me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—lord of all
his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 45:9 Now return quickly to my father and
tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord
of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay.
Genesis 45:10 You shall settle in the land of
Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren,
your flocks and herds, and everything you own.
Genesis 45:11 And there I will provide for you,
because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you
and your household and everything you own will come to
destitution.’
Genesis 45:12 Behold! You and my brother
Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you.
Genesis 45:13 Tell my father about all my
splendor in Egypt and everything you have seen. And bring my
father down here quickly.”
Genesis 45:14 Then Joseph threw his arms around
his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept as they embraced.
Genesis 45:15 Joseph kissed each of his brothers
as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.
Genesis 45:16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s
house that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants
were pleased.
Genesis 45:17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your
brothers, ‘Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land
of Canaan.
Genesis 45:18 Then bring your father and your
families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of
Egypt, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.’
Genesis 45:19 You are also directed to tell
them: ‘Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children
and your wives, and bring your father and come back.
Genesis 45:20 But pay no regard to your
belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
Genesis 45:21 So the sons of Israel did as they
were told. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and
he also gave them provisions for their journey.
Genesis 45:22 He gave new garments to each of
them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and
five sets of clothes.
Genesis 45:23 And he sent to his father the
following: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Egypt, and ten
female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his
father’s journey.
Genesis 45:24 Then Joseph sent his brothers on
their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not
quarrel on the way!”
Genesis 45:25 So the brothers went up out of
Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 45:26 “Joseph is still alive,” they
said, “and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” But Jacob was
stunned, for he did not believe them.
Genesis 45:27 However, when they relayed all
that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph
had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob was
revived.
Genesis 45:28 “Enough!” declared Israel. “My son
Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”
Genesis 46:1 So Israel set out with all that he
had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the
God of his father Isaac.
Genesis 46:2 And that night God spoke to Israel
in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob.
Genesis 46:3 “I am God,” He said, “the God of
your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make
you into a great nation there.
Genesis 46:4 I will go down with you to Egypt,
and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will
close your eyes.”
Genesis 46:5 Then Jacob departed from Beersheba,
and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons
Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and
wives.
Genesis 46:6 They also took the livestock and
possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and
all his offspring went to Egypt.
Genesis 46:7 Jacob took with him to Egypt his
sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters—all his
offspring.
Genesis 46:8 Now these are the names of the sons
of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben,
Jacob’s firstborn.
Genesis 46:9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu,
Hezron, and Carmi.
Genesis 46:10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin,
Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
Genesis 46:11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath,
and Merari.
Genesis 46:12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan,
Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of
Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
Genesis 46:13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah,
Job, and Shimron.
Genesis 46:14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon,
and Jahleel.
Genesis 46:15 These are the sons of Leah born to
Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total
number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.
Genesis 46:16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi,
Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
Genesis 46:17 The children of Asher: Imnah,
Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malchiel.
Genesis 46:18 These are the sons of Jacob born
to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
Genesis 46:19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.
Genesis 46:20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to
Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera,
priest of On.
Genesis 46:21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela,
Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
Genesis 46:22 These are the sons of Rachel born
to Jacob—fourteen in all.
Genesis 46:23 The son of Dan: Hushim.
Genesis 46:24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel,
Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
Genesis 46:25 These are the sons of Jacob born
to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
Genesis 46:26 All those belonging to Jacob who
came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s
sons—numbered sixty-six persons.
Genesis 46:27 And with the two sons who had been
born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to
Egypt were seventy in all.
Genesis 46:28 Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of
him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family
arrived in the land of Goshen,
Genesis 46:29 Joseph prepared his chariot and
went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to
him, embraced him, and wept profusely.
Genesis 46:30 Then Israel said to Joseph,
“Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that
you are still alive!”
Genesis 46:31 Joseph said to his brothers and to
his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My
brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have
come to me.
Genesis 46:32 The men are shepherds; they raise
livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all
that they own.’
Genesis 46:33 When Pharaoh summons you and asks,
‘What is your occupation?’
Genesis 46:34 you are to say, ‘Your servants
have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our
fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of
Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
Genesis 47:1 So Joseph went and told Pharaoh:
“My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all
they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in
Goshen.”
Genesis 47:2 And he chose five of his brothers
and presented them before Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:3 “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh
asked Joseph’s brothers. “Your servants are shepherds,” they
replied, “both we and our fathers.”
Genesis 47:4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have
come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture
for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of
Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to
settle in the land of Goshen.”
Genesis 47:5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that
your father and brothers have come to you,
Genesis 47:6 the land of Egypt is before you;
settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They
may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented
men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
Genesis 47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father
Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:8 “How many years have you lived?”
Pharaoh asked.
Genesis 47:9 “My travels have lasted 130 years,”
Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not
matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”
Genesis 47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and
departed from his presence.
Genesis 47:11 So Joseph settled his father and
brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best
part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had
commanded.
Genesis 47:12 Joseph also provided his father
and brothers and all his father’s household with food for their
families.
Genesis 47:13 There was no food, however, in all
that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt
and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine.
Genesis 47:14 Joseph collected all the money to
be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange
for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh’s
palace.
Genesis 47:15 When the money from the lands of
Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and
said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our
funds have run out!”
Genesis 47:16 “Then bring me your livestock,”
said Joseph. “Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in
exchange for your livestock.”
Genesis 47:17 So they brought their livestock to
Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their
flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he
provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
Genesis 47:18 When that year was over, they came
to him the second year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord
that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There
is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.
Genesis 47:19 Why should we perish before your
eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange
for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh.
Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may
not become desolate.”
Genesis 47:20 So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all
the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields
because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became
Pharaoh’s,
Genesis 47:21 and Joseph reduced the people to
servitude from one end of Egypt to the other.
Genesis 47:22 However, he did not acquire the
priests’ portion of the land, for it had been given to them by
Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did
not sell their land.
Genesis 47:23 Then Joseph said to the people,
“Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day,
here is seed for you to sow in the land.
Genesis 47:24 At harvest time, you are to give a
fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for
the field and food for yourselves and your households and
children.”
Genesis 47:25 “You have saved our lives,” they
said. “We have found favor in our lord’s eyes, and we will be
Pharaoh’s servants.”
Genesis 47:26 So Joseph established a law that a
fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh, and it is in effect in
the land of Egypt to this day. Only the priests’ land does not
belong to Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:27 Now the Israelites settled in the
land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property
there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number.
Genesis 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of
Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.
Genesis 47:29 When the time drew near for Israel
to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found
favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to
show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
Genesis 47:30 but when I lie down with my
fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me with them.” Joseph
answered, “I will do as you have requested.”
Genesis 47:31 “Swear to me,” Jacob said. So
Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of
his bed.
Genesis 48:1 Some time later Joseph was told,
“Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh
and Ephraim.
Genesis 48:2 When Jacob was told, “Your son
Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in
bed.
Genesis 48:3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty
appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed
me
Genesis 48:4 and told me, ‘Behold, I will make
you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of
peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as
an everlasting possession.’
Genesis 48:5 And now your two sons born to you
in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine;
Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are
mine.
Genesis 48:6 Any children born to you after them
shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their
brothers in the territory they inherit.
Genesis 48:7 Now as for me, when I was returning
from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of
Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside
the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
Genesis 48:8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph,
he asked, “Who are these?”
Genesis 48:9 Joseph said to his father, “They
are the sons God has given me in this place.” So Jacob said,
“Please bring them to me, that I may bless them.”
Genesis 48:10 Now Israel’s eyesight was poor
because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons
to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
Genesis 48:11 “I never expected to see your face
again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your
children as well.”
Genesis 48:12 Then Joseph removed his sons from
his father’s knees and bowed facedown.
Genesis 48:13 And Joseph took both of them—with
Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh
in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close
to him.
Genesis 48:14 But Israel stretched out his right
hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing
his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh
was the firstborn.
Genesis 48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said:
“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the
God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
Genesis 48:16 the angel who has redeemed me from
all harm—may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my
name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they
grow into a multitude upon the earth.”
Genesis 48:17 When Joseph saw that his father
had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and
took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to
Manasseh’s.
Genesis 48:18 “Not so, my father!” Joseph said.
“This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
Genesis 48:19 But his father refused. “I know,
my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he
too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be
greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of
nations.”
Genesis 48:20 So that day Jacob blessed them and
said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make
you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before
Manasseh.
Genesis 48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look,
I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to
the land of your fathers.
Genesis 48:22 And to you, as one who is above
your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the
Amorites with my sword and bow.”
Genesis 49:1 Then Jacob called for his sons and
said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to
you in the days to come:
Genesis 49:2 Come together and listen, O sons of
Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
Genesis 49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my
might, and the beginning of my strength, excelling in honor,
excelling in power.
Genesis 49:4 Uncontrolled as the waters, you
will no longer excel, because you went up to your father’s bed,
onto my couch, and defiled it.
Genesis 49:5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; their
swords are weapons of violence.
Genesis 49:6 May I never enter their council;
may I never join their assembly. For they kill men in their anger,
and hamstring oxen on a whim.
Genesis 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it is
strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in
Jacob and scatter them in Israel.
Genesis 49:8 Judah, your brothers shall praise
you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your
father’s sons shall bow down to you.
Genesis 49:9 Judah is a young lion—my son, you
return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like
a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from
Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and
the allegiance of the nations is his.
Genesis 49:11 He ties his donkey to the vine,
his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
Genesis 49:12 His eyes are darker than wine, and
his teeth are whiter than milk.
Genesis 49:13 Zebulun shall dwell by the
seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to
Sidon.
Genesis 49:14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying
down between the sheepfolds.
Genesis 49:15 He saw that his resting place was
good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to
the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.
Genesis 49:16 Dan shall provide justice for his
people as one of the tribes of Israel.
Genesis 49:17 He will be a snake by the road, a
viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider
tumbles backward.
Genesis 49:18 I await Your salvation, O LORD.
Genesis 49:19 Gad will be attacked by raiders,
but he will attack their heels.
Genesis 49:20 Asher’s food will be rich; he
shall provide royal delicacies.
Genesis 49:21 Naphtali is a doe set free that
bears beautiful fawns.
Genesis 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful vine—a
fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall.
Genesis 49:23 The archers attacked him with
bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.
Genesis 49:24 Yet he steadied his bow, and his
strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
Genesis 49:25 by the God of your father who
helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you, with blessings of
the heavens above, with blessings of the depths below, with
blessings of the breasts and womb.
Genesis 49:26 The blessings of your father have
surpassed the blessings of the ancient mountains and the bounty of
the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the
brow of the prince of his brothers.
Genesis 49:27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in
the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the
plunder.”
Genesis 49:28 These are the tribes of Israel,
twelve in all, and this was what their father said to them. He
blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.
Genesis 49:29 Then Jacob instructed them, “I am
about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the
cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite.
Genesis 49:30 The cave is in the field of
Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field
Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
Genesis 49:31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah
are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there
I buried Leah.
Genesis 49:32 The field and the cave that is in
it were purchased from the Hittites.”
Genesis 49:33 When Jacob had finished
instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed
his last, and he was gathered to his people.
Genesis 50:1 Then Joseph fell upon his father’s
face, wept over him, and kissed him.
Genesis 50:2 And Joseph directed the physicians
in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him,
Genesis 50:3 taking the forty days required to
complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy
days.
Genesis 50:4 When the days of mourning had
passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in
your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that
Genesis 50:5 my father made me swear an oath
when he said, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb
that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and
bury my father, and then return.”
Genesis 50:6 Pharaoh replied, “Go up and bury
your father, as he made you swear to do.”
Genesis 50:7 Then Joseph went to bury his
father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him—the elders
of Pharaoh’s household and all the elders of the land of Egypt—
Genesis 50:8 along with all of Joseph’s
household, and his brothers, and his father’s household. Only
their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
Genesis 50:9 Chariots and horsemen alike went up
with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession.
Genesis 50:10 When they reached the threshing
floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and
wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.
Genesis 50:11 When the Canaanites of the land
saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This
is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians.” Thus the place
across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim.
Genesis 50:12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had
charged them.
Genesis 50:13 They carried him to the land of
Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near
Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a
burial site.
Genesis 50:14 After Joseph had buried his
father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had
gone with him to bury his father.
Genesis 50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that
their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge?
Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”
Genesis 50:16 So they sent word to Joseph,
saying, “Before he died, your father commanded,
Genesis 50:17 ‘This is what you are to say to
Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of
your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please
forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your
father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
Genesis 50:18 His brothers also came to him,
bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
Genesis 50:19 But Joseph replied, “Do not be
afraid. Am I in the place of God?
Genesis 50:20 As for you, what you intended
against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish
a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.
Genesis 50:21 Therefore do not be afraid. I will
provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his
brothers and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:22 Now Joseph and his father’s
household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110.
Genesis 50:23 He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third
generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were
brought up on Joseph’s knees.
Genesis 50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers,
“I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up
from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob.”
Genesis 50:25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel
take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then
you must carry my bones up from this place.”
Genesis 50:26 So Joseph died at the age of 110.
And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.
EXODUS
Exodus 1:1 These are the names of the sons of
Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
Exodus 1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
Exodus 1:3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
Exodus 1:4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
Exodus 1:5 The descendants of Jacob numbered
seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.
Exodus 1:6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and
all that generation died,
Exodus 1:7 but the Israelites were fruitful and
increased rapidly; they multiplied and became exceedingly
numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
Exodus 1:8 Then a new king, who did not know
Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
Exodus 1:9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the
Israelites have become too numerous and too powerful for us.
Exodus 1:10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with
them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out,
they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the
country.”
Exodus 1:11 So the Egyptians appointed
taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor.
As a result, they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for
Pharaoh.
Exodus 1:12 But the more they were oppressed,
the more they multiplied and flourished; so the Egyptians came to
dread the Israelites.
Exodus 1:13 They worked the Israelites
ruthlessly
Exodus 1:14 and made their lives bitter with
hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the
fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
Exodus 1:15 Then the king of Egypt said to the
Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
Exodus 1:16 “When you help the Hebrew women give
birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son,
kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”
Exodus 1:17 The midwives, however, feared God
and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the
boys live.
Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt summoned the
midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let
the boys live?”
Exodus 1:19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The
Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are
vigorous and give birth before a midwife arrives.”
Exodus 1:20 So God was good to the midwives, and
the people multiplied and became even more numerous.
Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God,
He gave them families of their own.
Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his
people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the
Nile, but every daughter you may allow to live.”
Exodus 2:1 Now a man of the house of Levi
married a daughter of Levi,
Exodus 2:2 and she conceived and gave birth to a
son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for
three months.
Exodus 2:3 But when she could no longer hide
him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and
pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among
the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
Exodus 2:4 And his sister stood at a distance to
see what would happen to him.
Exodus 2:5 Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went
down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along
the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she
sent her maidservant to retrieve it.
Exodus 2:6 When she opened it, she saw the
child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had
compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”
Exodus 2:7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s
daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse
the child for you?”
Exodus 2:8 “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told
her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
Exodus 2:9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take
this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So
the woman took the boy and nursed him.
Exodus 2:10 When the child had grown older, she
brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She
named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”
Exodus 2:11 One day, after Moses had grown up,
he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He
saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
Exodus 2:12 After looking this way and that and
seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the
sand.
Exodus 2:13 The next day Moses went out and saw
two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you
attacking your companion?”
Exodus 2:14 But the man replied, “Who made you
ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed
the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I
have done has surely become known.”
Exodus 2:15 When Pharaoh heard about this
matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and
settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
Exodus 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven
daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to
water their father’s flock.
Exodus 2:17 And when some shepherds came along
and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their
flock.
Exodus 2:18 When the daughters returned to their
father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early
today?”
Exodus 2:19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the
shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered
the flock.”
Exodus 2:20 “So where is he?” their father
asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have
something to eat.”
Exodus 2:21 Moses agreed to stay with the man,
and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
Exodus 2:22 And she gave birth to a son, and
Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a
foreign land.”
Exodus 2:23 After a long time, the king of Egypt
died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of
slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to
God.
Exodus 2:24 So God heard their groaning, and He
remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Exodus 2:25 God saw the Israelites and took
notice.
Exodus 3:1 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the
flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led
the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the
mountain of God.
Exodus 3:2 There the angel of the LORD appeared
to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush
ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.
Exodus 3:3 So Moses thought, “I must go over and
see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”
Exodus 3:4 When the LORD saw that he had gone
over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses,
Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said.
“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is
holy ground.”
Exodus 3:6 Then He said, “I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at
God.
Exodus 3:7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen
the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out
because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
Exodus 3:8 I have come down to rescue them from
the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to
a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the
home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites,
and Jebusites.
Exodus 3:9 And now the cry of the Israelites has
reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are
oppressing them.
Exodus 3:10 Therefore, go! I am sending you to
Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Exodus 3:11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that
I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Exodus 3:12 “I will surely be with you,” God
said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When
you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship
God on this mountain.”
Exodus 3:13 Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go
to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has
sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should
I tell them?”
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.
This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me
to you.’”
Exodus 3:15 God also told Moses, “Say to the
Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This
is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every
generation.
Exodus 3:16 Go, assemble the elders of Israel
and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have
surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in
Egypt.
Exodus 3:17 And I have promised to bring you up
out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land
flowing with milk and honey.’
Exodus 3:18 The elders of Israel will listen to
what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and
tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now
please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so
that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
Exodus 3:19 But I know that the king of Egypt
will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.
Exodus 3:20 So I will stretch out My hand and
strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among
them. And after that, he will release you.
Exodus 3:21 And I will grant this people such
favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will
not go away empty-handed.
Exodus 3:22 Every woman shall ask her neighbor
and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and
clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you
will plunder the Egyptians.”
Exodus 4:1 Then Moses answered, “What if they do
not believe me or listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘The LORD
has not appeared to you.’”
Exodus 4:2 And the LORD asked him, “What is that
in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.
Exodus 4:3 “Throw it on the ground,” said the
LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and
he ran from it.
Exodus 4:4 “Stretch out your hand and grab it by
the tail,” the LORD said to Moses, who reached out his hand and
caught the snake, and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
Exodus 4:5 “This is so that they may believe
that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
Exodus 4:6 Furthermore, the LORD said to Moses,
“Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his
cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, white as
snow.
Exodus 4:7 “Put your hand back inside your
cloak,” said the LORD. So Moses put his hand back inside his
cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of
his skin.
Exodus 4:8 And the LORD said, “If they refuse to
believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may
believe that of the second.
Exodus 4:9 But if they do not believe even these
two signs or listen to your voice, take some water from the Nile
and pour it on the dry ground. Then the water you take from the
Nile will become blood on the ground.”
Exodus 4:10 “Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I
have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have
spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said to him, “Who gave
man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or
the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
Exodus 4:12 Now go! I will help you as you
speak, and I will teach you what to say.”
Exodus 4:13 But Moses replied, “Please, Lord,
send someone else.”
Exodus 4:14 Then the anger of the LORD burned
against Moses, and He said, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?
I know that he can speak well, and he is now on his way to meet
you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
Exodus 4:15 You are to speak to him and put the
words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will
teach you what to do.
Exodus 4:16 He will speak to the people for you.
He will be your spokesman, and it will be as if you were God to
him.
Exodus 4:17 But take this staff in your hand so
you can perform signs with it.”
Exodus 4:18 Then Moses went back to his
father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my
brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,”
Jethro replied.
Exodus 4:19 Now the LORD had said to Moses in
Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you
are dead.”
Exodus 4:20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put
them on a donkey, and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff
of God in his hand.
Exodus 4:21 The LORD instructed Moses, “When you
go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the
wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his
heart so that he will not let the people go.
Exodus 4:22 Then tell Pharaoh that this is what
the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son,
Exodus 4:23 and I told you to let My son go so
that he may worship Me. But since you have refused to let him go,
behold, I will kill your firstborn son!’”
Exodus 4:24 Now at a lodging place along the
way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him.
Exodus 4:25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut
off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. “Surely you
are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said.
Exodus 4:26 So the LORD let him alone. (When she
said, “bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the
circumcision.)
Exodus 4:27 Meanwhile, the LORD had said to
Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met
Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
Exodus 4:28 And Moses told Aaron everything the
LORD had sent him to say, and all the signs He had commanded him
to perform.
Exodus 4:29 Then Moses and Aaron went and
assembled all the elders of the Israelites,
Exodus 4:30 and Aaron relayed everything the
LORD had said to Moses. And Moses performed the signs before the
people,
Exodus 4:31 and they believed. And when they
heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen
their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
Exodus 5:1 After that, Moses and Aaron went to
Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘Let My people go, so that they may hold a feast to Me in the
wilderness.’”
Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD
that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the
LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
Exodus 5:3 “The God of the Hebrews has met with
us,” they answered. “Please let us go on a three-day journey into
the wilderness to sacrifice to the LORD our God, or He may strike
us with plagues or with the sword.”
Exodus 5:4 But the king of Egypt said to them,
“Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work?
Get back to your labor!”
Exodus 5:5 Pharaoh also said, “Look, the people
of the land are now numerous, and you would be stopping them from
their labor.”
Exodus 5:6 That same day Pharaoh commanded the
taskmasters of the people and their foremen:
Exodus 5:7 “You shall no longer supply the
people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their
own straw.
Exodus 5:8 But require of them the same quota of
bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why
they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
Exodus 5:9 Make the work harder on the men so
they will be occupied and pay no attention to these lies.”
Exodus 5:10 So the taskmasters and foremen of
the people went out and said to them, “This is what Pharaoh says:
‘I am no longer giving you straw.
Exodus 5:11 Go and get your own straw wherever
you can find it; but your workload will in no way be reduced.’”
Exodus 5:12 So the people scattered all over the
land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
Exodus 5:13 The taskmasters kept pressing them,
saying, “Fulfill your quota each day, just as you did when straw
was provided.”
Exodus 5:14 Then the Israelite foremen, whom
Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over the people, were beaten and
asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your quota of bricks yesterday
or today, as you did before?”
Exodus 5:15 So the Israelite foremen went and
appealed to Pharaoh: “Why are you treating your servants this way?
Exodus 5:16 No straw has been given to your
servants, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are
being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”
Exodus 5:17 “You are slackers!” Pharaoh replied.
“Slackers! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice
to the LORD.’
Exodus 5:18 Now get to work. You will be given
no straw, yet you must deliver the full quota of bricks.”
Exodus 5:19 The Israelite foremen realized they
were in trouble when they were told, “You must not reduce your
daily quota of bricks.”
Exodus 5:20 When they left Pharaoh, they
confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.
Exodus 5:21 “May the LORD look upon you and
judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench
before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a
sword to kill us!”
Exodus 5:22 So Moses returned to the LORD and
asked, “Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Is
this why You sent me?
Exodus 5:23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to
speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You
have not delivered Your people in any way.”
Exodus 6:1 But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you
will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for because of My mighty hand
he will let the people go; because of My strong hand he will drive
them out of his land.”
Exodus 6:2 God also told Moses, “I am the LORD.
Exodus 6:3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and
to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name the LORD I did not make
Myself known to them.
Exodus 6:4 I also established My covenant with
them to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they lived as
foreigners.
Exodus 6:5 Furthermore, I have heard the
groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and
I have remembered My covenant.
Exodus 6:6 Therefore tell the Israelites: ‘I am
the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the
Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you
with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
Exodus 6:7 I will take you as My own people, and
I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your
God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
Exodus 6:8 And I will bring you into the land
that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it
to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’”
Exodus 6:9 Moses relayed this message to the
Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel
bondage, they did not listen to him.
Exodus 6:10 So the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 6:11 “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt
to let the Israelites go out of his land.”
Exodus 6:12 But in the LORD’s presence Moses
replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would
Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?”
Exodus 6:13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and
Aaron and gave them a charge concerning both the Israelites and
Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of
Egypt.
Exodus 6:14 These were the heads of their
fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were
Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of
Reuben.
Exodus 6:15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel,
Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite
woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
Exodus 6:16 These were the names of the sons of
Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi
lived 137 years.
Exodus 6:17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and
Shimei, by their clans.
Exodus 6:18 The sons of Kohath were Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
Exodus 6:19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and
Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites according to their
records.
Exodus 6:20 And Amram married his father’s
sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137
years.
Exodus 6:21 The sons of Izhar were Korah,
Nepheg, and Zichri.
Exodus 6:22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael,
Elzaphan, and Sithri.
Exodus 6:23 And Aaron married Elisheba, the
daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him
Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Exodus 6:24 The sons of Korah were Assir,
Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These were the clans of the Korahites.
Exodus 6:25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of
the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the
heads of the Levite families by their clans.
Exodus 6:26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom
the LORD said, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by
their divisions.”
Exodus 6:27 Moses and Aaron were the ones who
spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites
out of Egypt.
Exodus 6:28 Now on the day that the LORD spoke
to Moses in Egypt,
Exodus 6:29 He said to him, “I am the LORD; tell
Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I say to you.”
Exodus 6:30 But in the LORD’s presence Moses
replied, “Since I am unskilled in speech, why would Pharaoh listen
to me?”
Exodus 7:1 The LORD answered Moses, “See, I have
made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your
prophet.
Exodus 7:2 You are to speak all that I command
you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the
Israelites go out of his land.
Exodus 7:3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,
and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of
Egypt,
Exodus 7:4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then
I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will
bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of
Egypt.
Exodus 7:5 And the Egyptians will know that I am
the LORD, when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the
Israelites out from among them.”
Exodus 7:6 So Moses and Aaron did just as the
LORD had commanded them.
Exodus 7:7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron
was eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Exodus 7:8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
Exodus 7:9 “When Pharaoh tells you, ‘Perform a
miracle,’ you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it
down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a serpent.”
Exodus 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh
and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down
before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
Exodus 7:11 But Pharaoh called the wise men and
sorcerers and magicians of Egypt, and they also did the same
things by their magic arts.
Exodus 7:12 Each one threw down his staff, and
it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other
staffs.
Exodus 7:13 Still, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,
and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
Exodus 7:14 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.
Exodus 7:15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as you
see him walking out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to
meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a
snake.
Exodus 7:16 Then say to him, ‘The LORD, the God
of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you: Let My people go, so that
they may worship Me in the wilderness. But you have not listened
until now.
Exodus 7:17 This is what the LORD says: By this
you will know that I am the LORD. Behold, with the staff in my
hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will turn to
blood.
Exodus 7:18 The fish in the Nile will die, the
river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its
water.’”
Exodus 7:19 And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell
Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters
of Egypt—over their rivers and canals and ponds and
reservoirs—that they may become blood.’ There will be blood
throughout the land of Egypt, even in the vessels of wood and
stone.”
Exodus 7:20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD
had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron
raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the
water was turned to blood.
Exodus 7:21 The fish in the Nile died, and the
river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water.
And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
Exodus 7:22 But the magicians of Egypt did the
same things by their magic arts. So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened,
and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had
said.
Exodus 7:23 Instead, Pharaoh turned around, went
into his palace, and did not take any of this to heart.
Exodus 7:24 So all the Egyptians dug around the
Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink the water
from the river.
Exodus 7:25 And seven full days passed after the
LORD had struck the Nile.
Exodus 8:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to
Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Let My
people go, so that they may worship Me.
Exodus 8:2 But if you refuse to let them go, I
will plague your whole country with frogs.
Exodus 8:3 The Nile will teem with frogs, and
they will come into your palace and up to your bedroom and onto
your bed, into the houses of your officials and your people, and
into your ovens and kneading bowls.
Exodus 8:4 The frogs will come up on you and
your people and all your officials.’”
Exodus 8:5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell
Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers and
canals and ponds, and cause the frogs to come up onto the land of
Egypt.’”
Exodus 8:6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over
the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of
Egypt.
Exodus 8:7 But the magicians did the same thing
by their magic arts, and they also brought frogs up onto the land
of Egypt.
Exodus 8:8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and
said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my
people. Then I will let your people go, that they may sacrifice to
the LORD.”
Exodus 8:9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have
the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and your officials
and your people that the frogs (except for those in the Nile) may
be taken away from you and your houses?”
Exodus 8:10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh answered. “May
it be as you say,” Moses replied, “so that you may know that there
is no one like the LORD our God.
Exodus 8:11 The frogs will depart from you and
your houses and your officials and your people; they will remain
only in the Nile.”
Exodus 8:12 After Moses and Aaron had left
Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD for help with the frogs that
He had brought against Pharaoh.
Exodus 8:13 And the LORD did as Moses requested,
and the frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields died.
Exodus 8:14 They were piled into countless
heaps, and there was a terrible stench in the land.
Exodus 8:15 When Pharaoh saw that there was
relief, however, he hardened his heart and would not listen to
Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
Exodus 8:16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell
Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth,
that it may turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of
Egypt.’”
Exodus 8:17 This they did, and when Aaron
stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the
earth, gnats came upon man and beast. All the dust of the earth
turned into gnats throughout the land of Egypt.
Exodus 8:18 The magicians tried to produce gnats
using their magic arts, but they could not. And the gnats remained
on man and beast.
Exodus 8:19 “This is the finger of God,” the
magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and
he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
Exodus 8:20 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up
early in the morning, and when Pharaoh goes out to the water,
stand before him and tell him that this is what the LORD says:
‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Exodus 8:21 But if you will not let My people
go, I will send swarms of flies upon you and your officials and
your people and your houses. The houses of the Egyptians and even
the ground where they stand will be full of flies.
Exodus 8:22 But on that day I will give special
treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms
of flies will be found there. In this way you will know that I,
the LORD, am in the land.
Exodus 8:23 I will make a distinction between My
people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”
Exodus 8:24 And the LORD did so. Thick swarms of
flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his
officials. Throughout Egypt the land was ruined by swarms of
flies.
Exodus 8:25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and
Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within this land.”
Exodus 8:26 But Moses replied, “It would not be
right to do that, because the sacrifices we offer to the LORD our
God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offer sacrifices
that are detestable before the Egyptians, will they not stone us?
Exodus 8:27 We must make a three-day journey
into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He
commands us.”
Exodus 8:28 Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go
and sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but you must
not go very far. Now pray for me.”
Exodus 8:29 “As soon as I leave you,” Moses
said, “I will pray to the LORD, so that tomorrow the swarms of
flies will depart from Pharaoh and his officials and his people.
But Pharaoh must not act deceitfully again by refusing to let the
people go and sacrifice to the LORD.”
Exodus 8:30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed
to the LORD,
Exodus 8:31 and the LORD did as Moses requested.
He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh and his officials and
his people; not one fly remained.
Exodus 8:32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart this
time as well, and he would not let the people go.
Exodus 9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to
Pharaoh and tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of the
Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Exodus 9:2 But if you continue to restrain them
and refuse to let them go,
Exodus 9:3 then the hand of the LORD will bring
a severe plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses,
donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks.
Exodus 9:4 But the LORD will make a distinction
between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so
that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
Exodus 9:5 The LORD set a time, saying,
“Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
Exodus 9:6 And the next day the LORD did just
that. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal
belonging to the Israelites died.
Exodus 9:7 Pharaoh sent officials and found that
none of the livestock of the Israelites had died. But Pharaoh’s
heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go.
Exodus 9:8 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the furnace; in the sight of
Pharaoh, Moses is to toss it into the air.
Exodus 9:9 It will become fine dust over all the
land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on man and beast
throughout the land.”
Exodus 9:10 So they took soot from the furnace
and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and
festering boils broke out on man and beast.
Exodus 9:11 The magicians could not stand before
Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and on all the
Egyptians.
Exodus 9:12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s
heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said
to Moses.
Exodus 9:13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up
early in the morning, stand before Pharaoh, and tell him that this
is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘Let My people go,
so that they may worship Me.
Exodus 9:14 Otherwise, I will send all My
plagues against you and your officials and your people, so you may
know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
Exodus 9:15 For by this time I could have
stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague
to wipe you off the earth.
Exodus 9:16 But I have raised you up for this
very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My
name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Exodus 9:17 Still, you lord it over My people
and do not allow them to go.
Exodus 9:18 Behold, at this time tomorrow I will
rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the
day it was founded until now.
Exodus 9:19 So give orders now to shelter your
livestock and everything you have in the field. Every man or beast
that remains in the field and is not brought inside will die when
the hail comes down upon them.’”
Exodus 9:20 Those among Pharaoh’s officials who
feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their servants and
livestock to shelter,
Exodus 9:21 but those who disregarded the word
of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field.
Exodus 9:22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that hail may fall on all
the land of Egypt—on man and beast and every plant of the field
throughout the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 9:23 So Moses stretched out his staff
toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning
struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of
Egypt.
Exodus 9:24 The hail fell and the lightning
continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing
like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time
it became a nation.
Exodus 9:25 Throughout the land of Egypt, the
hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it
beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.
Exodus 9:26 The only place where it did not hail
was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
Exodus 9:27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and
Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said. “The LORD is righteous,
and I and my people are wicked.
Exodus 9:28 Pray to the LORD, for there has been
enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not
need to stay any longer.”
Exodus 9:29 Moses said to him, “When I have left
the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will
cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that
the earth is the LORD’s.
Exodus 9:30 But as for you and your officials, I
know that you still do not fear the LORD our God.”
Exodus 9:31 (Now the flax and barley were
destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom;
Exodus 9:32 but the wheat and spelt were not
destroyed, because they are late crops.)
Exodus 9:33 Then Moses departed from Pharaoh,
went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The
thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the
land.
Exodus 9:34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and
hail and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his
heart—he and his officials.
Exodus 9:35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and
he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said
through Moses.
Exodus 10:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to
Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his
officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among
them,
Exodus 10:2 and that you may tell your children
and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I
performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know
that I am the LORD.”
Exodus 10:3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh
and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews,
says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let
My people go, so that they may worship Me.
Exodus 10:4 But if you refuse to let My people
go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
Exodus 10:5 They will cover the face of the land
so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after
the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields.
Exodus 10:6 They will fill your houses and the
houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither
your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they
came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s
presence.
Exodus 10:7 Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How
long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that
they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that
Egypt is in ruins?”
Exodus 10:8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back
to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who
exactly will be going?”
Exodus 10:9 “We will go with our young and old,”
Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with
our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
Exodus 10:10 Then Pharaoh told them, “May the
LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones.
Clearly you are bent on evil.
Exodus 10:11 No, only the men may go and worship
the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses
and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
Exodus 10:12 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts
may swarm over it and devour every plant in the land—everything
that the hail has left behind.”
Exodus 10:13 So Moses stretched out his staff
over the land of Egypt, and throughout that day and night the LORD
sent an east wind across the land. By morning the east wind had
brought the locusts.
Exodus 10:14 The locusts swarmed across the land
and settled over the entire territory of Egypt. Never before had
there been so many locusts, and never again will there be.
Exodus 10:15 They covered the face of all the
land until it was black, and they consumed all the plants on the
ground and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left
behind. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in all the
land of Egypt.
Exodus 10:16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and
Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and
against you.
Exodus 10:17 Now please forgive my sin once more
and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death
from me.”
Exodus 10:18 So Moses left Pharaoh’s presence
and appealed to the LORD.
Exodus 10:19 And the LORD changed the wind to a
very strong west wind that carried off the locusts and blew them
into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained anywhere in Egypt.
Exodus 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s
heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
Exodus 10:21 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread
over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”
Exodus 10:22 So Moses stretched out his hand
toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt
for three days.
Exodus 10:23 No one could see anyone else, and
for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had
light in their dwellings.
Exodus 10:24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and
said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your little ones may go with
you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
Exodus 10:25 But Moses replied, “You must also
provide us with sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the
LORD our God.
Exodus 10:26 Even our livestock must go with us;
not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to
worship the LORD our God, and we will not know how we are to
worship the LORD until we arrive.”
Exodus 10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s
heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.
Exodus 10:28 “Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to
Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you
see my face, you will die.”
Exodus 10:29 “As you say,” Moses replied, “I
will never see your face again.”
Exodus 11:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will
bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one more plague. After that, he will
allow you to leave this place. And when he lets you go, he will
drive you out completely.
Exodus 11:2 Now announce to the people that men
and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver
and gold.”
Exodus 11:3 And the LORD gave the people favor
in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was highly
regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.
Exodus 11:4 So Moses declared, “This is what the
LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
Exodus 11:5 and every firstborn son in the land
of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his
throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill,
as well as the firstborn of all the cattle.
Exodus 11:6 Then a great cry will go out over
all the land of Egypt. Such an outcry has never been heard before
and will never be heard again.
Exodus 11:7 But among all the Israelites, not
even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that
the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
Exodus 11:8 And all these officials of yours
will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people
who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.” And hot with anger,
Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.
Exodus 11:9 The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh
will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in
the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 11:10 Moses and Aaron did all these
wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so
that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.
Exodus 12:1 Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron
in the land of Egypt,
Exodus 12:2 “This month is the beginning of
months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.
Exodus 12:3 Tell the whole congregation of
Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a
lamb for his family, one per household.
Exodus 12:4 If the household is too small for a
whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on
the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.
Exodus 12:5 Your lamb must be an unblemished
year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.
Exodus 12:6 You must keep it until the
fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
Exodus 12:7 They are to take some of the blood
and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses
where they eat the lambs.
Exodus 12:8 They are to eat the meat that night,
roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter
herbs.
Exodus 12:9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or
cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head
and legs and inner parts.
Exodus 12:10 Do not leave any of it until
morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left
over.
Exodus 12:11 This is how you are to eat it: You
must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet
and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the
LORD’s Passover.
Exodus 12:12 On that night I will pass through
the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man
and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of
Egypt. I am the LORD.
Exodus 12:13 The blood on the houses where you
are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will
pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I
strike the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:14 And this day will be a memorial for
you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a
permanent statute for the generations to come.
Exodus 12:15 For seven days you must eat
unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven
from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first
day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
Exodus 12:16 On the first day you are to hold a
sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do
any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all
you may do.
Exodus 12:17 So you are to keep the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions
out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent
statute for the generations to come.
Exodus 12:18 In the first month you are to eat
unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the
evening of the twenty-first day.
Exodus 12:19 For seven days there must be no
leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened,
that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be
cut off from the congregation of Israel.
Exodus 12:20 You are not to eat anything
leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”
Exodus 12:21 Then Moses summoned all the elders
of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a
lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.
Exodus 12:22 Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it
into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and
sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his
house until morning.
Exodus 12:23 When the LORD passes through to
strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and
sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will
not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
Exodus 12:24 And you are to keep this command as
a permanent statute for you and your descendants.
Exodus 12:25 When you enter the land that the
LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.
Exodus 12:26 When your children ask you, ‘What
does this service mean to you?’
Exodus 12:27 you are to reply, ‘It is the
Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the
Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared
our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
Exodus 12:28 And the Israelites went and did
just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Exodus 12:29 Now at midnight the LORD struck
down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn
of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the
prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the
livestock.
Exodus 12:30 During the night Pharaoh got up—he
and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud
wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.
Exodus 12:31 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and
Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and
the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.
Exodus 12:32 Take your flocks and herds as well,
just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”
Exodus 12:33 And in order to send them out of
the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For
otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!”
Exodus 12:34 So the people took their dough
before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading
bowls wrapped in clothing.
Exodus 12:35 Furthermore, the Israelites acted
on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and
gold, and for clothing.
Exodus 12:36 And the LORD gave the people such
favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their
request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.
Exodus 12:37 The Israelites journeyed from
Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women
and children.
Exodus 12:38 And a mixed multitude also went up
with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and
herds.
Exodus 12:39 Since their dough had no leaven,
the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into
unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt,
they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for
themselves.
Exodus 12:40 Now the duration of the Israelites’
stay in Egypt was 430 years.
Exodus 12:41 At the end of the 430 years, to the
very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:42 Because the LORD kept a vigil that
night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is
to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites
for the generations to come.
Exodus 12:43 And the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to
eat of it.
Exodus 12:44 But any slave who has been
purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him.
Exodus 12:45 A temporary resident or hired hand
shall not eat the Passover.
Exodus 12:46 It must be eaten inside one house.
You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may
not break any of the bones.
Exodus 12:47 The whole congregation of Israel
must celebrate it.
Exodus 12:48 If a foreigner resides with you and
wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the
household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate
it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no
uncircumcised man may eat of it.
Exodus 12:49 The same law shall apply to both
the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”
Exodus 12:50 Then all the Israelites did
this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Exodus 12:51 And on that very day the LORD
brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their
divisions.
Exodus 13:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 13:2 “Consecrate to Me every firstborn
male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs
to Me, both of man and beast.”
Exodus 13:3 So Moses told the people, “Remember
this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His
hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
Exodus 13:4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are
leaving.
Exodus 13:5 And when the LORD brings you into
the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and
Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give
you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this
service in this month.
Exodus 13:6 For seven days you are to eat
unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to
the LORD.
Exodus 13:7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten
during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you,
nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.
Exodus 13:8 And on that day you are to explain
to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I
came out of Egypt.’
Exodus 13:9 It shall be a sign for you on your
hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is
to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you
out of Egypt.
Exodus 13:10 Therefore you shall keep this
statute at the appointed time year after year.
Exodus 13:11 And after the LORD brings you into
the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He swore to you
and your fathers,
Exodus 13:12 you are to present to the LORD the
firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your
livestock belong to the LORD.
Exodus 13:13 You must redeem every firstborn
donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break
its neck. And every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.
Exodus 13:14 In the future, when your son asks
you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty
hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery.
Exodus 13:15 And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused
to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of
Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD
the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn
of my sons.’
Exodus 13:16 So it shall serve as a sign on your
hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the
LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God
did not lead them along the road through the land of the
Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people
face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”
Exodus 13:18 So God led the people around by the
way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left
the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.
Exodus 13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with
him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath
when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must
carry my bones with you from this place.”
Exodus 13:20 They set out from Succoth and
camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them in a
pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire
to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or
night.
Exodus 13:22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day
nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people.
Exodus 14:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 14:2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back
and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are
to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon.
Exodus 14:3 For Pharaoh will say of the
Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the
wilderness has boxed them in.’
Exodus 14:4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so
that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of
Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am
the LORD.” So this is what the Israelites did.
Exodus 14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that
the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds
about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel
from serving us.”
Exodus 14:6 So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and
took his army with him.
Exodus 14:7 He took 600 of the best chariots,
and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of
them.
Exodus 14:8 And the LORD hardened the heart of
Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he pursued the Israelites, who were
marching out defiantly.
Exodus 14:9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses
and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and
overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite
Baal-zephon.
Exodus 14:10 As Pharaoh approached, the
Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them,
and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD.
Exodus 14:11 They said to Moses, “Was it because
there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the
wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of
Egypt?
Exodus 14:12 Did we not say to you in Egypt,
‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would
have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the
wilderness.”
Exodus 14:13 But Moses told the people, “Do not
be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which
He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today,
you will never see again.
Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you
need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why
are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
Exodus 14:16 And as for you, lift up your staff
and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the
Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
Exodus 14:17 And I will harden the hearts of the
Egyptians so that they will go in after them. Then I will gain
honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army and chariots and
horsemen.
Exodus 14:18 The Egyptians will know that I am
the LORD when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his
horsemen.”
Exodus 14:19 And the angel of God, who had gone
before the camp of Israel, withdrew and went behind them. The
pillar of cloud also moved from before them and stood behind them,
Exodus 14:20 so that it came between the camps
of Egypt and Israel. The cloud was there in the darkness, but it
lit up the night. So all night long neither camp went near the
other.
Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with
a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters
were divided,
Exodus 14:22 and the Israelites went through the
sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their
left.
Exodus 14:23 And the Egyptians chased after
them—all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen—and followed
them into the sea.
Exodus 14:24 At morning watch, however, the LORD
looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire
and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion.
Exodus 14:25 He caused their chariot wheels to
wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the
Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the LORD is fighting for
them against Egypt!”
Exodus 14:26 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow
back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.”
Exodus 14:27 So Moses stretched out his hand
over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal
state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into
the sea.
Exodus 14:28 The waters flowed back and covered
the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had
chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
Exodus 14:29 But the Israelites had walked
through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right
and on their left.
Exodus 14:30 That day the LORD saved Israel from
the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on
the shore.
Exodus 14:31 When Israel saw the great power
that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared
the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang
this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly
exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and my song,
and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise
Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is
His name.
Exodus 15:4 Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has
cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the
Red Sea.
Exodus 15:5 The depths have covered them; they
sank there like a stone.
Exodus 15:6 Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic
in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
Exodus 15:7 You overthrew Your adversaries by
Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed
them like stubble.
Exodus 15:8 At the blast of Your nostrils the
waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths
congealed in the heart of the sea.
Exodus 15:9 The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on
them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
Exodus 15:10 But You blew with Your breath, and
the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Exodus 15:11 Who among the gods is like You, O
LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises,
performing wonders?
Exodus 15:12 You stretched out Your right hand,
and the earth swallowed them up.
Exodus 15:13 With loving devotion You will lead
the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide
them to Your holy dwelling.
Exodus 15:14 The nations will hear and tremble;
anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
Exodus 15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be
dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who
dwell in Canaan will melt away,
Exodus 15:16 and terror and dread will fall on
them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone
until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have
bought pass by.
Exodus 15:17 You will bring them in and plant
them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O LORD, You
have prepared for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands
have established.
Exodus 15:18 The LORD will reign forever and
ever!”
Exodus 15:19 For when Pharaoh’s horses,
chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the
waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked
through the sea on dry ground.
Exodus 15:20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s
sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed
her with tambourines and dancing.
Exodus 15:21 And Miriam sang back to them: “Sing
to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has
thrown into the sea.”
Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red
Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days
they walked in the desert without finding water.
Exodus 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they
could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is
why it was named Marah.)
Exodus 15:24 So the people grumbled against
Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Exodus 15:25 And Moses cried out to the LORD,
and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the
waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a
statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them,
Exodus 15:26 saying, “If you will listen
carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right
in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His
statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I
inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there
were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they
camped there by the waters.
Exodus 16:1 On the fifteenth day of the second
month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole
congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of
Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.
Exodus 16:2 And there in the desert they all
grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
Exodus 16:3 “If only we had died by the LORD’s
hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of
meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this
desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”
Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the
people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I
will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.
Exodus 16:5 Then on the sixth day, when they
prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they
gather on the other days.”
Exodus 16:6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the
Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who
brought you out of the land of Egypt,
Exodus 16:7 and in the morning you will see the
LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For
who are we that you should grumble against us?”
Exodus 16:8 And Moses added, “The LORD will give
you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning,
for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your
grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”
Exodus 16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the
whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has
heard your grumbling.’”
Exodus 16:10 And as Aaron was speaking to the
whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and
there in a cloud the glory of the LORD appeared.
Exodus 16:11 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 16:12 “I have heard the grumbling of the
Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the
morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I
am the LORD your God.’”
Exodus 16:13 That evening quail came and covered
the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the
camp.
Exodus 16:14 When the layer of dew had
evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as
frost on the ground.
Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they
asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it
was. So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given
you to eat.
Exodus 16:16 This is what the LORD has
commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may
take an omer for each person in your tent.’”
Exodus 16:17 So the Israelites did this. Some
gathered more, and some less.
Exodus 16:18 When they measured it by the omer,
he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had
no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.
Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one
may keep any of it until morning.”
Exodus 16:20 But they did not listen to Moses;
some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested
with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
Exodus 16:21 Every morning each one gathered as
much as was needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
Exodus 16:22 On the sixth day, they gathered
twice as much food—two omers per person—and all the leaders of the
congregation came and reported this to Moses.
Exodus 16:23 He told them, “This is what the
LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy
Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what
you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it
until morning.’”
Exodus 16:24 So they set it aside until morning
as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any
maggots.
Exodus 16:25 “Eat it today,” Moses said,
“because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find
anything in the field.
Exodus 16:26 For six days you may gather, but on
the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.”
Exodus 16:27 Yet on the seventh day some of the
people went out to gather, but they did not find anything.
Exodus 16:28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How
long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions?
Exodus 16:29 Understand that the LORD has given
you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He will give you
bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where
he is; no one may leave his place.”
Exodus 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh
day.
Exodus 16:31 Now the house of Israel called the
bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like
wafers made with honey.
Exodus 16:32 Moses said, “This is what the LORD
has commanded: ‘Keep an omer of manna for the generations to come,
so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I
brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
Exodus 16:33 So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar
and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD
to be preserved for the generations to come.”
Exodus 16:34 And Aaron placed it in front of the
Testimony, to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 16:35 The Israelites ate manna forty
years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate
manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
Exodus 16:36 (Now an omer is a tenth of an
ephah.)
Exodus 17:1 Then the whole congregation of
Israel left the Desert of Sin, moving from place to place as the
LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water
for the people to drink.
Exodus 17:2 So the people contended with Moses,
“Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses
replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
Exodus 17:3 But the people thirsted for water
there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us
out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of
thirst?”
Exodus 17:4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD,
“What should I do with these people? A little more and they will
stone me!”
Exodus 17:5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on
ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with
you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the
Nile, and go.
Exodus 17:6 Behold, I will stand there before
you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will
come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the
sight of the elders of Israel.
Exodus 17:7 He named the place Massah and
Meribah because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested
the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Exodus 17:8 After this, the Amalekites came and
attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
Exodus 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose
some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I
will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”
Exodus 17:10 Joshua did as Moses had instructed
him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur
went up to the top of the hill.
Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses held up his hands,
Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.
Exodus 17:12 When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they
took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron
and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands
remained steady until the sun went down.
Exodus 17:13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and
his army with the sword.
Exodus 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write
this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I
will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar and named
it The LORD Is My Banner.
Exodus 17:16 “Indeed,” he said, “a hand was
lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against
Amalek from generation to generation.”
Exodus 18:1 Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the
priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and
His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of
Egypt.
Exodus 18:2 After Moses had sent back his wife
Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her,
Exodus 18:3 along with her two sons. One son was
named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a
foreign land.”
Exodus 18:4 The other son was named Eliezer, for
Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered
me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
Exodus 18:5 Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along
with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the desert, where he was
encamped at the mountain of God.
Exodus 18:6 He sent word to Moses, “I, your
father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two
sons.”
Exodus 18:7 So Moses went out to meet his
father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each
other and went into the tent.
Exodus 18:8 Then Moses recounted to his
father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the
Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships they had
encountered along the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
Exodus 18:9 And Jethro rejoiced over all the
good things the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had rescued from
the hand of the Egyptians.
Exodus 18:10 Jethro declared, “Blessed be the
LORD, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of
Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from the hand of the
Egyptians.
Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the LORD is greater
than all other gods, for He did this when they treated Israel with
arrogance.”
Exodus 18:12 Then Moses’ father-in-law Jethro
brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came
with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’
father-in-law in the presence of God.
Exodus 18:13 The next day Moses took his seat to
judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until
evening.
Exodus 18:14 When his father-in-law saw all that
Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this that you
are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone as judge, with all
the people standing around you from morning till evening?”
Exodus 18:15 “Because the people come to me to
inquire of God,” Moses replied.
Exodus 18:16 “Whenever they have a dispute, it
is brought to me to judge between one man and another, and I make
known to them the statutes and laws of God.”
Exodus 18:17 But Moses’ father-in-law said to
him, “What you are doing is not good.
Exodus 18:18 Surely you and these people with
you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for
you. You cannot handle it alone.
Exodus 18:19 Now listen to me; I will give you
some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s
representative before God and bring their causes to Him.
Exodus 18:20 Teach them the statutes and laws,
and show them the way to live and the work they must do.
Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, select capable men
from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse
to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of
thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Exodus 18:22 Have these men judge the people at
all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor
cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be
lightened as they share it with you.
Exodus 18:23 If you follow this advice and God
so directs you, then you will be able to endure, and all these
people can go home in peace.”
Exodus 18:24 Moses listened to his father-in-law
and did everything he said.
Exodus 18:25 So Moses chose capable men from all
Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of
thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Exodus 18:26 And they judged the people at all
times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any
minor issue they would judge themselves.
Exodus 18:27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law
on his way, and Jethro returned to his own land.
Exodus 19:1 In the third month, on the same day
of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they
came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19:2 After they had set out from
Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped
there in front of the mountain.
Exodus 19:3 Then Moses went up to God, and the
LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to
tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel:
Exodus 19:4 ‘You have seen for yourselves what I
did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought
you to Myself.
Exodus 19:5 Now if you will indeed obey My voice
and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of
all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.
Exodus 19:6 And unto Me you shall be a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to
speak to the Israelites.”
Exodus 19:7 So Moses went back and summoned the
elders of the people and set before them all these words that the
LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 19:8 And all the people answered
together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So
Moses brought their words back to the LORD.
Exodus 19:9 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I
will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear
when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in
you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
Exodus 19:10 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to
the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash
their clothes
Exodus 19:11 and be prepared by the third day,
for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the
sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:12 And you are to set up a boundary
for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not
to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the
mountain shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 19:13 No hand shall touch him, but he
shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows—whether man or beast,
he must not live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast
may they approach the mountain.”
Exodus 19:14 When Moses came down from the
mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their
clothes.
Exodus 19:15 “Be prepared for the third day,” he
said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”
Exodus 19:16 On the third day, when morning
came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the
mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so
that all the people in the camp trembled.
Exodus 19:17 Then Moses brought the people out
of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the
mountain.
Exodus 19:18 Mount Sinai was completely
enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire.
And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole
mountain quaked violently.
Exodus 19:19 And as the sound of the ram’s horn
grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the
thunder.
Exodus 19:20 The LORD descended to the top of
Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up,
Exodus 19:21 and the LORD said to him, “Go down
and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest
many of them perish.
Exodus 19:22 Even the priests who approach the
LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out
against them.”
Exodus 19:23 But Moses said to the LORD, “The
people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You solemnly warned us,
‘Put a boundary around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”
Exodus 19:24 And the LORD replied, “Go down and
bring Aaron with you. But the priests and the people must not
break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break out against
them.”
Exodus 19:25 So Moses went down to the people
and spoke to them.
Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words:
Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before
Me.
Exodus 20:4 You shall not make for yourself an
idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth
below, or in the waters beneath.
Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting
the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and
fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Exodus 20:6 but showing loving devotion to a
thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My
commandments.
Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the
LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone
unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping
it holy.
Exodus 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all
your work,
Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to
the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you,
nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or
livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.
Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the
heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on
the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath
day and set it apart as holy.
Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother, so
that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is
giving you.
Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.
Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s
house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant
or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to
your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:18 When all the people witnessed the
thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the
mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a
distance.
Exodus 20:19 “Speak to us yourself and we will
listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or
we will die.”
Exodus 20:20 “Do not be afraid,” Moses replied.
“For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be
before you, to keep you from sinning.”
Exodus 20:21 And the people stood at a distance
as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Exodus 20:22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “This
is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for
yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.
Exodus 20:23 You are not to make any gods
alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or
gold.
Exodus 20:24 You are to make for Me an altar of
earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace
offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I
cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
Exodus 20:25 Now if you make an altar of stones
for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if
you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.
Exodus 20:26 And you must not go up to My altar
on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
Exodus 21:1 “These are the ordinances that you
are to set before them:
Exodus 21:2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is
to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go
free without paying anything.
Exodus 21:3 If he arrived alone, he is to leave
alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.
Exodus 21:4 If his master gives him a wife and
she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall
belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
Exodus 21:5 But if the servant declares, ‘I love
my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’
Exodus 21:6 then his master is to bring him
before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost
and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for
life.
Exodus 21:7 And if a man sells his daughter as a
servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.
Exodus 21:8 If she is displeasing in the eyes of
her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her
to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since
he has broken faith with her.
Exodus 21:9 And if he chooses her for his son,
he must deal with her as with a daughter.
Exodus 21:10 If he takes another wife, he must
not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first
wife.
Exodus 21:11 If, however, he does not provide
her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary
payment.
Exodus 21:12 Whoever strikes and kills a man
must surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:13 If, however, he did not lie in
wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a
place where he may flee.
Exodus 21:14 But if a man schemes and acts
willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away
from My altar to be put to death.
Exodus 21:15 Whoever strikes his father or
mother must surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:16 Whoever kidnaps another man must be
put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his
possession.
Exodus 21:17 Anyone who curses his father or
mother must surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:18 If men are quarreling and one
strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but
is confined to bed,
Exodus 21:19 then the one who struck him shall
go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around
outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man
for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.
Exodus 21:20 If a man strikes his manservant or
maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall
surely be punished.
Exodus 21:21 However, if the servant gets up
after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the
servant is his property.
Exodus 21:22 If men who are fighting strike a
pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no
further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband
demands and as the court allows.
Exodus 21:23 But if a serious injury results,
then you must require a life for a life—
Exodus 21:24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand
for hand, foot for foot,
Exodus 21:25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and
stripe for stripe.
Exodus 21:26 If a man strikes and blinds the eye
of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free
as compensation for the eye.
Exodus 21:27 And if he knocks out the tooth of
his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as
compensation for the tooth.
Exodus 21:28 If an ox gores a man or woman to
death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be
eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.
Exodus 21:29 But if the ox has a habit of
goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it,
and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its
owner must also be put to death.
Exodus 21:30 If payment is demanded of him
instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded
of him.
Exodus 21:31 If the ox gores a son or a
daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.
Exodus 21:32 If the ox gores a manservant or
maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the
master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
Exodus 21:33 If a man opens or digs a pit and
fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Exodus 21:34 the owner of the pit shall make
restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be
his.
Exodus 21:35 If a man’s ox injures his
neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide
the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal.
Exodus 21:36 But if it was known that the ox had
a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall
pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.
Exodus 22:1 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep
and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five oxen for an ox and
four sheep for a sheep.
Exodus 22:2 If a thief is caught breaking in and
is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.
Exodus 22:3 But if it happens after sunrise,
there is guilt for his bloodshed. A thief must make full
restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his
theft.
Exodus 22:4 If what was stolen is actually found
alive in his possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—he must pay
back double.
Exodus 22:5 If a man grazes his livestock in a
field or vineyard and allows them to stray so that they graze in
someone else’s field, he must make restitution from the best of
his own field or vineyard.
Exodus 22:6 If a fire breaks out and spreads to
thornbushes so that it consumes stacked or standing grain, or the
whole field, the one who started the fire must make full
restitution.
Exodus 22:7 If a man gives his neighbor money or
goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s
house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.
Exodus 22:8 If the thief is not found, the owner
of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he
has taken his neighbor’s property.
Exodus 22:9 In all cases of illegal possession
of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any lost item that
someone claims, ‘This is mine,’ both parties shall bring their
cases before the judges. The one whom the judges find guilty must
pay back double to his neighbor.
Exodus 22:10 If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a
sheep, or any other animal to be cared for by his neighbor, but it
dies or is injured or stolen while no one is watching,
Exodus 22:11 an oath before the LORD shall be
made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has
taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and
require no restitution.
Exodus 22:12 But if the animal was actually
stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner.
Exodus 22:13 If the animal was torn to pieces,
he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for
the torn carcass.
Exodus 22:14 If a man borrows an animal from his
neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not present,
he must make full restitution.
Exodus 22:15 If the owner was present, no
restitution is required. If the animal was rented, the fee covers
the loss.
Exodus 22:16 If a man seduces a virgin who is
not pledged in marriage and sleeps with her, he must pay the full
dowry for her to be his wife.
Exodus 22:17 If her father absolutely refuses to
give her to him, the man still must pay an amount comparable to
the bridal price of a virgin.
Exodus 22:18 You must not allow a sorceress to
live.
Exodus 22:19 Whoever lies with an animal must
surely be put to death.
Exodus 22:20 If anyone sacrifices to any god
other than the LORD alone, he must be set apart for destruction.
Exodus 22:21 You must not exploit or oppress a
foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land
of Egypt.
Exodus 22:22 You must not mistreat any widow or
orphan.
Exodus 22:23 If you do mistreat them, and they
cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.
Exodus 22:24 My anger will be kindled, and I
will kill you with the sword; then your wives will become widows
and your children will be fatherless.
Exodus 22:25 If you lend money to one of My
people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to
him; you are not to charge him interest.
Exodus 22:26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak
as collateral, return it to him by sunset,
Exodus 22:27 because his cloak is the only
covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if
he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Exodus 22:28 You must not blaspheme God or curse
the ruler of your people.
Exodus 22:29 You must not hold back offerings
from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of
your sons.
Exodus 22:30 You shall do likewise with your
cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven
days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.
Exodus 22:31 You are to be My holy people. You
must not eat the meat of a mauled animal found in the field; you
are to throw it to the dogs.
Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false
report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
Exodus 23:2 You shall not follow the crowd in
wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice
by siding with the crowd.
Exodus 23:3 And do not show favoritism to a poor
man in his lawsuit.
Exodus 23:4 If you encounter your enemy’s stray
ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
Exodus 23:5 If you see the donkey of one who
hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must
help him with it.
Exodus 23:6 You shall not deny justice to the
poor in their lawsuits.
Exodus 23:7 Stay far away from a false
accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not
acquit the guilty.
Exodus 23:8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe
blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
Exodus 23:9 Do not oppress a foreign resident,
since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you
were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23:10 For six years you are to sow your
land and gather its produce,
Exodus 23:11 but in the seventh year you must
let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may
eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they
leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.
Exodus 23:12 For six days you are to do your
work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and
your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be
refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.
Exodus 23:13 Pay close attention to everything I
have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods;
they must not be heard on your lips.
Exodus 23:14 Three times a year you are to
celebrate a feast to Me.
Exodus 23:15 You are to keep the Feast of
Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the
month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days,
because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may
appear before Me empty-handed.
Exodus 23:16 You are also to keep the Feast of
Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in
the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the
year, when you gather your produce from the field.
Exodus 23:17 Three times a year all your males
are to appear before the Lord GOD.
Exodus 23:18 You must not offer the blood of My
sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast
remain until morning.
Exodus 23:19 Bring the best of the firstfruits
of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook
a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Exodus 23:20 Behold, I am sending an angel
before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the
place I have prepared.
Exodus 23:21 Pay attention to him and listen to
his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion,
since My Name is in him.
Exodus 23:22 But if you will listen carefully to
his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your
enemies and a foe to your foes.
Exodus 23:23 For My angel will go before you and
bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites,
Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.
Exodus 23:24 You must not bow down to their gods
or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to
demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.
Exodus 23:25 So you shall serve the LORD your
God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take
away sickness from among you.
Exodus 23:26 No woman in your land will miscarry
or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.
Exodus 23:27 I will send My terror ahead of you
and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make
all your enemies turn and run.
Exodus 23:28 I will send the hornet before you
to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.
Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out before
you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and
wild animals would multiply against you.
Exodus 23:30 Little by little I will drive them
out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.
Exodus 23:31 And I will establish your borders
from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the
desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into
your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
Exodus 23:32 You shall make no covenant with
them or with their gods.
Exodus 23:33 They must not remain in your land,
lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their
gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Exodus 24:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come
up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of
Israel’s elders—and you are to worship at a distance.
Exodus 24:2 Moses alone shall approach the LORD,
but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up
with him.”
Exodus 24:3 When Moses came and told the people
all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with
one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”
Exodus 24:4 And Moses wrote down all the words
of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar
at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the
twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 24:5 Then he sent out some young men of
Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young
bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
Exodus 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put
it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.
Exodus 24:7 Then he took the Book of the
Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the
LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
Exodus 24:8 So Moses took the blood, sprinkled
it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these
words.”
Exodus 24:9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab
and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
Exodus 24:10 and they saw the God of Israel.
Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as
clear as the sky itself.
Exodus 24:11 But God did not lay His hand on the
nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.
Exodus 24:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come
up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the
tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written for
their instruction.”
Exodus 24:13 So Moses set out with Joshua his
attendant and went up on the mountain of God.
Exodus 24:14 And he said to the elders, “Wait
here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with
you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”
Exodus 24:15 When Moses went up on the mountain,
the cloud covered it,
Exodus 24:16 and the glory of the LORD settled
on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the
seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
Exodus 24:17 And the sight of the glory of the
LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of
the Israelites.
Exodus 24:18 Moses entered the cloud as he went
up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and
forty nights.
Exodus 25:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 25:2 “Tell the Israelites to bring Me an
offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose
heart compels him.
Exodus 25:3 This is the offering you are to
accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze;
Exodus 25:4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine
linen and goat hair;
Exodus 25:5 ram skins dyed red and fine leather;
acacia wood;
Exodus 25:6 olive oil for the light; spices for
the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
Exodus 25:7 and onyx stones and gemstones to be
mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
Exodus 25:8 And they are to make a sanctuary for
Me, so that I may dwell among them.
Exodus 25:9 You must make the tabernacle and
design all its furnishings according to the pattern I show you.
Exodus 25:10 And they are to construct an ark of
acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide,
and a cubit and a half high.
Exodus 25:11 Overlay it with pure gold both
inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.
Exodus 25:12 Cast four gold rings for it and
fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the
other.
Exodus 25:13 And make poles of acacia wood and
overlay them with gold.
Exodus 25:14 Insert the poles into the rings on
the sides of the ark, in order to carry it.
Exodus 25:15 The poles are to remain in the
rings of the ark; they must not be removed.
Exodus 25:16 And place inside the ark the
Testimony, which I will give you.
Exodus 25:17 And you are to construct a mercy
seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a
half wide.
Exodus 25:18 Make two cherubim of hammered gold
at the ends of the mercy seat,
Exodus 25:19 one cherub on one end and one on
the other, all made from one piece of gold.
Exodus 25:20 And the cherubim are to have wings
that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are
to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:21 Set the mercy seat atop the ark,
and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.
Exodus 25:22 And I will meet with you there
above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the
ark of the Testimony; I will speak with you about all that I
command you regarding the Israelites.
Exodus 25:23 You are also to make a table of
acacia wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half
high.
Exodus 25:24 Overlay it with pure gold and make
a gold molding around it.
Exodus 25:25 And make a rim around it a
handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim.
Exodus 25:26 Make four gold rings for the table
and fasten them to the four corners at its four legs.
Exodus 25:27 The rings are to be close to the
rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table.
Exodus 25:28 Make the poles of acacia wood and
overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with
them.
Exodus 25:29 You are also to make the plates and
dishes, as well as the pitchers and bowls for pouring drink
offerings. Make them out of pure gold.
Exodus 25:30 And place the Bread of the Presence
on the table before Me at all times.
Exodus 25:31 Then you are to make a lampstand of
pure, hammered gold. It shall be made of one piece, including its
base and shaft, its cups, and its buds and petals.
Exodus 25:32 Six branches are to extend from the
sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.
Exodus 25:33 There are to be three cups shaped
like almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and
petals, three on the next branch, and the same for all six
branches that extend from the lampstand.
Exodus 25:34 And on the lampstand there shall be
four cups shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.
Exodus 25:35 For the six branches that extend
from the lampstand, a bud must be under the first pair of
branches, a bud under the second pair, and a bud under the third
pair.
Exodus 25:36 The buds and branches are to be all
of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
Exodus 25:37 Make seven lamps and set them up on
the lampstand so that they illuminate the area in front of it.
Exodus 25:38 The wick trimmers and their trays
must be of pure gold.
Exodus 25:39 The lampstand and all these
utensils shall be made from a talent of pure gold.
Exodus 25:40 See to it that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
Exodus 26:1 “You are to construct the tabernacle
itself with ten curtains of finely spun linen, each with blue,
purple, and scarlet yarn, and cherubim skillfully worked into
them.
Exodus 26:2 Each curtain shall be twenty-eight
cubits long and four cubits wide—all curtains the same size.
Exodus 26:3 Five of the curtains are to be
joined together, and the other five joined as well.
Exodus 26:4 Make loops of blue material on the
edge of the end curtain in the first set, and do the same for the
end curtain in the second set.
Exodus 26:5 Make fifty loops on one curtain and
fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set, so that the
loops line up opposite one another.
Exodus 26:6 Make fifty gold clasps as well, and
join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle
will be a unit.
Exodus 26:7 You are to make curtains of goat
hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all.
Exodus 26:8 Each of the eleven curtains is to be
the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.
Exodus 26:9 Join five of the curtains into one
set and the other six into another. Then fold the sixth curtain
over double at the front of the tent.
Exodus 26:10 Make fifty loops along the edge of
the end curtain in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge
of the corresponding curtain in the second set.
Exodus 26:11 Make fifty bronze clasps and put
them through the loops to join the tent together as a unit.
Exodus 26:12 As for the overlap that remains of
the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over shall hang
down over the back of the tabernacle.
Exodus 26:13 And the tent curtains will be a
cubit longer on either side, and the excess will hang over the
sides of the tabernacle to cover it.
Exodus 26:14 Also make a covering for the tent
out of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of fine
leather.
Exodus 26:15 You are to construct upright frames
of acacia wood for the tabernacle.
Exodus 26:16 Each frame is to be ten cubits long
and a cubit and a half wide.
Exodus 26:17 Two tenons must be connected to
each other for each frame. Make all the frames of the tabernacle
in this way.
Exodus 26:18 Construct twenty frames for the
south side of the tabernacle,
Exodus 26:19 with forty silver bases under the
twenty frames—two bases for each frame, one under each tenon.
Exodus 26:20 For the second side of the
tabernacle, the north side, make twenty frames
Exodus 26:21 and forty silver bases—two bases
under each frame.
Exodus 26:22 Make six frames for the rear of the
tabernacle, the west side,
Exodus 26:23 and two frames for the two back
corners of the tabernacle,
Exodus 26:24 coupled together from bottom to top
and fitted into a single ring. These will serve as the two
corners.
Exodus 26:25 So there are to be eight frames and
sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.
Exodus 26:26 You are also to make five crossbars
of acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle,
Exodus 26:27 five for those on the other side,
and five for those on the rear side of the tabernacle, to the
west.
Exodus 26:28 The central crossbar in the middle
of the frames shall extend from one end to the other.
Exodus 26:29 Overlay the frames with gold and
make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars
with gold.
Exodus 26:30 So you are to set up the tabernacle
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
Exodus 26:31 Make a veil of blue, purple, and
scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim skillfully
worked into it.
Exodus 26:32 Hang it with gold hooks on four
posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and standing on four
silver bases.
Exodus 26:33 And hang the veil from the clasps
and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil
will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
Exodus 26:34 Put the mercy seat on the ark of
the Testimony in the Most Holy Place.
Exodus 26:35 And place the table outside the
veil on the north side of the tabernacle, and put the lampstand
opposite the table, on the south side.
Exodus 26:36 For the entrance to the tent, you
are to make a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet
yarn, and finely spun linen.
Exodus 26:37 Make five posts of acacia wood for
the curtain, overlay them with gold hooks, and cast five bronze
bases for them.
Exodus 27:1 “You are to build an altar of acacia
wood. The altar must be square, five cubits long, five cubits
wide, and three cubits high.
Exodus 27:2 Make a horn on each of its four
corners, so that the horns are of one piece, and overlay it with
bronze.
Exodus 27:3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its
pots for removing ashes, its shovels, its sprinkling bowls, its
meat forks, and its firepans.
Exodus 27:4 Construct for it a grate of bronze
mesh, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the
mesh.
Exodus 27:5 Set the grate beneath the ledge of
the altar, so that the mesh comes halfway up the altar.
Exodus 27:6 Additionally, make poles of acacia
wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze.
Exodus 27:7 The poles are to be inserted into
the rings so that the poles are on two sides of the altar when it
is carried.
Exodus 27:8 Construct the altar with boards so
that it is hollow. It is to be made just as you were shown on the
mountain.
Exodus 27:9 You are also to make a courtyard for
the tabernacle. On the south side of the courtyard make curtains
of finely spun linen, a hundred cubits long on one side,
Exodus 27:10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze
bases, and silver hooks and bands on the posts.
Exodus 27:11 Likewise there are to be curtains
on the north side, a hundred cubits long, with twenty posts and
twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.
Exodus 27:12 The curtains on the west side of
the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide, with ten posts and ten
bases.
Exodus 27:13 The east side of the courtyard,
toward the sunrise, is to be fifty cubits wide.
Exodus 27:14 Make the curtains on one side
fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases,
Exodus 27:15 and the curtains on the other side
fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases.
Exodus 27:16 The gate of the courtyard shall be
twenty cubits long, with a curtain embroidered with blue, purple,
and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen. It shall have four posts
and four bases.
Exodus 27:17 All the posts around the courtyard
shall have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases.
Exodus 27:18 The entire courtyard shall be a
hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely
spun linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases.
Exodus 27:19 All the utensils of the tabernacle
for every use, including all its tent pegs and the tent pegs of
the courtyard, shall be made of bronze.
Exodus 27:20 And you are to command the
Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light,
to keep the lamps burning continually.
Exodus 27:21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the
veil that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to
tend the lamps before the LORD from evening until morning. This is
to be a permanent statute for the Israelites for the generations
to come.
Exodus 28:1 “Next, have your brother Aaron
brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests.
Exodus 28:2 Make holy garments for your brother
Aaron, to give him glory and splendor.
Exodus 28:3 You are to instruct all the skilled
craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make
garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as
priest.
Exodus 28:4 These are the garments that they
shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a
turban, and a sash. They are to make these holy garments for your
brother Aaron and his sons, so that they may serve Me as priests.
Exodus 28:5 They shall use gold, along with
blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.
Exodus 28:6 They are to make the ephod of finely
spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and
scarlet yarn.
Exodus 28:7 It shall have two shoulder pieces
attached at two of its corners, so it can be fastened.
Exodus 28:8 And the skillfully woven waistband
of the ephod must be of one piece, of the same workmanship—with
gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely spun
linen.
Exodus 28:9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on
them the names of the sons of Israel:
Exodus 28:10 six of their names on one stone and
the remaining six on the other, in the order of their birth.
Exodus 28:11 Engrave the names of the sons of
Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal.
Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings.
Exodus 28:12 Fasten both stones on the shoulder
pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel.
Aaron is to bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial
before the LORD.
Exodus 28:13 Fashion gold filigree settings
Exodus 28:14 and two chains of pure gold, made
of braided cord work; and attach these chains to the settings.
Exodus 28:15 You are also to make a breastpiece
of judgment with the same workmanship as the ephod. Construct it
with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and with finely
spun linen.
Exodus 28:16 It must be square when folded over
double, a span long and a span wide.
Exodus 28:17 And mount on it a setting of
gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a
ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Exodus 28:18 in the second row a turquoise, a
sapphire, and a diamond;
Exodus 28:19 in the third row a jacinth, an
agate, and an amethyst;
Exodus 28:20 and in the fourth row a beryl, an
onyx, and a jasper. Mount these stones in gold filigree settings.
Exodus 28:21 The twelve stones are to correspond
to the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with
the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Exodus 28:22 For the breastpiece, make braided
chains like cords of pure gold.
Exodus 28:23 You are also to make two gold rings
and fasten them to the two corners of the breastpiece.
Exodus 28:24 Then fasten the two gold chains to
the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece,
Exodus 28:25 and fasten the other ends of the
two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the
shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.
Exodus 28:26 Make two more gold rings and attach
them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the inside
edge next to the ephod.
Exodus 28:27 Make two additional gold rings and
attach them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod,
on its front, near its seam just above its woven waistband.
Exodus 28:28 The rings of the breastpiece shall
be tied to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so
that the breastpiece is above the waistband of the ephod and does
not swing out from the ephod.
Exodus 28:29 Whenever Aaron enters the Holy
Place, he shall bear the names of the sons of Israel over his
heart on the breastpiece of judgment, as a continual reminder
before the LORD.
Exodus 28:30 And place the Urim and Thummim in
the breastpiece of judgment, so that they will also be over
Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the LORD. Aaron will
continually carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his
heart before the LORD.
Exodus 28:31 You are to make the robe of the
ephod entirely of blue cloth,
Exodus 28:32 with an opening at its top in the
center. Around the opening shall be a woven collar with an opening
like that of a garment, so that it will not tear.
Exodus 28:33 Make pomegranates of blue, purple,
and scarlet yarn all the way around the lower hem, with gold bells
between them,
Exodus 28:34 alternating the gold bells and
pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe.
Exodus 28:35 Aaron must wear the robe whenever
he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters or exits
the sanctuary before the LORD, so that he will not die.
Exodus 28:36 You are to make a plate of pure
gold and engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.
Exodus 28:37 Fasten to it a blue cord to mount
it on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban.
Exodus 28:38 And it will be worn on Aaron’s
forehead, so that he may bear the iniquity of the holy things that
the sons of Israel consecrate with regard to all their holy gifts.
It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be acceptable
before the LORD.
Exodus 28:39 You are to weave the tunic with
fine linen, make the turban of fine linen, and fashion an
embroidered sash.
Exodus 28:40 Make tunics, sashes, and headbands
for Aaron’s sons, to give them glory and splendor.
Exodus 28:41 After you put these garments on
your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and
consecrate them so that they may serve Me as priests.
Exodus 28:42 Make linen undergarments to cover
their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh.
Exodus 28:43 Aaron and his sons must wear them
whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to
minister in the Holy Place, so that they will not incur guilt and
die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and his
descendants.
Exodus 29:1 “Now this is what you are to do to
consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve Me as priests: Take a young
bull and two rams without blemish,
Exodus 29:2 along with unleavened bread,
unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed
with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour,
Exodus 29:3 put them in a basket, and present
them in the basket, along with the bull and the two rams.
Exodus 29:4 Then present Aaron and his sons at
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
Exodus 29:5 Take the garments and clothe Aaron
with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself, and the
breastplate. Fasten the ephod on him with its woven waistband.
Exodus 29:6 Put the turban on his head and
attach the holy diadem to the turban.
Exodus 29:7 Then take the anointing oil and
anoint him by pouring it on his head.
Exodus 29:8 Present his sons as well and clothe
them with tunics.
Exodus 29:9 Wrap the sashes around Aaron and his
sons and tie headbands on them. The priesthood shall be theirs by
a permanent statute. In this way you are to ordain Aaron and his
sons.
Exodus 29:10 You are to present the bull at the
front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay
their hands on its head.
Exodus 29:11 And you shall slaughter the bull
before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 29:12 Take some of the blood of the bull
and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; then pour
out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
Exodus 29:13 Take all the fat that covers the
entrails and the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat
on them, and burn them on the altar.
Exodus 29:14 But burn the flesh of the bull and
its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering.
Exodus 29:15 Take one of the rams, and Aaron and
his sons shall lay their hands on its head.
Exodus 29:16 You are to slaughter the ram, take
its blood, and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar.
Exodus 29:17 Cut the ram into pieces, wash the
entrails and legs, and place them with its head and other pieces.
Exodus 29:18 Then burn the entire ram on the
altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an
offering made by fire to the LORD.
Exodus 29:19 Take the second ram, and Aaron and
his sons are to lay their hands on its head.
Exodus 29:20 Slaughter the ram, take some of its
blood, and put it on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons, on
the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their
right feet. Sprinkle the remaining blood on all sides of the
altar.
Exodus 29:21 And take some of the blood on the
altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and
his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. Then he
and his garments will be consecrated, as well as his sons and
their garments.
Exodus 29:22 Take the fat from the ram, the fat
tail, the fat covering the entrails, the lobe of the liver, both
kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh (since this is a
ram for ordination),
Exodus 29:23 along with one loaf of bread, one
cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of
unleavened bread that is before the LORD.
Exodus 29:24 Put all these in the hands of Aaron
and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.
Exodus 29:25 Then take them from their hands and
burn them on the altar atop the burnt offering as a pleasing aroma
before the LORD; it is an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Exodus 29:26 Take the breast of the ram of
Aaron’s ordination and wave it before the LORD as a wave offering,
and it will be your portion.
Exodus 29:27 Consecrate for Aaron and his sons
the breast of the wave offering that is waved and the thigh of the
heave offering that is lifted up from the ram of ordination.
Exodus 29:28 This will belong to Aaron and his
sons as a regular portion from the Israelites, for it is the heave
offering the Israelites will make to the LORD from their peace
offerings.
Exodus 29:29 The holy garments that belong to
Aaron will belong to his sons after him, so they can be anointed
and ordained in them.
Exodus 29:30 The son who succeeds him as priest
and enters the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place must
wear them for seven days.
Exodus 29:31 You are to take the ram of
ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place.
Exodus 29:32 At the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the
bread that is in the basket.
Exodus 29:33 They must eat those things by which
atonement was made for their ordination and consecration. But no
outsider may eat them, because these things are sacred.
Exodus 29:34 And if any of the meat of
ordination or any bread is left until the morning, you are to burn
up the remainder. It must not be eaten, because it is sacred.
Exodus 29:35 This is what you are to do for
Aaron and his sons based on all that I have commanded you, taking
seven days to ordain them.
Exodus 29:36 Sacrifice a bull as a sin offering
each day for atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for
it, and anoint it to consecrate it.
Exodus 29:37 For seven days you shall make
atonement for the altar and consecrate it. Then the altar will
become most holy; whatever touches the altar will be holy.
Exodus 29:38 This is what you are to offer
regularly on the altar, each day: two lambs that are a year old.
Exodus 29:39 Offer one lamb in the morning and
the other at twilight.
Exodus 29:40 With the first lamb offer a tenth
of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from
pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.
Exodus 29:41 And offer the second lamb at
twilight with the same grain offering and drink offering as in the
morning, as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the
LORD.
Exodus 29:42 For the generations to come, this
burnt offering shall be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet you to speak with
you.
Exodus 29:43 I will also meet with the
Israelites there, and that place will be consecrated by My glory.
Exodus 29:44 So I will consecrate the Tent of
Meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to
serve Me as priests.
Exodus 29:45 Then I will dwell among the
Israelites and be their God.
Exodus 29:46 And they will know that I am the
LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that
I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.
Exodus 30:1 “You are also to make an altar of
acacia wood for the burning of incense.
Exodus 30:2 It is to be square, a cubit long, a
cubit wide, and two cubits high. Its horns must be of one piece.
Exodus 30:3 Overlay with pure gold the top and
all the sides and horns, and make a molding of gold around it.
Exodus 30:4 And make two gold rings below the
molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
Exodus 30:5 Make the poles of acacia wood and
overlay them with gold.
Exodus 30:6 Place the altar in front of the veil
that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the mercy seat that
is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.
Exodus 30:7 And Aaron is to burn fragrant
incense on it every morning when he tends the lamps.
Exodus 30:8 When Aaron sets up the lamps at
twilight, he must burn the incense perpetually before the LORD for
the generations to come.
Exodus 30:9 On this altar you must not offer
unauthorized incense or a burnt offering or grain offering; nor
are you to pour a drink offering on it.
Exodus 30:10 Once a year Aaron shall make
atonement on the horns of the altar. Throughout your generations
he shall make atonement on it annually with the blood of the sin
offering of atonement. The altar is most holy to the LORD.”
Exodus 30:11 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 30:12 “When you take a census of the
Israelites to number them, each man must pay the LORD a ransom for
his life when he is counted. Then no plague will come upon them
when they are numbered.
Exodus 30:13 Everyone who crosses over to those
counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel,
which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the
LORD.
Exodus 30:14 Everyone twenty years of age or
older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD.
Exodus 30:15 In making the offering to the LORD
to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half
shekel, nor shall the poor give less.
Exodus 30:16 Take the atonement money from the
Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It
will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to
make atonement for your lives.”
Exodus 30:17 And the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 30:18 “You are to make a bronze basin
with a bronze stand for washing. Set it between the Tent of
Meeting and the altar, and put water in it,
Exodus 30:19 with which Aaron and his sons are
to wash their hands and feet.
Exodus 30:20 Whenever they enter the Tent of
Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting an
offering made by fire to the LORD, they must wash with water so
that they will not die.
Exodus 30:21 Thus they are to wash their hands
and feet so that they will not die; this shall be a permanent
statute for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to
come.”
Exodus 30:22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 30:23 “Take the finest spices: 500
shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of
fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,
Exodus 30:24 500 shekels of cassia—all according
to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.
Exodus 30:25 Prepare from these a sacred
anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will
be a sacred anointing oil.
Exodus 30:26 Use this oil to anoint the Tent of
Meeting, the ark of the Testimony,
Exodus 30:27 the table and all its utensils, the
lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense,
Exodus 30:28 the altar of burnt offering and all
its utensils, and the basin with its stand.
Exodus 30:29 You are to consecrate them so that
they will be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
Exodus 30:30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and
consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
Exodus 30:31 And you are to tell the Israelites,
‘This will be My sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.
Exodus 30:32 It must not be used to anoint an
ordinary man, and you must not make anything like it with the same
formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you.
Exodus 30:33 Anyone who mixes perfume like it or
puts it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people.’”
Exodus 30:34 The LORD also said to Moses, “Take
fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure
frankincense—in equal measures,
Exodus 30:35 and make a fragrant blend of
incense, the work of a perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and
holy.
Exodus 30:36 Grind some of it into fine powder
and place it in front of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting,
where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
Exodus 30:37 You are never to use this formula
to make incense for yourselves; you shall regard it as holy to the
LORD.
Exodus 30:38 Anyone who makes something like it
to enjoy its fragrance shall be cut off from his people.”
Exodus 31:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 31:2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel
son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
Exodus 31:3 And I have filled him with the
Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of
craftsmanship,
Exodus 31:4 to design artistic works in gold,
silver, and bronze,
Exodus 31:5 to cut gemstones for settings, and
to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft.
Exodus 31:6 Moreover, I have selected Oholiab
son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. I have
also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all
that I have commanded you:
Exodus 31:7 the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the
Testimony and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other
furnishings of the tent—
Exodus 31:8 the table with its utensils, the
pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense,
Exodus 31:9 the altar of burnt offering with all
its utensils, and the basin with its stand—
Exodus 31:10 as well as the woven garments, both
the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his
sons to serve as priests,
Exodus 31:11 in addition to the anointing oil
and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them
according to all that I have commanded you.”
Exodus 31:12 And the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 31:13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you
must keep My Sabbaths, for this will be a sign between Me and you
for the generations to come, so that you may know that I am the
LORD who sanctifies you.
Exodus 31:14 Keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to
you. Anyone who profanes it must surely be put to death. Whoever
does any work on that day must be cut off from among his people.
Exodus 31:15 For six days work may be done, but
the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD.
Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to
death.
Exodus 31:16 The Israelites must keep the
Sabbath, celebrating it as a permanent covenant for the
generations to come.
Exodus 31:17 It is a sign between Me and the
Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and
the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
Exodus 31:18 When the LORD had finished speaking
with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the
Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.
Exodus 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses
was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around
Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for
this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not
know what has happened to him!”
Exodus 32:2 So Aaron told them, “Take off the
gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and
bring them to me.”
Exodus 32:3 Then all the people took off their
gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
Exodus 32:4 He took the gold from their hands,
and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And
they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out
of the land of Egypt!”
Exodus 32:5 When Aaron saw this, he built an
altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast
to the LORD.”
Exodus 32:6 So the next day they arose, offered
burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat
down to eat and drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.
Exodus 32:7 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go
down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land
of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
Exodus 32:8 How quickly they have turned aside
from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves
a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to
it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up
out of the land of Egypt.’”
Exodus 32:9 The LORD also said to Moses, “I have
seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
Exodus 32:10 Now leave Me alone, so that My
anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you
into a great nation.”
Exodus 32:11 But Moses sought the favor of the
LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against
Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great
power and a mighty hand?
Exodus 32:12 Why should the Egyptians declare,
‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the
mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from
Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.
Exodus 32:13 Remember Your servants Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You
declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars
in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I
have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”
Exodus 32:14 So the LORD relented from the
calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
Exodus 32:15 Then Moses turned and went down the
mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They
were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
Exodus 32:16 The tablets were the work of God,
and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
Exodus 32:17 When Joshua heard the sound of the
people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the
camp.”
Exodus 32:18 But Moses replied: “It is neither
the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of
singing!”
Exodus 32:19 As Moses approached the camp and
saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the
tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the
mountain.
Exodus 32:20 Then he took the calf they had
made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered
the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the
Israelites to drink it.
Exodus 32:21 “What did this people do to you,”
Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
Exodus 32:22 “Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron
replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
Exodus 32:23 They told me, ‘Make us gods who
will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the
land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’
Exodus 32:24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has
gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I
threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”
Exodus 32:25 Moses saw that the people were out
of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a
laughingstock to their enemies.
Exodus 32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance to
the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all
the Levites gathered around him.
Exodus 32:27 He told them, “This is what the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his
sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to
gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”
Exodus 32:28 The Levites did as Moses commanded,
and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead.
Exodus 32:29 Afterward, Moses said, “Today you
have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went
against his son and his brother; so the LORD has bestowed a
blessing on you this day.”
Exodus 32:30 The next day Moses said to the
people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the
LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
Exodus 32:31 So Moses returned to the LORD and
said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have
made gods of gold for themselves.
Exodus 32:32 Yet now, if You would only forgive
their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You
have written.”
Exodus 32:33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever
has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.
Exodus 32:34 Now go, lead the people to the
place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on
the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”
Exodus 32:35 And the LORD sent a plague on the
people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had
made.
Exodus 33:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave
this place, you and the people you brought up out of the land of
Egypt, and go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’
Exodus 33:2 And I will send an angel before you,
and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
Exodus 33:3 Go up to a land flowing with milk
and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a
stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”
Exodus 33:4 When the people heard these bad
tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his
jewelry.
Exodus 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses,
“Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should
go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off
your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’”
Exodus 33:6 So the Israelites stripped
themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.
Exodus 33:7 Now Moses used to take the tent and
pitch it at a distance outside the camp. He called it the Tent of
Meeting, and anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the Tent of
Meeting outside the camp.
Exodus 33:8 Then, whenever Moses went out to the
tent, all the people would stand at the entrances to their own
tents and watch Moses until he entered the tent.
Exodus 33:9 As Moses entered the tent, the
pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance, and
the LORD would speak with Moses.
Exodus 33:10 When all the people saw the pillar
of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up
and worship, each one at the entrance to his own tent.
Exodus 33:11 Thus the LORD would speak to Moses
face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would
return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun
would not leave the tent.
Exodus 33:12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “Look,
You have been telling me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not
let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know
you by name, and you have found favor in My sight.’
Exodus 33:13 Now if indeed I have found favor in
Your sight, please let me know Your ways, that I may know You and
find favor in Your sight. Remember that this nation is Your
people.”
Exodus 33:14 And the LORD answered, “My Presence
will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:15 “If Your Presence does not go with
us,” Moses replied, “do not lead us up from here.
Exodus 33:16 For how then can it be known that
Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go
with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other
people on the face of the earth?”
Exodus 33:17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will
do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My
sight, and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:18 Then Moses said, “Please show me
Your glory.”
Exodus 33:19 “I will cause all My goodness to
pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My
name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
Exodus 33:20 But He added, “You cannot see My
face, for no one can see Me and live.”
Exodus 33:21 The LORD continued, “There is a
place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock,
Exodus 33:22 and when My glory passes by, I will
put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I
have passed by.
Exodus 33:23 Then I will take My hand away, and
you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
Exodus 34:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel
out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them
the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
Exodus 34:2 Be ready in the morning, and come up
on Mount Sinai to present yourself before Me on the mountaintop.
Exodus 34:3 No one may go up with you; in fact,
no one may be seen anywhere on the mountain—not even the flocks or
herds may graze in front of the mountain.”
Exodus 34:4 So Moses chiseled out two stone
tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and
taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 34:5 And the LORD descended in a cloud,
stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.
Exodus 34:6 Then the LORD passed in front of
Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate
and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and
faithfulness,
Exodus 34:7 maintaining loving devotion to a
thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin.
Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit
the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to
the third and fourth generations.”
Exodus 34:8 Moses immediately bowed down to the
ground and worshiped.
Exodus 34:9 “O Lord,” he said, “if I have indeed
found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Although
this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our iniquity and sin, and
take us as Your inheritance.”
Exodus 34:10 And the LORD said, “Behold, I am
making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders
that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the
people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an
awesome thing that I am doing with you.
Exodus 34:11 Observe what I command you this
day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
Exodus 34:12 Be careful not to make a treaty
with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they
become a snare in your midst.
Exodus 34:13 Rather, you must tear down their
altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah
poles.
Exodus 34:14 For you must not worship any other
god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:15 Do not make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to
their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you
will eat their sacrifices.
Exodus 34:16 And when you take some of their
daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute
themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.
Exodus 34:17 You shall make no molten gods for
yourselves.
Exodus 34:18 You are to keep the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. For seven days at the appointed time in the
month of Abib, you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you.
For in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.
Exodus 34:19 The first offspring of every womb
belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your
livestock, whether cattle or sheep.
Exodus 34:20 You must redeem the firstborn of a
donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break
its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one
shall appear before Me empty-handed.
Exodus 34:21 Six days you shall labor, but on
the seventh day you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and
harvesting, you must rest.
Exodus 34:22 And you are to celebrate the Feast
of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast
of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
Exodus 34:23 Three times a year all your males
are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
Exodus 34:24 For I will drive out the nations
before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your
land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD
your God.
Exodus 34:25 Do not offer the blood of a
sacrifice to Me along with anything leavened, and do not let any
of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.
Exodus 34:26 Bring the best of the firstfruits
of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook
a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
Exodus 34:27 The LORD also said to Moses, “Write
down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a
covenant with you and with Israel.”
Exodus 34:28 So Moses was there with the LORD
forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking
water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten
Commandments.
Exodus 34:29 And when Moses came down from Mount
Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was
unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the
LORD.
Exodus 34:30 Aaron and all the Israelites looked
at Moses, and behold, his face was radiant. And they were afraid
to approach him.
Exodus 34:31 But Moses called out to them; so
Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and
Moses spoke to them.
Exodus 34:32 And after this all the Israelites
came near, and Moses commanded them to do everything that the LORD
had told him on Mount Sinai.
Exodus 34:33 When Moses had finished speaking
with them, he put a veil over his face.
Exodus 34:34 But whenever Moses went in before
the LORD to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came
out. And when he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he
had been commanded,
Exodus 34:35 and the Israelites would see that
the face of Moses was radiant. So Moses would put the veil back
over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
Exodus 35:1 Then Moses assembled the whole
congregation of Israel and said to them, “These are the things
that the LORD has commanded you to do:
Exodus 35:2 For six days work may be done, but
the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest
to the LORD. Whoever does any work on that day must be put to
death.
Exodus 35:3 Do not light a fire in any of your
dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Exodus 35:4 Moses also told the whole
congregation of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded:
Exodus 35:5 Take from among you an offering to
the LORD. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring an offering to
the LORD: gold, silver, and bronze;
Exodus 35:6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine
linen and goat hair;
Exodus 35:7 ram skins dyed red and fine leather;
acacia wood;
Exodus 35:8 olive oil for the light; spices for
the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;
Exodus 35:9 and onyx stones and gemstones to be
mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
Exodus 35:10 Let every skilled craftsman among
you come and make everything that the LORD has commanded:
Exodus 35:11 the tabernacle with its tent and
covering, its clasps and frames, its crossbars, posts, and bases;
Exodus 35:12 the ark with its poles and mercy
seat, and the veil to shield it;
Exodus 35:13 the table with its poles, all its
utensils, and the Bread of the Presence;
Exodus 35:14 the lampstand for light with its
accessories and lamps and oil for the light;
Exodus 35:15 the altar of incense with its
poles; the anointing oil and fragrant incense; the curtain for the
doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;
Exodus 35:16 the altar of burnt offering with
its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with
its stand;
Exodus 35:17 the curtains of the courtyard with
its posts and bases, and the curtain for the gate of the
courtyard;
Exodus 35:18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle
and for the courtyard, along with their ropes;
Exodus 35:19 and the woven garments for
ministering in the holy place—both the holy garments for Aaron the
priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.”
Exodus 35:20 Then the whole congregation of
Israel withdrew from the presence of Moses.
Exodus 35:21 And everyone whose heart stirred
him and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to
the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its
services, and for the holy garments.
Exodus 35:22 So all who had willing hearts, both
men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings, rings and
necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry. And they all presented
their gold as a wave offering to the LORD.
Exodus 35:23 Everyone who had blue, purple, or
scarlet yarn, or fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red, or
articles of fine leather, brought them.
Exodus 35:24 And all who could present an
offering of silver or bronze brought it as a contribution to the
LORD. Also, everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the
service brought it.
Exodus 35:25 Every skilled woman spun with her
hands and brought what she had spun: blue, purple, or scarlet
yarn, or fine linen.
Exodus 35:26 And all the skilled women whose
hearts were stirred spun the goat hair.
Exodus 35:27 The leaders brought onyx stones and
gemstones to mount on the ephod and breastpiece,
Exodus 35:28 as well as spices and olive oil for
the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.
Exodus 35:29 So all the men and women of the
Israelites whose hearts prompted them brought a freewill offering
to the LORD for all the work that the LORD through Moses had
commanded them to do.
Exodus 35:30 Then Moses said to the Israelites,
“See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
Exodus 35:31 And He has filled him with the
Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of
craftsmanship,
Exodus 35:32 to design artistic works in gold,
silver, and bronze,
Exodus 35:33 to cut gemstones for settings, and
to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every artistic craft.
Exodus 35:34 And the LORD has given both him and
Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to
teach others.
Exodus 35:35 He has filled them with skill to do
all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue,
purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and as weavers—as
artistic designers of every kind of craft.
Exodus 36:1 “So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every
skilled person are to carry out everything commanded by the LORD,
who has given them skill and ability to know how to perform all
the work of constructing the sanctuary.”
Exodus 36:2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel,
Oholiab, and every skilled person whom the LORD had
gifted—everyone whose heart stirred him to come and do the work.
Exodus 36:3 They received from Moses all the
contributions that the Israelites had brought to carry out the
service of constructing the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people
continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning,
Exodus 36:4 so that all the skilled craftsmen
who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left their work
Exodus 36:5 and said to Moses, “The people are
bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD has
commanded us to do.”
Exodus 36:6 After Moses had given an order, they
sent a proclamation throughout the camp: “No man or woman should
make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” So the
people were restrained from bringing more,
Exodus 36:7 since what they already had was more
than enough to perform all the work.
Exodus 36:8 All the skilled craftsmen among the
workmen made the ten curtains for the tabernacle. They were made
of finely spun linen, as well as blue, purple, and scarlet yarn,
with cherubim skillfully worked into them.
Exodus 36:9 Each curtain was twenty-eight cubits
long and four cubits wide; all the curtains were the same size.
Exodus 36:10 And he joined five of the curtains
together, and the other five he joined as well.
Exodus 36:11 He made loops of blue material on
the edge of the end curtain in the first set, and also on the end
curtain in the second set.
Exodus 36:12 He made fifty loops on one curtain
and fifty loops on the end curtain of the second set, so that the
loops lined up opposite one another.
Exodus 36:13 He also made fifty gold clasps to
join the curtains together, so that the tabernacle was a unit.
Exodus 36:14 He then made curtains of goat hair
for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven curtains in all.
Exodus 36:15 Each of the eleven curtains was the
same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.
Exodus 36:16 He joined five of the curtains into
one set and the other six into another.
Exodus 36:17 He made fifty loops along the edge
of the end curtain in the first set, and fifty loops along the
edge of the corresponding curtain in the second set.
Exodus 36:18 He also made fifty bronze clasps to
join the tent together as a unit.
Exodus 36:19 Additionally, he made for the tent
a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of fine
leather.
Exodus 36:20 Next, he constructed upright frames
of acacia wood for the tabernacle.
Exodus 36:21 Each frame was ten cubits long and
a cubit and a half wide.
Exodus 36:22 Two tenons were connected to each
other for each frame. He made all the frames of the tabernacle in
this way.
Exodus 36:23 He constructed twenty frames for
the south side of the tabernacle,
Exodus 36:24 with forty silver bases to put
under the twenty frames—two bases for each frame, one under each
tenon.
Exodus 36:25 For the second side of the
tabernacle, the north side, he made twenty frames
Exodus 36:26 and forty silver bases—two bases
under each frame.
Exodus 36:27 He made six frames for the rear of
the tabernacle, the west side,
Exodus 36:28 and two frames for the two back
corners of the tabernacle,
Exodus 36:29 coupled together from bottom to top
and fitted into a single ring. He made both corners in this way.
Exodus 36:30 So there were eight frames and
sixteen silver bases—two under each frame.
Exodus 36:31 He also made five crossbars of
acacia wood for the frames on one side of the tabernacle,
Exodus 36:32 five for those on the other side,
and five for those on the rear side of the tabernacle, to the
west.
Exodus 36:33 He made the central crossbar to run
through the center of the frames, from one end to the other.
Exodus 36:34 And he overlaid the frames with
gold and made gold rings to hold the crossbars. He also overlaid
the crossbars with gold.
Exodus 36:35 Next, he made the veil of blue,
purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, with cherubim
skillfully worked into it.
Exodus 36:36 He also made four posts of acacia
wood for it and overlaid them with gold, along with gold hooks;
and he cast four silver bases for the posts.
Exodus 36:37 For the entrance to the tent, he
made a curtain embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn,
and finely spun linen,
Exodus 36:38 together with five posts and their
hooks. He overlaid the tops of the posts and their bands with
gold, and their five bases were bronze.
Exodus 37:1 Bezalel went on to construct the ark
of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half
wide, and a cubit and a half high.
Exodus 37:2 He overlaid it with pure gold, both
inside and out, and made a gold molding around it.
Exodus 37:3 And he cast four gold rings for its
four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other.
Exodus 37:4 Then he made poles of acacia wood
and overlaid them with gold.
Exodus 37:5 He inserted the poles into the rings
on the sides of the ark in order to carry it.
Exodus 37:6 He constructed a mercy seat of pure
gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.
Exodus 37:7 He made two cherubim of hammered
gold at the ends of the mercy seat,
Exodus 37:8 one cherub on one end and one on the
other, all made from one piece of gold.
Exodus 37:9 And the cherubim had wings that
spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim faced
each other, looking toward the mercy seat.
Exodus 37:10 He also made the table of acacia
wood two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.
Exodus 37:11 He overlaid it with pure gold and
made a gold molding around it.
Exodus 37:12 And he made a rim around it a
handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim.
Exodus 37:13 He cast four gold rings for the
table and fastened them to the four corners at its four legs.
Exodus 37:14 The rings were placed close to the
rim, to serve as holders for the poles used to carry the table.
Exodus 37:15 He made the poles of acacia wood
for carrying the table and overlaid them with gold.
Exodus 37:16 He also made the utensils for the
table out of pure gold: its plates and dishes, as well as its
bowls and pitchers for pouring drink offerings.
Exodus 37:17 Then he made the lampstand out of
pure hammered gold, all of one piece: its base and shaft, its
cups, and its buds and petals.
Exodus 37:18 Six branches extended from the
sides, three on one side and three on the other.
Exodus 37:19 There were three cups shaped like
almond blossoms on the first branch, each with buds and petals,
three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches that
extended from the lampstand.
Exodus 37:20 And on the lampstand were four cups
shaped like almond blossoms with buds and petals.
Exodus 37:21 A bud was under the first pair of
branches that extended from the lampstand, a bud under the second
pair, and a bud under the third pair.
Exodus 37:22 The buds and branches were all of
one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.
Exodus 37:23 He also made its seven lamps, its
wick trimmers, and trays of pure gold.
Exodus 37:24 He made the lampstand and all its
utensils from a talent of pure gold.
Exodus 37:25 He made the altar of incense out of
acacia wood. It was square, a cubit long, a cubit wide, and two
cubits high. Its horns were of one piece.
Exodus 37:26 And he overlaid with pure gold the
top and all the sides and horns. Then he made a molding of gold
around it.
Exodus 37:27 He made two gold rings below the
molding on opposite sides to hold the poles used to carry it.
Exodus 37:28 And he made the poles of acacia
wood and overlaid them with gold.
Exodus 37:29 He also made the sacred anointing
oil and the pure, fragrant incense, the work of a perfumer.
Exodus 38:1 Bezalel constructed the altar of
burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, five cubits long,
five cubits wide, and three cubits high.
Exodus 38:2 He made a horn at each of its four
corners, so that the horns and altar were of one piece, and he
overlaid the altar with bronze.
Exodus 38:3 He made all the altar’s utensils of
bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks, and
firepans.
Exodus 38:4 He made a grate of bronze mesh for
the altar under its ledge, halfway up from the bottom.
Exodus 38:5 At the four corners of the bronze
grate he cast four rings as holders for the poles.
Exodus 38:6 And he made the poles of acacia wood
and overlaid them with bronze.
Exodus 38:7 Then he inserted the poles into the
rings on the sides of the altar for carrying it. He made the altar
with boards so that it was hollow.
Exodus 38:8 Next he made the bronze basin and
its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 38:9 Then he constructed the courtyard.
The south side of the courtyard was a hundred cubits long and had
curtains of finely spun linen,
Exodus 38:10 with twenty posts and twenty bronze
bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.
Exodus 38:11 The north side was also a hundred
cubits long, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases. The hooks
and bands of the posts were silver.
Exodus 38:12 The west side was fifty cubits long
and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. The hooks and
bands of the posts were silver.
Exodus 38:13 And the east side, toward the
sunrise, was also fifty cubits long.
Exodus 38:14 The curtains on one side of the
entrance were fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three
bases.
Exodus 38:15 And the curtains on the other side
were also fifteen cubits long, with three posts and three bases as
well.
Exodus 38:16 All the curtains around the
courtyard were made of finely spun linen.
Exodus 38:17 The bases for the posts were
bronze, the hooks and bands were silver, and the plating for the
tops of the posts was silver. So all the posts of the courtyard
were banded with silver.
Exodus 38:18 The curtain for the entrance to the
courtyard was embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and
finely spun linen. It was twenty cubits long and, like the
curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high,
Exodus 38:19 with four posts and four bronze
bases. Their hooks were silver, as well as the bands and the
plating of their tops.
Exodus 38:20 All the tent pegs for the
tabernacle and for the surrounding courtyard were bronze.
Exodus 38:21 This is the inventory for the
tabernacle, the tabernacle of the Testimony, as recorded at Moses’
command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron
the priest.
Exodus 38:22 Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur,
of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded
Moses.
Exodus 38:23 With him was Oholiab son of
Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, designer, and
embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.
Exodus 38:24 All the gold from the wave offering
used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730
shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
Exodus 38:25 The silver from those numbered
among the congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shekels,
according to the sanctuary shekel—
Exodus 38:26 a beka per person, that is, half a
shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty
years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total
of 603,550 men.
Exodus 38:27 The hundred talents of silver were
used to cast the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the
veil—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent per base.
Exodus 38:28 With the 1,775 shekels of silver he
made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied
bands for them.
Exodus 38:29 The bronze from the wave offering
totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.
Exodus 38:30 He used it to make the bases for
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the bronze altar and its
bronze grating, all the utensils for the altar,
Exodus 38:31 the bases for the surrounding
courtyard and its gate, and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle
and its surrounding courtyard.
Exodus 39:1 From the blue, purple, and scarlet
yarn they made specially woven garments for ministry in the
sanctuary, as well as the holy garments for Aaron, just as the
LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:2 Bezalel made the ephod of finely
spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and
scarlet yarn.
Exodus 39:3 They hammered out thin sheets of
gold and cut threads from them to interweave with the blue,
purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen—the work of a skilled
craftsman.
Exodus 39:4 They made shoulder pieces for the
ephod, which were attached at two of its corners, so it could be
fastened.
Exodus 39:5 And the skillfully woven waistband
of the ephod was of one piece with the ephod, of the same
workmanship—with gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and
with finely spun linen, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:6 They mounted the onyx stones in gold
filigree settings, engraved like a seal with the names of the sons
of Israel.
Exodus 39:7 Then they fastened them on the
shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of
Israel, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:8 He made the breastpiece with the
same workmanship as the ephod, with gold, with blue, purple, and
scarlet yarn, and with finely spun linen.
Exodus 39:9 It was square when folded over
double, a span long and a span wide.
Exodus 39:10 And they mounted on it four rows of
gemstones: The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Exodus 39:11 the second row had a turquoise, a
sapphire, and a diamond;
Exodus 39:12 the third row had a jacinth, an
agate, and an amethyst;
Exodus 39:13 and the fourth row had a beryl, an
onyx, and a jasper. These stones were mounted in gold filigree
settings.
Exodus 39:14 The twelve stones corresponded to
the names of the sons of Israel. Each stone was engraved like a
seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Exodus 39:15 For the breastpiece they made
braided chains like cords of pure gold.
Exodus 39:16 They also made two gold filigree
settings and two gold rings, and fastened the two rings to the two
corners of the breastpiece.
Exodus 39:17 Then they fastened the two gold
chains to the two gold rings at the corners of the breastpiece,
Exodus 39:18 and they fastened the other ends of
the two chains to the two filigree settings, attaching them to the
shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front.
Exodus 39:19 They made two more gold rings and
attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece, on the
inside edge next to the ephod.
Exodus 39:20 They made two additional gold rings
and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the
ephod, on its front, near the seam just above its woven waistband.
Exodus 39:21 Then they tied the rings of the
breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue yarn, so
that the breastpiece was above the waistband of the ephod and
would not swing out from the ephod, just as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
Exodus 39:22 They made the robe of the ephod
entirely of blue cloth, the work of a weaver,
Exodus 39:23 with an opening in the center of
the robe like that of a garment, with a collar around the opening
so that it would not tear.
Exodus 39:24 They made pomegranates of blue,
purple, and scarlet yarn and finely spun linen on the lower hem of
the robe.
Exodus 39:25 They also made bells of pure gold
and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates,
Exodus 39:26 alternating the bells and
pomegranates around the lower hem of the robe to be worn for
ministry, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:27 For Aaron and his sons they made
tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver,
Exodus 39:28 as well as the turban of fine
linen, the ornate headbands and undergarments of finely spun
linen,
Exodus 39:29 and the sash of finely spun linen,
embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, just as the LORD
had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:30 They also made the plate of the
holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an
inscription on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.
Exodus 39:31 Then they fastened to it a blue
cord to mount it on the turban, just as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
Exodus 39:32 So all the work for the tabernacle,
the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything
just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:33 Then they brought the tabernacle to
Moses: the tent with all its furnishings, its clasps, its frames,
its crossbars, and its posts and bases;
Exodus 39:34 the covering of ram skins dyed red,
the covering of fine leather, and the veil of the covering;
Exodus 39:35 the ark of the Testimony with its
poles and the mercy seat;
Exodus 39:36 the table with all its utensils and
the Bread of the Presence;
Exodus 39:37 the pure gold lampstand with its
row of lamps and all its utensils, as well as the oil for the
light;
Exodus 39:38 the gold altar, the anointing oil,
the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the
tent;
Exodus 39:39 the bronze altar with its bronze
grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its
stand;
Exodus 39:40 the curtains of the courtyard with
its posts and bases; the curtain for the gate of the courtyard,
its ropes and tent pegs, and all the equipment for the service of
the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;
Exodus 39:41 and the woven garments for
ministering in the sanctuary, both the holy garments for Aaron the
priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.
Exodus 39:42 The Israelites had done all the
work just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Exodus 39:43 And Moses inspected all the work
and saw that they had accomplished it just as the LORD had
commanded. So Moses blessed them.
Exodus 40:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Exodus 40:2 “On the first day of the first month
you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 40:3 Put the ark of the Testimony in it
and screen off the ark with the veil.
Exodus 40:4 Then bring in the table and set out
its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well, and set up its
lamps.
Exodus 40:5 Place the gold altar of incense in
front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the
entrance to the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:6 Place the altar of burnt offering in
front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 40:7 And place the basin between the Tent
of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.
Exodus 40:8 Set up the surrounding courtyard and
hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.
Exodus 40:9 Take the anointing oil and anoint
the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all
its furnishings, and it shall be holy.
Exodus 40:10 Anoint the altar of burnt offering
and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most
holy.
Exodus 40:11 Anoint the basin and its stand and
consecrate them.
Exodus 40:12 Then bring Aaron and his sons to
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water.
Exodus 40:13 And you are to clothe Aaron with
the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may
serve Me as a priest.
Exodus 40:14 Bring his sons forward and clothe
them with tunics.
Exodus 40:15 Anoint them just as you anointed
their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their
anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout
their generations.”
Exodus 40:16 Moses did everything just as the
LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 40:17 So the tabernacle was set up on the
first day of the first month of the second year.
Exodus 40:18 When Moses set up the tabernacle,
he laid its bases, positioned its frames, inserted its crossbars,
and set up its posts.
Exodus 40:19 Then he spread the tent over the
tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD
had commanded him.
Exodus 40:20 Moses took the Testimony and placed
it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the
mercy seat atop the ark.
Exodus 40:21 Then he brought the ark into the
tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and shielded off the
ark of the Testimony, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 40:22 Moses placed the table in the Tent
of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil.
Exodus 40:23 He arranged the bread on it before
the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 40:24 He also placed the lampstand in the
Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the
tabernacle
Exodus 40:25 and set up the lamps before the
LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 40:26 Moses placed the gold altar in the
Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil,
Exodus 40:27 and he burned fragrant incense on
it, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 40:28 Then he put up the curtain at the
entrance to the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:29 He placed the altar of burnt
offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting,
and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, just
as the LORD had commanded him.
Exodus 40:30 He placed the basin between the
Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing;
Exodus 40:31 and from it Moses, Aaron, and his
sons washed their hands and feet.
Exodus 40:32 They washed whenever they entered
the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, just as the LORD had
commanded Moses.
Exodus 40:33 And Moses set up the courtyard
around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for
the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of
Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:35 Moses was unable to enter the Tent
of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of
the LORD filled the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:36 Whenever the cloud was lifted from
above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through all the
stages of their journey.
Exodus 40:37 If the cloud was not lifted, they
would not set out until the day it was taken up.
Exodus 40:38 For the cloud of the LORD was over
the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the
sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.
LEVITICUS
Leviticus 1:1 Then the LORD called to Moses and
spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,
Leviticus 1:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them: When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, you may
bring as your offering an animal from the herd or the flock.
Leviticus 1:3 If one’s offering is a burnt
offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He
must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its
acceptance before the LORD.
Leviticus 1:4 He is to lay his hand on the head
of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make
atonement for him.
Leviticus 1:5 And he shall slaughter the young
bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present
the blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 1:6 Next, he is to skin the burnt
offering and cut it into pieces.
Leviticus 1:7 The sons of Aaron the priest shall
put a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
Leviticus 1:8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests are
to arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, atop the
burning wood on the altar.
Leviticus 1:9 The entrails and legs must be
washed with water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the
altar as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing
aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 1:10 If, however, one’s offering is a
burnt offering from the flock—from the sheep or goats—he is to
present an unblemished male.
Leviticus 1:11 He shall slaughter it on the
north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the
priests are to sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
Leviticus 1:12 He is to cut the animal into
pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and
fat, atop the burning wood that is on the altar.
Leviticus 1:13 The entrails and legs must be
washed with water, and the priest shall bring all of it and burn
it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire,
a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 1:14 If, instead, one’s offering to
the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to present a
turtledove or a young pigeon.
Leviticus 1:15 Then the priest shall bring it to
the altar, twist off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood
should be drained out on the side of the altar.
Leviticus 1:16 And he is to remove the crop with
its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, in the
place for ashes.
Leviticus 1:17 He shall tear it open by its
wings, without dividing the bird completely. And the priest is to
burn it on the altar atop the burning wood. It is a burnt
offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:1 “When anyone brings a grain
offering to the LORD, his offering must consist of fine flour. He
is to pour olive oil on it, put frankincense on it,
Leviticus 2:2 and bring it to Aaron’s sons the
priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil,
together with all the frankincense, and burn this as a memorial
portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma
to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:3 The remainder of the grain
offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy
part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:4 Now if you bring an offering of
grain baked in an oven, it must consist of fine flour, either
unleavened cakes mixed with oil or unleavened wafers coated with
oil.
Leviticus 2:5 If your offering is a grain
offering prepared on a griddle, it must be unleavened bread made
of fine flour mixed with oil.
Leviticus 2:6 Crumble it and pour oil on it; it
is a grain offering.
Leviticus 2:7 If your offering is a grain
offering cooked in a pan, it must consist of fine flour with oil.
Leviticus 2:8 When you bring to the LORD the
grain offering made in any of these ways, it is to be presented to
the priest, and he shall take it to the altar.
Leviticus 2:9 The priest is to remove the
memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar
as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:10 But the remainder of the grain
offering shall belong to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy
part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:11 No grain offering that you
present to the LORD may be made with leaven, for you are not to
burn any leaven or honey as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 2:12 You may bring them to the LORD as
an offering of firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the
altar as a pleasing aroma.
Leviticus 2:13 And you shall season each of your
grain offerings with salt. You must not leave the salt of the
covenant of your God out of your grain offering; you are to add
salt to each of your offerings.
Leviticus 2:14 If you bring a grain offering of
firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer crushed heads of new
grain roasted on the fire.
Leviticus 2:15 And you are to put oil and
frankincense on it; it is a grain offering.
Leviticus 2:16 The priest shall then burn the
memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with
all its frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 3:1 “If one’s offering is a peace
offering and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or
female, he must present it without blemish before the LORD.
Leviticus 3:2 He is to lay his hand on the head
of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood on
all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 3:3 From the peace offering he is to
bring an offering made by fire to the LORD: the fat that covers
the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
Leviticus 3:4 both kidneys with the fat on them
near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove
with the kidneys.
Leviticus 3:5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it
on the altar atop the burnt offering that is on the burning wood,
as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 3:6 If, however, one’s peace offering
to the LORD is from the flock, he must present a male or female
without blemish.
Leviticus 3:7 If he is presenting a lamb for his
offering, he must present it before the LORD.
Leviticus 3:8 He is to lay his hand on the head
of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting.
Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the
altar.
Leviticus 3:9 And from the peace offering he
shall bring an offering made by fire to the LORD consisting of its
fat: the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the fat
that covers the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
Leviticus 3:10 both kidneys with the fat on them
near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove
with the kidneys.
Leviticus 3:11 Then the priest is to burn them
on the altar as food, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 3:12 If one’s offering is a goat, he
is to present it before the LORD.
Leviticus 3:13 He must lay his hand on its head
and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s
sons shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 3:14 And from his offering he shall
present an offering made by fire to the LORD: the fat that covers
the entrails, all the fat that is on them,
Leviticus 3:15 both kidneys with the fat on them
near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove
with the kidneys.
Leviticus 3:16 Then the priest is to burn the
food on the altar as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma.
All the fat is the LORD’s.
Leviticus 3:17 This is a permanent statute for
the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any
fat or any blood.”
Leviticus 4:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 4:2 “Tell the Israelites to do as
follows with one who sins unintentionally against any of the
LORD’s commandments and does what is forbidden by them:
Leviticus 4:3 If the anointed priest sins,
bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young
bull without blemish as a sin offering for the sin he has
committed.
Leviticus 4:4 He must bring the bull to the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, lay his hand on
the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the LORD.
Leviticus 4:5 Then the anointed priest shall
take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the Tent of
Meeting.
Leviticus 4:6 The priest is to dip his finger in
the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in
front of the veil of the sanctuary.
Leviticus 4:7 The priest must then put some of
the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is
before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. And he is to pour out the
rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt
offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 4:8 Then he shall remove all the fat
from the bull of the sin offering—the fat that covers the
entrails, all the fat that is on them,
Leviticus 4:9 both kidneys with the fat on them
near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he is to remove
with the kidneys—
Leviticus 4:10 just as the fat is removed from
the ox of the peace offering. Then the priest shall burn them on
the altar of burnt offering.
Leviticus 4:11 But the hide of the bull and all
its flesh, with its head and legs and its entrails and dung—
Leviticus 4:12 all the rest of the bull—he must
take outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place where the
ashes are poured out, and there he must burn it on a wood fire on
the ash heap.
Leviticus 4:13 Now if the whole congregation of
Israel strays unintentionally and the matter escapes the notice of
the assembly so that they violate any of the LORD’s commandments
and incur guilt by doing what is forbidden,
Leviticus 4:14 when they become aware of the sin
they have committed, then the assembly must bring a young bull as
a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 4:15 The elders of the congregation
are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the LORD, and it
shall be slaughtered before the LORD.
Leviticus 4:16 Then the anointed priest is to
bring some of the bull’s blood into the Tent of Meeting,
Leviticus 4:17 and he is to dip his finger in
the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of
the veil.
Leviticus 4:18 He is also to put some of the
blood on the horns of the altar that is before the LORD in the
Tent of Meeting, and he must pour out the rest of the blood at the
base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting.
Leviticus 4:19 And he is to remove all the fat
from it and burn it on the altar.
Leviticus 4:20 He shall offer this bull just as
he did the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will
make atonement on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.
Leviticus 4:21 Then he is to take the bull
outside the camp and burn it, just as he burned the first bull. It
is the sin offering for the assembly.
Leviticus 4:22 When a leader sins
unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the
commandments of the LORD his God, he incurs guilt.
Leviticus 4:23 When he becomes aware of the sin
he has committed, he must bring an unblemished male goat as his
offering.
Leviticus 4:24 He is to lay his hand on the head
of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering
is slaughtered before the LORD. It is a sin offering.
Leviticus 4:25 Then the priest is to take some
of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the
horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the
blood at the base of the altar.
Leviticus 4:26 He must burn all its fat on the
altar, like the fat of the peace offerings; thus the priest will
make atonement for that man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 4:27 And if one of the common people
sins unintentionally and does what is prohibited by any of the
LORD’s commandments, he incurs guilt.
Leviticus 4:28 When he becomes aware of the sin
he has committed, he must bring an unblemished female goat as his
offering for that sin.
Leviticus 4:29 He is to lay his hand on the head
of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt
offering.
Leviticus 4:30 Then the priest is to take some
of its blood with his finger, put it on the horns of the altar of
burnt offering, and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of
the altar.
Leviticus 4:31 Then he is to remove all the fat,
just as it is removed from the peace offering, and the priest is
to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. In this
way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be
forgiven.
Leviticus 4:32 If, however, he brings a lamb as
a sin offering, he must bring an unblemished female.
Leviticus 4:33 And he is to lay his hand on the
head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the
place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.
Leviticus 4:34 Then the priest is to take some
of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, put it on the
horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its
blood at the base of the altar.
Leviticus 4:35 And he shall remove all the fat,
just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings,
and he shall burn it on the altar along with the offerings made by
fire to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for
him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 5:1 “If someone sins by failing to
testify when he hears a public charge about something he has
witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear
the iniquity.
Leviticus 5:2 Or if a person touches anything
unclean—whether the carcass of any unclean wild animal or
livestock or crawling creature—even if he is unaware of it, he is
unclean and guilty.
Leviticus 5:3 Or if he touches human
uncleanness—anything by which one becomes unclean—even if he is
unaware of it, when he realizes it, he is guilty.
Leviticus 5:4 Or if someone swears thoughtlessly
with his lips to do anything good or evil—in whatever matter a man
may rashly pronounce an oath—even if he is unaware of it, when he
realizes it, he is guilty in the matter.
Leviticus 5:5 If someone incurs guilt in one of
these ways, he must confess the sin he has committed,
Leviticus 5:6 and he must bring his guilt
offering to the LORD for the sin he has committed: a female lamb
or goat from the flock as a sin offering. And the priest will make
atonement for him concerning his sin.
Leviticus 5:7 If, however, he cannot afford a
lamb, he may bring to the LORD as restitution for his sin two
turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a sin offering and the
other as a burnt offering.
Leviticus 5:8 He is to bring them to the priest,
who shall first present the one for the sin offering. He is to
twist its head at the front of its neck without severing it;
Leviticus 5:9 then he is to sprinkle some of the
blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest
of the blood is drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin
offering.
Leviticus 5:10 And the priest must prepare the
second bird as a burnt offering according to the ordinance. In
this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has
committed, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 5:11 But if he cannot afford two
turtledoves or two young pigeons, he may bring a tenth of an ephah
of fine flour as a sin offering. He must not put olive oil or
frankincense on it, because it is a sin offering.
Leviticus 5:12 He is to bring it to the priest,
who shall take a handful from it as a memorial portion and burn it
on the altar atop the offerings made by fire to the LORD; it is a
sin offering.
Leviticus 5:13 In this way the priest will make
atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and he
will be forgiven. The remainder will belong to the priest, like
the grain offering.”
Leviticus 5:14 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 5:15 “If someone acts unfaithfully and
sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he
must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from
the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the
sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.
Leviticus 5:16 Regarding any holy thing he has
harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to
it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his
behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 5:17 If someone sins and violates any
of the LORD’s commandments even though he was unaware, he is
guilty and shall bear his punishment.
Leviticus 5:18 He is to bring to the priest an
unblemished ram of proper value from the flock as a guilt
offering. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for
the wrong he has committed in ignorance, and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 5:19 It is a guilt offering; he was
certainly guilty before the LORD.”
Leviticus 6:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 6:2 “If someone sins and acts
unfaithfully against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in regard
to a deposit or security entrusted to him or stolen, or if he
extorts his neighbor
Leviticus 6:3 or finds lost property and lies
about it and swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that a
man might commit—
Leviticus 6:4 once he has sinned and becomes
guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion,
or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
Leviticus 6:5 or anything else about which he
has sworn falsely. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth
of the value, and pay it to the owner on the day he acknowledges
his guilt.
Leviticus 6:6 Then he must bring to the priest
his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram of proper value
from the flock.
Leviticus 6:7 In this way the priest will make
atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for
anything he may have done to incur guilt.”
Leviticus 6:8 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 6:9 “Command Aaron and his sons that
this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to
remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and
the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
Leviticus 6:10 And the priest shall put on his
linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the
altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed
and place them beside it.
Leviticus 6:11 Then he must take off his
garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the
camp to a ceremonially clean place.
Leviticus 6:12 The fire on the altar shall be
kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the
priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on
it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it.
Leviticus 6:13 The fire shall be kept burning on
the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.
Leviticus 6:14 Now this is the law of the grain
offering: Aaron’s sons shall present it before the LORD in front
of the altar.
Leviticus 6:15 The priest is to remove a handful
of fine flour and olive oil, together with all the frankincense
from the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the
altar as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 6:16 Aaron and his sons are to eat the
remainder. It must be eaten without leaven in a holy place; they
are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 6:17 It must not be baked with leaven;
I have assigned it as their portion of My offerings made by fire.
It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.
Leviticus 6:18 Any male among the sons of Aaron
may eat it. This is a permanent portion from the offerings made by
fire to the LORD for the generations to come. Anything that
touches them will become holy.”
Leviticus 6:19 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 6:20 “This is the offering that Aaron
and his sons must present to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a
tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half
of it in the morning and half in the evening.
Leviticus 6:21 It shall be prepared with oil on
a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded and present it as a
grain offering broken in pieces, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 6:22 The priest, who is one of Aaron’s
sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. As
a permanent portion for the LORD, it must be burned completely.
Leviticus 6:23 Every grain offering for a priest
shall be burned completely; it is not to be eaten.”
Leviticus 6:24 And the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 6:25 “Tell Aaron and his sons that
this is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt
offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered
before the LORD; it is most holy.
Leviticus 6:26 The priest who offers it shall
eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the
Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 6:27 Anything that touches its flesh
will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a
garment, you must wash it in a holy place.
Leviticus 6:28 The clay pot in which the sin
offering is boiled must be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze
pot, the pot must be scoured and rinsed with water.
Leviticus 6:29 Any male among the priests may
eat it; it is most holy.
Leviticus 6:30 But no sin offering may be eaten
if its blood has been brought into the Tent of Meeting to make
atonement in the Holy Place; it must be burned.
Leviticus 7:1 “Now this is the law of the guilt
offering, which is most holy:
Leviticus 7:2 The guilt offering must be
slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered,
and the priest shall sprinkle its blood on all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 7:3 And all the fat from it shall be
offered: the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,
Leviticus 7:4 both kidneys with the fat on them
near the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which is to be removed
with the kidneys.
Leviticus 7:5 The priest shall burn them on the
altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt
offering.
Leviticus 7:6 Every male among the priests may
eat of it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.
Leviticus 7:7 The guilt offering is like the sin
offering; the same law applies to both. It belongs to the priest
who makes atonement with it.
Leviticus 7:8 As for the priest who presents a
burnt offering for anyone, the hide of that offering belongs to
him.
Leviticus 7:9 Likewise, every grain offering
that is baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle
belongs to the priest who presents it,
Leviticus 7:10 and every grain offering, whether
dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.
Leviticus 7:11 Now this is the law of the peace
offering that one may present to the LORD:
Leviticus 7:12 If he offers it in thanksgiving,
then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer
unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers coated
with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil.
Leviticus 7:13 Along with his peace offering of
thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of leavened
bread.
Leviticus 7:14 From the cakes he must present
one portion of each offering as a contribution to the LORD. It
belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace
offering.
Leviticus 7:15 The meat of the sacrifice of his
peace offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day he offers
it; none of it may be left until morning.
Leviticus 7:16 If, however, the sacrifice he
offers is a vow or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the
day he presents his sacrifice, but the remainder may be eaten on
the next day.
Leviticus 7:17 But any meat of the sacrifice
remaining until the third day must be burned up.
Leviticus 7:18 If any of the meat from his peace
offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It
will not be credited to the one who presented it; it shall be an
abomination, and the one who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.
Leviticus 7:19 Meat that touches anything
unclean must not be eaten; it is to be burned up. As for any other
meat, anyone who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
Leviticus 7:20 But if anyone who is unclean eats
meat from the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person
must be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 7:21 If one touches anything unclean,
whether human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean,
detestable thing, and then eats any of the meat of the peace
offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off
from his people.”
Leviticus 7:22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 7:23 “Speak to the Israelites and say,
‘You are not to eat any of the fat of an ox, a sheep, or a goat.
Leviticus 7:24 The fat of an animal found dead
or mauled by wild beasts may be used for any other purpose, but
you must not eat it.
Leviticus 7:25 If anyone eats the fat of an
animal from which an offering made by fire may be presented to the
LORD, the one who eats it must be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 7:26 You must not eat the blood of any
bird or animal in any of your dwellings.
Leviticus 7:27 If anyone eats blood, that person
must be cut off from his people.’”
Leviticus 7:28 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 7:29 “Speak to the Israelites and say,
‘Anyone who presents a peace offering to the LORD must bring it as
his sacrifice to the LORD.
Leviticus 7:30 With his own hands he is to bring
the offerings made by fire to the LORD; he shall bring the fat,
together with the breast, and wave the breast as a wave offering
before the LORD.
Leviticus 7:31 The priest is to burn the fat on
the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.
Leviticus 7:32 And you are to give the right
thigh to the priest as a contribution from your peace offering.
Leviticus 7:33 The son of Aaron who presents the
blood and fat of the peace offering shall have the right thigh as
a portion.
Leviticus 7:34 I have taken from the sons of
Israel the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the
contribution of their peace offerings, and I have given them to
Aaron the priest and his sons as a permanent portion from the sons
of Israel.’”
Leviticus 7:35 This is the portion of the
offerings made by fire to the LORD for Aaron and his sons since
the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests.
Leviticus 7:36 On the day they were anointed,
the LORD commanded that this be given them by the sons of Israel.
It is a permanent portion for the generations to come.
Leviticus 7:37 This is the law of the burnt
offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt
offering, the ordination offering, and the peace offering,
Leviticus 7:38 which the LORD gave Moses on
Mount Sinai on the day He commanded the Israelites to present
their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Leviticus 8:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 8:2 “Take Aaron and his sons, their
garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two
rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,
Leviticus 8:3 and assemble the whole
congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”
Leviticus 8:4 So Moses did as the LORD had
commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 8:5 And Moses said to them, “This is
what the LORD has commanded to be done.”
Leviticus 8:6 Then Moses presented Aaron and his
sons and washed them with water.
Leviticus 8:7 He put the tunic on Aaron, tied
the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod
on him. He tied the woven band of the ephod around him and
fastened it to him.
Leviticus 8:8 Then he put the breastpiece on him
and placed the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.
Leviticus 8:9 Moses also put the turban on
Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the holy diadem, on the front
of the turban, as the LORD had commanded him.
Leviticus 8:10 Next, Moses took the anointing
oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he
consecrated them.
Leviticus 8:11 He sprinkled some of the oil on
the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils,
and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.
Leviticus 8:12 He also poured some of the
anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
Leviticus 8:13 Then Moses presented Aaron’s
sons, put tunics on them, wrapped sashes around them, and tied
headbands on them, just as the LORD had commanded him.
Leviticus 8:14 Moses then brought the bull near
for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on
its head.
Leviticus 8:15 Moses slaughtered the bull, took
some of the blood, and applied it with his finger to all four
horns of the altar, purifying the altar. He poured out the rest of
the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that
atonement could be made on it.
Leviticus 8:16 Moses also took all the fat that
was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and
their fat, and burned it all on the altar.
Leviticus 8:17 But the bull with its hide,
flesh, and dung he burned outside the camp, as the LORD had
commanded him.
Leviticus 8:18 Then Moses presented the ram for
the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its
head.
Leviticus 8:19 Moses slaughtered the ram and
sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 8:20 He cut the ram into pieces and
burned the head, the pieces, and the fat.
Leviticus 8:21 He washed the entrails and legs
with water and burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt
offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD,
just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Leviticus 8:22 After that, Moses presented the
other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid
their hands on its head.
Leviticus 8:23 Moses slaughtered the ram and
took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the
thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.
Leviticus 8:24 Moses also presented Aaron’s sons
and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs
of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet.
Then he sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 8:25 And Moses took the fat—the fat
tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver,
and both kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh.
Leviticus 8:26 And from the basket of unleavened
bread that was before the LORD, he took one cake of unleavened
bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and he
placed them on the fat portions and on the right thigh.
Leviticus 8:27 He put all these in the hands of
Aaron and his sons and waved them before the LORD as a wave
offering.
Leviticus 8:28 Then Moses took these from their
hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This
was an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by
fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 8:29 He also took the breast—Moses’
portion of the ram of ordination—and waved it before the LORD as a
wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him.
Leviticus 8:30 Next, Moses took some of the
anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and
sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and
their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well
as Aaron’s sons and their garments.
Leviticus 8:31 And Moses said to Aaron and his
sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and
eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination
offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat
it.’
Leviticus 8:32 Then you must burn up the
remainder of the meat and bread.
Leviticus 8:33 You must not go outside the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of
your ordination are complete; for it will take seven days to
ordain you.
Leviticus 8:34 What has been done today has been
commanded by the LORD in order to make atonement on your behalf.
Leviticus 8:35 You must remain at the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the
LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have
been commanded.”
Leviticus 8:36 So Aaron and his sons did
everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.
Leviticus 9:1 On the eighth day Moses summoned
Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.
Leviticus 9:2 He said to Aaron, “Take for
yourself a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt
offering, both without blemish, and present them before the LORD.
Leviticus 9:3 Then speak to the Israelites and
say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both
a year old and without blemish—for a burnt offering,
Leviticus 9:4 an ox and a ram for a peace
offering to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed
with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.’”
Leviticus 9:5 So they took what Moses had
commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole
congregation drew near and stood before the LORD.
Leviticus 9:6 And Moses said, “This is what the
LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may
appear to you.”
Leviticus 9:7 Then Moses said to Aaron,
“Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt
offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And
sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the
LORD has commanded.”
Leviticus 9:8 So Aaron approached the altar and
slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.
Leviticus 9:9 The sons of Aaron brought the
blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it
to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood
at the base of the altar.
Leviticus 9:10 On the altar he burned the fat,
the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as
the LORD had commanded Moses.
Leviticus 9:11 But he burned up the flesh and
the hide outside the camp.
Leviticus 9:12 Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt
offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on
all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 9:13 They brought him the burnt
offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on
the altar.
Leviticus 9:14 He washed the entrails and the
legs and burned them atop the burnt offering on the altar.
Leviticus 9:15 Aaron then presented the people’s
offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering,
slaughtered it, and offered it for sin like the first one.
Leviticus 9:16 He presented the burnt offering
and offered it according to the ordinance.
Leviticus 9:17 Next he presented the grain
offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in
addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
Leviticus 9:18 Then he slaughtered the ox and
the ram as the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the
blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.
Leviticus 9:19 They also brought the fat
portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering
the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver—
Leviticus 9:20 and placed these on the breasts.
Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar,
Leviticus 9:21 but he waved the breasts and the
right thigh as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had
commanded.
Leviticus 9:22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward
the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the
burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down.
Leviticus 9:23 Moses and Aaron then entered the
Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and
the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.
Leviticus 9:24 Fire came out from the presence
of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions
on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy
and fell facedown.
Leviticus 10:1 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu
took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and
offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His
command.
Leviticus 10:2 So fire came out from the
presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the
presence of the LORD.
Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This
is what the LORD meant when He said: ‘To those who come near Me I
will show My holiness, and in the sight of all the people I will
reveal My glory.’” But Aaron remained silent.
Leviticus 10:4 Moses summoned Mishael and
Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come
here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from
the front of the sanctuary.”
Leviticus 10:5 So they came forward and carried
them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had
directed.
Leviticus 10:6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his
sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled
and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD
will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the
whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the
LORD has ignited.
Leviticus 10:7 You shall not go outside the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s
anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses instructed.
Leviticus 10:8 Then the LORD said to Aaron,
Leviticus 10:9 “You and your sons are not to
drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or
else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations
to come.
Leviticus 10:10 You must distinguish between the
holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean,
Leviticus 10:11 so that you may teach the
Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through
Moses.”
Leviticus 10:12 And Moses said to Aaron and his
remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that
remains from the offerings made by fire to the LORD and eat it
without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy.
Leviticus 10:13 You shall eat it in a holy
place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the
offerings made by fire to the LORD; for this is what I have been
commanded.
Leviticus 10:14 And you and your sons and
daughters may eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of
the contribution in a ceremonially clean place, because these
portions have been assigned to you and your children from the
peace offerings of the sons of Israel.
Leviticus 10:15 They are to bring the thigh of
the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, together
with the fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to wave as a
wave offering before the LORD. It will belong permanently to you
and your children, as the LORD has commanded.”
Leviticus 10:16 Later, Moses searched carefully
for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned
up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons,
and asked,
Leviticus 10:17 “Why didn’t you eat the sin
offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to
you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement
for them before the LORD.
Leviticus 10:18 Since its blood was not brought
inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary
area, as I commanded.”
Leviticus 10:19 But Aaron replied to Moses,
“Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their
burnt offering before the LORD. Since these things have happened
to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been
acceptable in the sight of the LORD?”
Leviticus 10:20 And when Moses heard this
explanation, he was satisfied.
Leviticus 11:1 The LORD spoke again to Moses and
Aaron, telling them,
Leviticus 11:2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘Of all
the beasts of the earth, these ones you may eat:
Leviticus 11:3 You may eat any animal that has a
split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.
Leviticus 11:4 But of those that only chew the
cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following:
The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof;
it is unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:5 The rock badger, though it chews
the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:6 The rabbit, though it chews the
cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:7 And the pig, though it has a
split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is
unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:8 You must not eat their meat or
touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:9 Of all the creatures that live in
the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat
anything with fins and scales.
Leviticus 11:10 But the following among all the
teeming life and creatures in the water are detestable to you:
everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and
scales.
Leviticus 11:11 They shall be an abomination to
you; you must not eat their meat, and you must detest their
carcasses.
Leviticus 11:12 Everything in the water that
does not have fins and scales shall be detestable to you.
Leviticus 11:13 Additionally, you are to detest
the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are
detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
Leviticus 11:14 the kite, any kind of falcon,
Leviticus 11:15 any kind of raven,
Leviticus 11:16 the ostrich, the screech owl,
the gull, any kind of hawk,
Leviticus 11:17 the little owl, the cormorant,
the great owl,
Leviticus 11:18 the white owl, the desert owl,
the osprey,
Leviticus 11:19 the stork, any kind of heron,
the hoopoe, and the bat.
Leviticus 11:20 All flying insects that walk on
all fours are detestable to you.
Leviticus 11:21 However, you may eat the
following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those
having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground.
Leviticus 11:22 Of these you may eat any kind of
locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper.
Leviticus 11:23 All other flying insects that
have four legs are detestable to you.
Leviticus 11:24 These creatures will make you
unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until
evening,
Leviticus 11:25 and whoever picks up one of
their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean
until evening.
Leviticus 11:26 Every animal with hooves not
completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for
you. Whoever touches any of them will be unclean.
Leviticus 11:27 All the four-footed animals that
walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their
carcasses will be unclean until evening,
Leviticus 11:28 and anyone who picks up a
carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until
evening. They are unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:29 The following creatures that
move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse,
any kind of great lizard,
Leviticus 11:30 the gecko, the monitor lizard,
the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.
Leviticus 11:31 These animals are unclean for
you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when
they are dead shall be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 11:32 When one of them dies and falls
on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood,
clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must
be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then
it will be clean.
Leviticus 11:33 If any of them falls into a clay
pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot.
Leviticus 11:34 Any food coming into contact
with water from that pot will be unclean, and any drink in such a
container will be unclean.
Leviticus 11:35 Anything upon which one of their
carcasses falls will be unclean. If it is an oven or cooking pot,
it must be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:36 Nevertheless, a spring or
cistern containing water will remain clean, but one who touches a
carcass in it will be unclean.
Leviticus 11:37 If a carcass falls on any seed
for sowing, the seed is clean;
Leviticus 11:38 but if water has been put on the
seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
Leviticus 11:39 If an animal that you may eat
dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until
evening.
Leviticus 11:40 Whoever eats from the carcass
must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and
anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes and will be
unclean until evening.
Leviticus 11:41 Every creature that moves along
the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten.
Leviticus 11:42 Do not eat any creature that
moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on
four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.
Leviticus 11:43 Do not defile yourselves by any
crawling creature; do not become unclean or defiled by them.
Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God;
consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy.
You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along
the ground.
Leviticus 11:45 For I am the LORD, who brought
you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God;
therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 11:46 This is the law regarding
animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and
all creatures that crawl along the ground.
Leviticus 11:47 You must distinguish between the
unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those
that may not.’”
Leviticus 12:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 12:2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman
who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for
seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation.
Leviticus 12:3 And on the eighth day the flesh
of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.
Leviticus 12:4 The woman shall continue in
purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not
touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of
her purification are complete.
Leviticus 12:5 If, however, she gives birth to a
daughter, the woman will be unclean for two weeks as she is during
her menstruation. Then she must continue in purification from her
bleeding for sixty-six days.
Leviticus 12:6 When the days of her purification
are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring
to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old
lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a
sin offering.
Leviticus 12:7 And the priest will present them
before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be
ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for
a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.
Leviticus 12:8 But if she cannot afford a lamb,
she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a
burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest
will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
Leviticus 13:1 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Leviticus 13:2 “When someone has a swelling or
rash or bright spot on his skin that could become an infectious
skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of
his sons who is a priest.
Leviticus 13:3 The priest is to examine the
infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned
white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a
skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him
unclean.
Leviticus 13:4 If, however, the spot on his skin
is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the
hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall isolate the
infected person for seven days.
Leviticus 13:5 On the seventh day the priest is
to reexamine him, and if he sees that the infection is unchanged
and has not spread on the skin, the priest must isolate him for
another seven days.
Leviticus 13:6 The priest will examine him again
on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread
on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is a rash.
The person must wash his clothes and be clean.
Leviticus 13:7 But if the rash spreads further
on his skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his
cleansing, he must present himself again to the priest.
Leviticus 13:8 The priest will reexamine him,
and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest must pronounce
him unclean; he has a skin disease.
Leviticus 13:9 When anyone develops a skin
disease, he must be brought to the priest.
Leviticus 13:10 The priest will examine him, and
if there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair
white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling,
Leviticus 13:11 it is a chronic skin disease and
the priest must pronounce him unclean. He need not isolate him,
for he is unclean.
Leviticus 13:12 But if the skin disease breaks
out all over his skin so that it covers all the skin of the
infected person from head to foot, as far as the priest can see,
Leviticus 13:13 the priest shall examine him,
and if the disease has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce
the infected person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is
clean.
Leviticus 13:14 But whenever raw flesh appears
on someone, he will be unclean.
Leviticus 13:15 When the priest sees the raw
flesh, he must pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; it
is a skin disease.
Leviticus 13:16 But if the raw flesh changes and
turns white, he must go to the priest.
Leviticus 13:17 The priest will reexamine him,
and if the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce
the infected person clean; then he is clean.
Leviticus 13:18 When a boil appears on someone’s
skin and it heals,
Leviticus 13:19 and a white swelling or a
reddish-white spot develops where the boil was, he must present
himself to the priest.
Leviticus 13:20 The priest shall examine it, and
if it appears to be beneath the skin and the hair in it has turned
white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased
infection that has broken out in the boil.
Leviticus 13:21 But when the priest examines it,
if there is no white hair in it, and it is not beneath the skin
and has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days.
Leviticus 13:22 If it spreads any further on the
skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is an infection.
Leviticus 13:23 But if the spot remains
unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil,
and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
Leviticus 13:24 When there is a burn on
someone’s skin and the raw area of the burn becomes reddish-white
or white,
Leviticus 13:25 the priest must examine it. If
the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot appears to be
deeper than the skin, it is a disease that has broken out in the
burn. The priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased
infection.
Leviticus 13:26 But if the priest examines it
and there is no white hair in the spot, and it is not beneath the
skin but has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days.
Leviticus 13:27 On the seventh day the priest is
to reexamine him, and if it has spread further on the skin, the
priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection.
Leviticus 13:28 But if the spot is unchanged and
has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from
the burn, and the priest is to pronounce him clean; for it is only
the scar from the burn.
Leviticus 13:29 If a man or woman has an
infection on the head or chin,
Leviticus 13:30 the priest shall examine the
infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and the
hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest must pronounce him
unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, an infectious disease of the head
or chin.
Leviticus 13:31 But if the priest examines the
scaly infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin,
and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall isolate the
infected person for seven days.
Leviticus 13:32 On the seventh day the priest is
to reexamine the infection, and if the scaly outbreak has not
spread and there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not appear
to be deeper than the skin,
Leviticus 13:33 then the person must shave
himself except for the scaly area. Then the priest shall isolate
him for another seven days.
Leviticus 13:34 On the seventh day the priest
shall examine the scaly outbreak, and if it has not spread on the
skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is
to pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be
clean.
Leviticus 13:35 If, however, the scaly outbreak
spreads further on the skin after his cleansing,
Leviticus 13:36 the priest is to examine him,
and if the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest need
not look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.
Leviticus 13:37 If, however, in his sight the
scaly outbreak is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, then
it has healed. He is clean, and the priest is to pronounce him
clean.
Leviticus 13:38 When a man or a woman has white
spots on the skin,
Leviticus 13:39 the priest shall examine them,
and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has
broken out on the skin; the person is clean.
Leviticus 13:40 Now if a man loses his hair and
is bald, he is still clean.
Leviticus 13:41 Or if his hairline recedes and
he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean.
Leviticus 13:42 But if there is a reddish-white
sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease
breaking out on it.
Leviticus 13:43 The priest is to examine him,
and if the swelling of the infection on his bald head or forehead
is reddish-white like a skin disease,
Leviticus 13:44 the man is diseased; he is
unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean because of the
infection on his head.
Leviticus 13:45 A diseased person must wear torn
clothes and let his hair hang loose, and he must cover his mouth
and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’
Leviticus 13:46 As long as he has the infection,
he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the
camp.
Leviticus 13:47 If any fabric is contaminated
with mildew—any wool or linen garment,
Leviticus 13:48 any weave or knit of linen or
wool, or any article of leather—
Leviticus 13:49 and if the mark in the fabric,
leather, weave, knit, or leather article is green or red, then it
is contaminated with mildew and must be shown to the priest.
Leviticus 13:50 And the priest is to examine the
mildew and isolate the contaminated fabric for seven days.
Leviticus 13:51 On the seventh day the priest
shall reexamine it, and if the mildew has spread in the fabric,
weave, knit, or leather, then regardless of how it is used, it is
a harmful mildew; the article is unclean.
Leviticus 13:52 He is to burn the fabric, weave,
or knit, whether the contaminated item is wool or linen or
leather. Since the mildew is harmful, the article must be burned
up.
Leviticus 13:53 But when the priest reexamines
it, if the mildew has not spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or
leather article,
Leviticus 13:54 the priest is to order the
contaminated article to be washed and isolated for another seven
days.
Leviticus 13:55 After it has been washed, the
priest is to reexamine it, and if the mildewed article has not
changed in appearance, it is unclean. Even though the mildew has
not spread, you must burn it, whether the rot is on the front or
back.
Leviticus 13:56 If the priest examines it and
the mildew has faded after it has been washed, he must cut the
contaminated section out of the fabric, leather, weave, or knit.
Leviticus 13:57 But if it reappears in the
fabric, weave, or knit, or on any leather article, it is
spreading. You must burn the contaminated article.
Leviticus 13:58 If the mildew disappears from
the fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article after washing,
then it is to be washed again, and it will be clean.
Leviticus 13:59 This is the law concerning a
mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, weave, or knit, or
any leather article, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.”
Leviticus 14:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 14:2 “This is the law for the one
afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he
is brought to the priest.
Leviticus 14:3 The priest is to go outside the
camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted
person has healed,
Leviticus 14:4 the priest shall order that two
live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought
for the one to be cleansed.
Leviticus 14:5 Then the priest shall command
that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay
pot.
Leviticus 14:6 And he is to take the live bird
together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip
them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the
fresh water.
Leviticus 14:7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the
one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce
him clean and release the live bird into the open field.
Leviticus 14:8 The one being cleansed must wash
his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he
will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but
he must remain outside his tent for seven days.
Leviticus 14:9 On the seventh day he must shave
off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest
of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with
water, and he will be clean.
Leviticus 14:10 On the eighth day he is to bring
two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished ewe lamb a year old, a
grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed
with olive oil, and one log of olive oil.
Leviticus 14:11 The priest who performs the
cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed, together with
these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting.
Leviticus 14:12 Then the priest is to take one
of the male lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with
the log of olive oil; and he must wave them as a wave offering
before the LORD.
Leviticus 14:13 Then he is to slaughter the lamb
in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering
are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs
to the priest; it is most holy.
Leviticus 14:14 The priest is to take some of
the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe
of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on
the big toe of his right foot.
Leviticus 14:15 Then the priest shall take some
of the log of olive oil, pour it into his left palm,
Leviticus 14:16 dip his right forefinger into
the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his
finger seven times before the LORD.
Leviticus 14:17 And the priest is to put some of
the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to
be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of
his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
Leviticus 14:18 The rest of the oil in his palm,
the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to
make atonement for him before the LORD.
Leviticus 14:19 Then the priest is to sacrifice
the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed
from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the
burnt offering
Leviticus 14:20 and offer it on the altar, with
the grain offering, to make atonement for him, and he will be
clean.
Leviticus 14:21 If, however, the person is poor
and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as
a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with
a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain
offering, a log of olive oil,
Leviticus 14:22 and two turtledoves or two young
pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the
other a burnt offering.
Leviticus 14:23 On the eighth day he is to bring
them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting before the LORD.
Leviticus 14:24 The priest shall take the lamb
for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave
them as a wave offering before the LORD.
Leviticus 14:25 And after he slaughters the lamb
for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of
the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to
be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of
his right foot.
Leviticus 14:26 Then the priest is to pour some
of the oil into his left palm
Leviticus 14:27 and sprinkle with his right
forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the
LORD.
Leviticus 14:28 The priest shall also put some
of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be
cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of
his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the guilt
offering.
Leviticus 14:29 The rest of the oil in his palm,
the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to
make atonement for him before the LORD.
Leviticus 14:30 Then he must sacrifice the
turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford,
Leviticus 14:31 one as a sin offering and the
other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In
this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the
one to be cleansed.
Leviticus 14:32 This is the law for someone who
has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”
Leviticus 14:33 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Leviticus 14:34 “When you enter the land of
Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a
contamination of mildew into a house in that land,
Leviticus 14:35 the owner of the house shall
come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in
my house.’
Leviticus 14:36 The priest must order that the
house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so
that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the
priest shall go in to inspect the house.
Leviticus 14:37 He is to examine the house, and
if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions
that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall,
Leviticus 14:38 the priest shall go outside the
doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
Leviticus 14:39 On the seventh day the priest is
to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the
walls,
Leviticus 14:40 he must order that the
contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place
outside the city.
Leviticus 14:41 And he shall have the inside of
the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off
dumped into an unclean place outside the city.
Leviticus 14:42 So different stones must be
obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional
mortar to replaster the house.
Leviticus 14:43 If the mildew reappears in the
house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been
scraped and replastered,
Leviticus 14:44 the priest must come and inspect
it. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive
mildew; the house is unclean.
Leviticus 14:45 It must be torn down with its
stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the
city to an unclean place.
Leviticus 14:46 Anyone who enters the house
during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until
evening.
Leviticus 14:47 And anyone who sleeps in the
house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
Leviticus 14:48 If, however, the priest comes
and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has
been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the
mildew is gone.
Leviticus 14:49 He is to take two birds, cedar
wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house;
Leviticus 14:50 and he shall slaughter one of
the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
Leviticus 14:51 Then he shall take the cedar
wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in
the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and
sprinkle the house seven times.
Leviticus 14:52 And he shall cleanse the house
with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar
wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.
Leviticus 14:53 Finally, he is to release the
live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he
will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
Leviticus 14:54 This is the law for any
infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak,
Leviticus 14:55 for mildew in clothing or in a
house,
Leviticus 14:56 and for a swelling, rash, or
spot,
Leviticus 14:57 to determine when something is
clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and
mildew.”
Leviticus 15:1 And the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Leviticus 15:2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘When any
man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean.
Leviticus 15:3 This uncleanness is from his
discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks
it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.
Leviticus 15:4 Any bed on which the man with the
discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits
will be unclean.
Leviticus 15:5 Anyone who touches his bed must
wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean
until evening.
Leviticus 15:6 Whoever sits on furniture on
which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes
and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:7 Whoever touches the body of the
man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water,
and he will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:8 If the man with the discharge
spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and
bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:9 Any saddle on which the man with
the discharge rides will be unclean.
Leviticus 15:10 Whoever touches anything that
was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries
such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he
will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:11 If the man with the discharge
touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one
who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he
will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:12 Any clay pot that the man with
the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must
be rinsed with water.
Leviticus 15:13 When the man has been cleansed
from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his
cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and
he shall be clean.
Leviticus 15:14 On the eighth day he is to take
two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest.
Leviticus 15:15 The priest is to sacrifice them,
one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this
way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD
because of his discharge.
Leviticus 15:16 When a man has an emission of
semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be
unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:17 Any clothing or leather on which
there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it
will remain unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:18 If a man lies with a woman and
there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and
they will remain unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:19 When a woman has a discharge
consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her
menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be
unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:20 Anything on which she lies or
sits during her menstruation will be unclean,
Leviticus 15:21 and anyone who touches her bed
must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean
until evening.
Leviticus 15:22 Whoever touches any furniture on
which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water,
and he will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:23 And whether it is a bed or
furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be
unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:24 If a man lies with her and her
menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and
any bed on which he lies will become unclean.
Leviticus 15:25 When a woman has a discharge of
her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period,
or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the
days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of
her menstruation.
Leviticus 15:26 Any bed on which she lies or any
furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will
be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period.
Leviticus 15:27 Anyone who touches these things
will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water,
and he will be unclean until evening.
Leviticus 15:28 When a woman is cleansed of her
discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will
be ceremonially clean.
Leviticus 15:29 On the eighth day she is to take
two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest
at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus 15:30 The priest is to sacrifice one
as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way
the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her
unclean discharge.
Leviticus 15:31 You must keep the children of
Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by
defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.
Leviticus 15:32 This is the law of him who has a
discharge, of the man who has an emission of semen whereby he is
unclean,
Leviticus 15:33 of a woman in her menstrual
period, of any male or female who has a discharge, and of a man
who lies with an unclean woman.’”
Leviticus 16:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after
the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence
of the LORD.
Leviticus 16:2 And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell
your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place
behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he
will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
Leviticus 16:3 This is how Aaron is to enter the
Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a
burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:4 He is to wear the sacred linen
tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around
him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he
must bathe himself with water before he wears them.
Leviticus 16:5 And he shall take from the
congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one
ram for a burnt offering.
Leviticus 16:6 Aaron is to present the bull for
his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household.
Leviticus 16:7 Then he shall take the two goats
and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting.
Leviticus 16:8 After Aaron casts lots for the
two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat,
Leviticus 16:9 he shall present the goat chosen
by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering.
Leviticus 16:10 But the goat chosen by lot as
the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make
atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
Leviticus 16:11 When Aaron presents the bull for
his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his
household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
Leviticus 16:12 Then he must take a censer full
of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls
of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil.
Leviticus 16:13 He is to put the incense on the
fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the
mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
Leviticus 16:14 And he is to take some of the
bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of
the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger
seven times before the mercy seat.
Leviticus 16:15 Aaron shall then slaughter the
goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood
behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the
bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in
front of it.
Leviticus 16:16 So he shall make atonement for
the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts
of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the
same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them, because it
is surrounded by their impurities.
Leviticus 16:17 No one may be in the Tent of
Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most
Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for
himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.
Leviticus 16:18 Then he shall go out to the
altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to
take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put
it on all the horns of the altar.
Leviticus 16:19 He is to sprinkle some of the
blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and
consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
Leviticus 16:20 When Aaron has finished
purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar,
he is to bring forward the live goat.
Leviticus 16:21 Then he is to lay both hands on
the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities
and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins.
He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the
wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task.
Leviticus 16:22 The goat will carry on itself
all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will
release it into the wilderness.
Leviticus 16:23 Then Aaron is to enter the Tent
of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering
the Most Holy Place, and leave them there.
Leviticus 16:24 He is to bathe himself with
water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go
out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt
offering to make atonement for himself and for the people.
Leviticus 16:25 He is also to burn the fat of
the sin offering on the altar.
Leviticus 16:26 The man who released the goat as
the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water;
afterward he may reenter the camp.
Leviticus 16:27 The bull for the sin offering
and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into
the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the
camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up.
Leviticus 16:28 The one who burns them must wash
his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may
reenter the camp.
Leviticus 16:29 This is to be a permanent
statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall
humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the
foreigner who resides among you—
Leviticus 16:30 because on this day atonement
will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from
all your sins before the LORD.
Leviticus 16:31 It is a Sabbath of complete rest
for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent
statute.
Leviticus 16:32 The priest who is anointed and
ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make
atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments
Leviticus 16:33 and make atonement for the Most
Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the
priests and all the people of the assembly.
Leviticus 16:34 This is to be a permanent
statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites
because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the LORD had
commanded Moses.
Leviticus 17:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 17:2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and
all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has
commanded:
Leviticus 17:3 ‘Anyone from the house of Israel
who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of
it
Leviticus 17:4 instead of bringing it to the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to
the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He
has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people.
Leviticus 17:5 For this reason the Israelites
will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in
the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of
peace to the LORD.
Leviticus 17:6 The priest will then sprinkle the
blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 17:7 They must no longer offer their
sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted
themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the
generations to come.’
Leviticus 17:8 Tell them that if anyone from the
house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt
offering or a sacrifice
Leviticus 17:9 but does not bring it to the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that
man must be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 17:10 If anyone from the house of
Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set
My face against that person and cut him off from among his people.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in
the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your
souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for
the soul.
Leviticus 17:12 Therefore I say to the
Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner
living among you eat blood.’
Leviticus 17:13 And if any Israelite or
foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that
may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt.
Leviticus 17:14 For the life of all flesh is its
blood. Therefore I have told the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the
blood of any living thing, because the life of all flesh is its
blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.’
Leviticus 17:15 And any person, whether native
or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild
beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be
unclean until evening; then he will be clean.
Leviticus 17:16 But if he does not wash his
clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.”
Leviticus 18:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 18:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 18:3 You must not follow the practices
of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not
follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am
bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
Leviticus 18:4 You are to practice My judgments
and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 18:5 Keep My statutes and My
judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I
am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:6 None of you are to approach any
close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:7 You must not expose the nakedness
of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is
your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
Leviticus 18:8 You must not have sexual
relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
Leviticus 18:9 You must not have sexual
relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your
mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or
elsewhere.
Leviticus 18:10 You must not have sexual
relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter,
for that would shame your family.
Leviticus 18:11 You must not have sexual
relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your
father; she is your sister.
Leviticus 18:12 You must not have sexual
relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close
relative.
Leviticus 18:13 You must not have sexual
relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s
close relative.
Leviticus 18:14 You must not dishonor your
father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations
with her; she is your aunt.
Leviticus 18:15 You must not have sexual
relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you
are not to have sexual relations with her.
Leviticus 18:16 You must not have sexual
relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
Leviticus 18:17 You must not have sexual
relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry
her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual
relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
Leviticus 18:18 You must not take your wife’s
sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while
your wife is still alive.
Leviticus 18:19 You must not approach a woman to
have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
Leviticus 18:20 You must not lie carnally with
your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.
Leviticus 18:21 You must not give any of your
children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the
name of your God. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:22 You must not lie with a man as
with a woman; that is an abomination.
Leviticus 18:23 You must not lie carnally with
any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand
before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
Leviticus 18:24 Do not defile yourselves by any
of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am
driving out before you have defiled themselves.
Leviticus 18:25 Even the land has become
defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit
out its inhabitants.
Leviticus 18:26 But you are to keep My statutes
and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these
abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives
among you.
Leviticus 18:27 For the men who were in the land
before you committed all these abominations, and the land has
become defiled.
Leviticus 18:28 So if you defile the land, it
will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
Leviticus 18:29 Therefore anyone who commits any
of these abominations must be cut off from among his people.
Leviticus 18:30 You must keep My charge not to
practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before
you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD
your God.”
Leviticus 19:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to the whole congregation
of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am
holy.
Leviticus 19:3 Each of you must respect his
mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD
your God.
Leviticus 19:4 Do not turn to idols or make for
yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:5 When you sacrifice a peace
offering to the LORD, you shall offer it for your acceptance.
Leviticus 19:6 It shall be eaten on the day you
sacrifice it, or on the next day; but what remains on the third
day must be burned up.
Leviticus 19:7 If any of it is eaten on the
third day, it is tainted and will not be accepted.
Leviticus 19:8 Whoever eats it will bear his
iniquity, for he has profaned what is holy to the LORD. That
person must be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 19:9 When you reap the harvest of your
land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or
gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Leviticus 19:10 You must not strip your vineyard
bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the
foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:11 You must not steal. You must not
lie or deceive one another.
Leviticus 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My
name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:13 You must not defraud your
neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages
due a hired hand.
Leviticus 19:14 You must not curse the deaf or
place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your
God. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice;
you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the
rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
Leviticus 19:16 You must not go about spreading
slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your
neighbor. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:17 You must not harbor hatred
against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor,
so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.
Leviticus 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a
grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as
yourself. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:19 You are to keep My statutes. You
shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall
not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear
clothing made of two kinds of material.
Leviticus 19:20 If a man lies carnally with a
slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed
or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are
not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.
Leviticus 19:21 The man, however, must bring a
ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as his guilt offering
to the LORD.
Leviticus 19:22 The priest shall make atonement
on his behalf before the LORD with the ram of the guilt offering
for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven the sin he
has committed.
Leviticus 19:23 When you enter the land and
plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as
forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must
not be eaten.
Leviticus 19:24 In the fourth year all its fruit
must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD.
Leviticus 19:25 But in the fifth year you may
eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD
your God.
Leviticus 19:26 You must not eat anything with
blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.
Leviticus 19:27 You must not cut off the hair at
the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
Leviticus 19:28 You must not make any cuts in
your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am
the LORD.
Leviticus 19:29 You must not defile your
daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be
prostituted and filled with depravity.
Leviticus 19:30 You must keep My Sabbaths and
have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:31 You must not turn to mediums or
spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them.
I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:32 You are to rise in the presence
of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:33 When a foreigner resides with
you in your land, you must not oppress him.
Leviticus 19:34 You must treat the foreigner
living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you
were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:35 You must not use dishonest
measures of length, weight, or volume.
Leviticus 19:36 You shall maintain honest scales
and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD
your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Leviticus 19:37 You must keep all My statutes
and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 20:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 20:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Any
Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his
children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land
are to stone him.
Leviticus 20:3 And I will set My face against
that man and cut him off from his people, because by giving his
offspring to Molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My
holy name.
Leviticus 20:4 And if the people of the land
ever hide their eyes and fail to put to death the man who gives
one of his children to Molech,
Leviticus 20:5 then I will set My face against
that man and his family and cut off from among their people both
him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves with Molech.
Leviticus 20:6 Whoever turns to mediums or
spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My
face against that person and cut him off from his people.
Leviticus 20:7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore,
and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 20:8 And you shall keep My statutes
and practice them. I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Leviticus 20:9 If anyone curses his father or
mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or
mother; his blood shall be upon him.
Leviticus 20:10 If a man commits adultery with
another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the
adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.
Leviticus 20:11 If a man lies with his father’s
wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be
put to death; their blood is upon them.
Leviticus 20:12 If a man lies with his
daughter-in-law, both must surely be put to death. They have acted
perversely; their blood is upon them.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a man as with
a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely
be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Leviticus 20:14 If a man marries both a woman
and her mother, it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned in
the fire, so that there will be no depravity among you.
Leviticus 20:15 If a man lies carnally with an
animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the
animal.
Leviticus 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal
to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They
must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Leviticus 20:17 If a man marries his sister,
whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have
sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the
sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his
sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
Leviticus 20:18 If a man lies with a
menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, he has
exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source
of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their
people.
Leviticus 20:19 You must not have sexual
relations with the sister of your mother or your father, for it is
exposing one’s own kin; both shall bear their iniquity.
Leviticus 20:20 If a man lies with his uncle’s
wife, he has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle. They will bear
their sin; they shall die childless.
Leviticus 20:21 If a man marries his brother’s
wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of
his brother; they shall be childless.
Leviticus 20:22 You are therefore to keep all My
statutes and ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing you
to live will not vomit you out.
Leviticus 20:23 You must not follow the statutes
of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all
these things, I abhorred them.
Leviticus 20:24 But I have told you that you
will inherit their land, since I will give it to you as an
inheritance—a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your
God, who has set you apart from the peoples.
Leviticus 20:25 You are therefore to distinguish
between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become
contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on
the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.
Leviticus 20:26 You are to be holy to Me because
I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to
be My own.
Leviticus 20:27 A man or a woman who is a medium
or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned;
their blood is upon them.’”
Leviticus 21:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest
is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people,
Leviticus 21:2 except for his immediate
family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother,
Leviticus 21:3 or his unmarried sister who is
near to him, since she has no husband.
Leviticus 21:4 He is not to defile himself for
those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
Leviticus 21:5 Priests must not make bald spots
on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts
in their bodies.
Leviticus 21:6 They must be holy to their God
and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the
LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must
be holy.
Leviticus 21:7 A priest must not marry a woman
defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest
is holy to his God.
Leviticus 21:8 You are to regard him as holy,
since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you,
because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart.
Leviticus 21:9 If a priest’s daughter defiles
herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must
be burned in the fire.
Leviticus 21:10 The priest who is highest among
his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and
has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his
hair hang loose or tear his garments.
Leviticus 21:11 He must not go near any dead
body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother.
Leviticus 21:12 He must not leave or desecrate
the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing
oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 21:13 The woman he marries must be a
virgin.
Leviticus 21:14 He is not to marry a widow, a
divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a
virgin from his own people,
Leviticus 21:15 so that he does not defile his
offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
Leviticus 21:16 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 21:17 “Say to Aaron, ‘For the
generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical
defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
Leviticus 21:18 No man who has any defect may
approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
Leviticus 21:19 no man who has a broken foot or
hand,
Leviticus 21:20 or who is a hunchback or dwarf,
or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed
testicle.
Leviticus 21:21 No descendant of Aaron the
priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings
made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come
near to offer the food of his God.
Leviticus 21:22 He may eat the most holy food of
his God as well as the holy food,
Leviticus 21:23 but because he has a defect, he
must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to
desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
Leviticus 21:24 Moses told this to Aaron and his
sons and to all the Israelites.
Leviticus 22:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 22:2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat
with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have
consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am
the LORD.
Leviticus 22:3 Tell them that for the
generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of
uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites
consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My
presence. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:4 If a descendant of Aaron has a
skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings
until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or
by a man who has an emission of semen,
Leviticus 22:5 or whoever touches a crawling
creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the
uncleanness may be—
Leviticus 22:6 the man who touches any of these
will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred
offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.
Leviticus 22:7 When the sun has set, he will
become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for
they are his food.
Leviticus 22:8 He must not eat anything found
dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am
the LORD.
Leviticus 22:9 The priests must keep My charge,
lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the
LORD who sanctifies them.
Leviticus 22:10 No one outside a priest’s family
may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his
hired hand eat it.
Leviticus 22:11 But if a priest buys a slave
with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that
slave may eat his food.
Leviticus 22:12 If the priest’s daughter is
married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the
sacred contributions.
Leviticus 22:13 But if a priest’s daughter with
no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her
father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth.
But no outsider may share it.
Leviticus 22:14 If anyone eats a sacred offering
in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred
offering to the priest.
Leviticus 22:15 The priests must not profane the
sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD
Leviticus 22:16 by allowing the people to eat
the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt.
For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”
Leviticus 22:17 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 22:18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and
all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel
or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering
to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,
Leviticus 22:19 must offer an unblemished male
from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on
your behalf.
Leviticus 22:20 You must not present anything
with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
Leviticus 22:21 When a man presents a peace
offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as
a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be
acceptable.
Leviticus 22:22 You are not to present to the
LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything
with a running sore, a festering rash, or a scab; you must not put
any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 22:23 You may present as a freewill
offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but
it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow.
Leviticus 22:24 You are not to present to the
LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut;
you are not to sacrifice them in your land.
Leviticus 22:25 Neither you nor a foreigner
shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not
be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and
flawed.’”
Leviticus 22:26 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 22:27 “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat
is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the
eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire
to the LORD.
Leviticus 22:28 But you must not slaughter an ox
or a sheep on the same day as its young.
Leviticus 22:29 When you sacrifice a thank
offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on
your behalf.
Leviticus 22:30 It must be eaten that same day.
Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:31 You are to keep My commandments
and practice them. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 22:32 You must not profane My holy
name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am
the LORD who sanctifies you,
Leviticus 22:33 who brought you out of the land
of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 23:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 23:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say
to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD
that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.
Leviticus 23:3 For six days work may be done,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred
assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a
Sabbath to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:4 These are the LORD’s appointed
feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their
appointed times.
Leviticus 23:5 The Passover to the LORD begins
at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Leviticus 23:6 On the fifteenth day of the same
month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven
days you must eat unleavened bread.
Leviticus 23:7 On the first day you are to hold
a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work.
Leviticus 23:8 For seven days you are to present
an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there
shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”
Leviticus 23:9 And the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 23:10 “Speak to the Israelites and
say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap
its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest.
Leviticus 23:11 And he shall wave the sheaf
before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the
priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:12 On the day you wave the sheaf,
you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt
offering to the LORD,
Leviticus 23:13 along with its grain offering of
two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering
made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering
of a quarter hin of wine.
Leviticus 23:14 You must not eat any bread or
roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this
offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the
generations to come, wherever you live.
Leviticus 23:15 From the day after the Sabbath,
the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to
count off seven full weeks.
Leviticus 23:16 You shall count off fifty days
until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an
offering of new grain to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:17 Bring two loaves of bread from
your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an
ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the
LORD.
Leviticus 23:18 Along with the bread you are to
present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull,
and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together
with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by
fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:19 You shall also prepare one male
goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace
offering.
Leviticus 23:20 The priest is to wave the lambs
as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the
firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD
for the priest.
Leviticus 23:21 On that same day you are to
proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work.
This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the
generations to come.
Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of
your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or
gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and
the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”
Leviticus 23:23 The LORD also said to Moses,
Leviticus 23:24 “Speak to the Israelites and
say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day
of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts.
Leviticus 23:25 You must not do any regular
work, but you are to present an offering made by fire to the
LORD.’”
Leviticus 23:26 Again the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 23:27 “The tenth day of this seventh
month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a sacred assembly
and humble yourselves, and present an offering made by fire to the
LORD.
Leviticus 23:28 On this day you are not to do
any work, for it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made
for you before the LORD your God.
Leviticus 23:29 If anyone does not humble
himself on this day, he must be cut off from his people.
Leviticus 23:30 I will destroy from among his
people anyone who does any work on this day.
Leviticus 23:31 You are not to do any work at
all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come,
wherever you live.
Leviticus 23:32 It will be a Sabbath of complete
rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of
the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to
keep your Sabbath.”
Leviticus 23:33 And the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 23:34 “Speak to the Israelites and
say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of
Tabernacles to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days.
Leviticus 23:35 On the first day there shall be
a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work.
Leviticus 23:36 For seven days you are to
present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day
you are to hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made by
fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any
regular work.
Leviticus 23:37 These are the LORD’s appointed
feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for
presenting offerings by fire to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain
offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated
day.
Leviticus 23:38 These offerings are in addition
to the offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths, and in addition to your
gifts, to all your vow offerings, and to all the freewill
offerings you give to the LORD.
Leviticus 23:39 On the fifteenth day of the
seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land,
you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There
shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth
day.
Leviticus 23:40 On the first day you are to
gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees,
and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you
are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
Leviticus 23:41 You are to celebrate this as a
feast to the LORD for seven days each year. This is a permanent
statute for the generations to come; you are to celebrate it in
the seventh month.
Leviticus 23:42 You are to dwell in booths for
seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths,
Leviticus 23:43 so that your descendants may
know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought
them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”
Leviticus 23:44 So Moses announced to the
Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.
Leviticus 24:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 24:2 “Command the Israelites to bring
you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps
burning continually.
Leviticus 24:3 Outside the veil of the Testimony
in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continually
before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a
permanent statute for the generations to come.
Leviticus 24:4 He shall tend the lamps on the
pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.
Leviticus 24:5 You are also to take fine flour
and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each
loaf,
Leviticus 24:6 and set them in two rows—six per
row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD.
Leviticus 24:7 And you are to place pure
frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial
portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD.
Leviticus 24:8 Every Sabbath day the bread is to
be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a
permanent covenant.
Leviticus 24:9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons,
who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy
part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD—his portion
forever.”
Leviticus 24:10 Now the son of an Israelite
mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a
fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite.
Leviticus 24:11 The son of the Israelite woman
blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses.
(His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe
of Dan.)
Leviticus 24:12 They placed him in custody until
the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.
Leviticus 24:13 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 24:14 “Take the blasphemer outside the
camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then
have the whole assembly stone him.
Leviticus 24:15 And you are to tell the
Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the
consequences of his sin.
Leviticus 24:16 Whoever blasphemes the name of
the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must
surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if
he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
Leviticus 24:17 And if a man takes the life of
anyone else, he must surely be put to death.
Leviticus 24:18 Whoever kills an animal must
make restitution—life for life.
Leviticus 24:19 If anyone injures his neighbor,
whatever he has done must be done to him:
Leviticus 24:20 fracture for fracture, eye for
eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the
same must be inflicted on him.
Leviticus 24:21 Whoever kills an animal must
make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death.
Leviticus 24:22 You are to have the same
standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am
the LORD your God.’”
Leviticus 24:23 Then Moses spoke to the
Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and
stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Leviticus 25:1 Then the LORD said to Moses on
Mount Sinai,
Leviticus 25:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say
to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land
itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.
Leviticus 25:3 For six years you may sow your
field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops.
Leviticus 25:4 But in the seventh year there
shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the
LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard.
Leviticus 25:5 You are not to reap the
aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended
vines. The land must have a year of complete rest.
Leviticus 25:6 Whatever the land yields during
the Sabbath year shall be food for you—for yourself, your
manservant and maidservant, the hired hand or foreigner who stays
with you,
Leviticus 25:7 and for your livestock and the
wild animals in your land. All its growth may serve as food.
Leviticus 25:8 And you shall count off seven
Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven
Sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years.
Leviticus 25:9 Then you are to sound the horn
far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of
Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land.
Leviticus 25:10 So you are to consecrate the
fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its
inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to
return to his property and to his clan.
Leviticus 25:11 The fiftieth year will be a
Jubilee for you; you are not to sow the land or reap its
aftergrowth or harvest the untended vines.
Leviticus 25:12 For it is a Jubilee; it shall be
holy to you. You may eat only the crops taken directly from the
field.
Leviticus 25:13 In this Year of Jubilee, each of
you shall return to his own property.
Leviticus 25:14 If you make a sale to your
neighbor or a purchase from him, you must not take advantage of
each other.
Leviticus 25:15 You are to buy from your
neighbor according to the number of years since the last Jubilee;
he is to sell to you according to the number of harvest years
remaining.
Leviticus 25:16 You shall increase the price in
proportion to a greater number of years, or decrease it in
proportion to a lesser number of years; for he is selling you a
given number of harvests.
Leviticus 25:17 Do not take advantage of each
other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 25:18 You are to keep My statutes and
carefully observe My judgments, so that you may dwell securely in
the land.
Leviticus 25:19 Then the land will yield its
fruit, so that you can eat your fill and dwell in safety in the
land.
Leviticus 25:20 Now you may wonder, ‘What will
we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our
produce?’
Leviticus 25:21 But I will send My blessing upon
you in the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop
sufficient for three years.
Leviticus 25:22 While you are sowing in the
eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest, until
the ninth year’s harvest comes in.
Leviticus 25:23 The land must not be sold
permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and
residents with Me.
Leviticus 25:24 Thus for every piece of property
you possess, you must provide for the redemption of the land.
Leviticus 25:25 If your brother becomes
impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin
may come and redeem what his brother has sold.
Leviticus 25:26 Or if a man has no one to redeem
it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his
land,
Leviticus 25:27 he shall calculate the years
since its sale, repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it,
and return to his property.
Leviticus 25:28 But if he cannot obtain enough
to repay him, what he sold will remain in possession of the buyer
until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee, however, it is to be
released, so that he may return to his property.
Leviticus 25:29 If a man sells a house in a
walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year
after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed.
Leviticus 25:30 If it is not redeemed by the end
of a full year, then the house in the walled city is permanently
transferred to its buyer and his descendants. It is not to be
released in the Jubilee.
Leviticus 25:31 But houses in villages with no
walls around them are to be considered as open fields. They may be
redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.
Leviticus 25:32 As for the cities of the
Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses
in the cities they possess.
Leviticus 25:33 So whatever belongs to the
Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and
must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities
of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites.
Leviticus 25:34 But the open pastureland around
their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent
possession.
Leviticus 25:35 Now if your countryman becomes
destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to
help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can
continue to live among you.
Leviticus 25:36 Do not take any interest or
profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live
among you.
Leviticus 25:37 You must not lend him your
silver at interest or sell him your food for profit.
Leviticus 25:38 I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of
Canaan and to be your God.
Leviticus 25:39 If a countryman among you
becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not
force him into slave labor.
Leviticus 25:40 Let him stay with you as a hired
worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year
of Jubilee.
Leviticus 25:41 Then he and his children are to
be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of
his fathers.
Leviticus 25:42 Because the Israelites are My
servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to
be sold as slaves.
Leviticus 25:43 You are not to rule over them
harshly, but you shall fear your God.
Leviticus 25:44 Your menservants and
maidservants shall come from the nations around you, from whom you
may purchase them.
Leviticus 25:45 You may also purchase them from
the foreigners residing among you or their clans living among you
who are born in your land. These may become your property.
Leviticus 25:46 You may leave them to your sons
after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for
life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule
harshly over his brother.
Leviticus 25:47 If a foreigner residing among
you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes
destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his
clan,
Leviticus 25:48 he retains the right of
redemption after he has sold himself. One of his brothers may
redeem him:
Leviticus 25:49 either his uncle or cousin or
any close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he
prospers, he may redeem himself.
Leviticus 25:50 He and his purchaser will then
count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of
Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of
years, based on the daily wages of a hired hand.
Leviticus 25:51 If many years remain, he must
pay for his redemption in proportion to his purchase price.
Leviticus 25:52 If only a few years remain until
the Year of Jubilee, he is to calculate and pay his redemption
according to his remaining years.
Leviticus 25:53 He shall be treated like a man
hired from year to year, but a foreign owner must not rule over
him harshly in your sight.
Leviticus 25:54 Even if he is not redeemed in
any of these ways, he and his children shall be released in the
Year of Jubilee.
Leviticus 25:55 For the Israelites are My
servants. They are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of
Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 26:1 “You must not make idols for
yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not
place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am
the LORD your God.
Leviticus 26:2 You must keep My Sabbaths and
have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 26:3 If you follow My statutes and
carefully keep My commandments,
Leviticus 26:4 I will give you rains in their
season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the
field will bear their fruit.
Leviticus 26:5 Your threshing will continue
until the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until
sowing time; you will have your fill of food to eat and will dwell
securely in your land.
Leviticus 26:6 And I will give peace to the
land, and you will lie down with nothing to fear. I will rid the
land of dangerous animals, and no sword will pass through your
land.
Leviticus 26:7 You will pursue your enemies, and
they will fall by the sword before you.
Leviticus 26:8 Five of you will pursue a
hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your
enemies will fall by the sword before you.
Leviticus 26:9 I will turn toward you and make
you fruitful and multiply you, and I will establish My covenant
with you.
Leviticus 26:10 You will still be eating the old
supply of grain when you need to clear it out to make room for the
new.
Leviticus 26:11 And I will make My dwelling
place among you, and My soul will not despise you.
Leviticus 26:12 I will walk among you and be
your God, and you will be My people.
Leviticus 26:13 I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer
be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and
enabled you to walk in uprightness.
Leviticus 26:14 If, however, you fail to obey Me
and to carry out all these commandments,
Leviticus 26:15 and if you reject My statutes,
despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My
commandments, and so break My covenant,
Leviticus 26:16 then this is what I will do to
you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and
fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will
sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.
Leviticus 26:17 And I will set My face against
you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate
you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.
Leviticus 26:18 And if after all this you will
not obey Me, I will proceed to punish you sevenfold for your sins.
Leviticus 26:19 I will break down your stubborn
pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze,
Leviticus 26:20 and your strength will be spent
in vain. For your land will not yield its produce, and the trees
of the land will not bear their fruit.
Leviticus 26:21 If you walk in hostility toward
Me and refuse to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven
times, according to your sins.
Leviticus 26:22 I will send wild animals against
you to rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and
reduce your numbers, until your roads lie desolate.
Leviticus 26:23 And if in spite of these things
you do not accept My discipline, but continue to walk in hostility
toward Me,
Leviticus 26:24 then I will act with hostility
toward you, and I will strike you sevenfold for your sins.
Leviticus 26:25 And I will bring a sword against
you to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw
into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be
delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Leviticus 26:26 When I cut off your supply of
bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole
out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be
satisfied.
Leviticus 26:27 But if in spite of all this you
do not obey Me, but continue to walk in hostility toward Me,
Leviticus 26:28 then I will walk in fury against
you, and I, even I, will punish you sevenfold for your sins.
Leviticus 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your
own sons and daughters.
Leviticus 26:30 I will destroy your high places,
cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the
lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
Leviticus 26:31 I will reduce your cities to
rubble and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will refuse to smell
the pleasing aroma of your sacrifices.
Leviticus 26:32 And I will lay waste the land,
so that your enemies who dwell in it will be appalled.
Leviticus 26:33 But I will scatter you among the
nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes
desolate and your cities are laid waste.
Leviticus 26:34 Then the land shall enjoy its
Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land
of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its
Sabbaths.
Leviticus 26:35 As long as it lies desolate, the
land will have the rest it did not receive during the Sabbaths
when you lived in it.
Leviticus 26:36 As for those of you who survive,
I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their
enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them
to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall
when no one pursues them.
Leviticus 26:37 They will stumble over one
another as before the sword, though no one is behind them. So you
will not be able to stand against your enemies.
Leviticus 26:38 You will perish among the
nations, and the land of your enemies will consume you.
Leviticus 26:39 Those of you who survive in the
lands of your enemies will waste away in their iniquity and will
decay in the sins of their fathers.
Leviticus 26:40 But if they will confess their
iniquity and that of their fathers in the unfaithfulness that they
practiced against Me, by which they have also walked in hostility
toward Me—
Leviticus 26:41 and I acted with hostility
toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if
their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make
amends for their iniquity,
Leviticus 26:42 then I will remember My covenant
with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with
Abraham, and I will remember the land.
Leviticus 26:43 For the land will be abandoned
by them, and it will enjoy its Sabbaths by lying desolate without
them. And they will pay the penalty for their iniquity, because
they rejected My ordinances and abhorred My statutes.
Leviticus 26:44 Yet in spite of this, when they
are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject or despise
them so as to destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I
am the LORD their God.
Leviticus 26:45 But for their sake I will
remember the covenant with their fathers, whom I brought out of
the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be
their God. I am the LORD.”
Leviticus 26:46 These are the statutes,
ordinances, and laws that the LORD established between Himself and
the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Leviticus 27:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Leviticus 27:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say
to them, ‘When someone makes a special vow to the LORD involving
the value of persons,
Leviticus 27:3 if the valuation concerns a male
from twenty to sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be
fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.
Leviticus 27:4 Or if it is a female, then your
valuation shall be thirty shekels.
Leviticus 27:5 And if the person is from five to
twenty years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be
twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
Leviticus 27:6 Now if the person is from one
month to five years of age, then your valuation for the male shall
be five shekels of silver, and for the female three shekels of
silver.
Leviticus 27:7 And if the person is sixty years
of age or older, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels for
the male and ten shekels for the female.
Leviticus 27:8 But if the one making the vow is
too poor to pay the valuation, he is to present the person before
the priest, who shall set the value according to what the one
making the vow can afford.
Leviticus 27:9 If he vows an animal that may be
brought as an offering to the LORD, any such animal given to the
LORD shall be holy.
Leviticus 27:10 He must not replace it or
exchange it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if he does
substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its
substitute will be holy.
Leviticus 27:11 But if the vow involves any of
the unclean animals that may not be brought as an offering to the
LORD, the animal must be presented before the priest.
Leviticus 27:12 The priest shall set its value,
whether high or low; as the priest values it, the price will be
set.
Leviticus 27:13 If, however, the owner decides
to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to its value.
Leviticus 27:14 Now if a man consecrates his
house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it either
as good or bad. The price will stand just as the priest values it.
Leviticus 27:15 But if he who consecrated his
house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and
it will belong to him.
Leviticus 27:16 If a man consecrates to the LORD
a parcel of his land, then your valuation shall be proportional to
the seed required for it—fifty shekels of silver for every homer
of barley seed.
Leviticus 27:17 If he consecrates his field
during the Year of Jubilee, the price will stand according to your
valuation.
Leviticus 27:18 But if he consecrates his field
after the Jubilee, the priest is to calculate the price in
proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee, so
that your valuation will be reduced.
Leviticus 27:19 And if the one who consecrated
the field decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the
assessed value, and it shall belong to him.
Leviticus 27:20 If, however, he does not redeem
the field, or if he has sold it to another man, it may no longer
be redeemed.
Leviticus 27:21 When the field is released in
the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the
LORD; it becomes the property of the priests.
Leviticus 27:22 Now if a man consecrates to the
LORD a field he has purchased, which is not a part of his own
property,
Leviticus 27:23 then the priest shall calculate
for him the value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man shall pay
the assessed value on that day as a sacred offering to the LORD.
Leviticus 27:24 In the Year of Jubilee the field
shall return to the one from whom it was bought—the original owner
of the land.
Leviticus 27:25 Every valuation will be
according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.
Leviticus 27:26 But no one may consecrate a
firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the
LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s.
Leviticus 27:27 But if it is among the unclean
animals, then he may redeem it according to your valuation and add
a fifth of its value. If it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold
according to your valuation.
Leviticus 27:28 Nothing that a man sets apart to
the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his
inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is
most holy to the LORD.
Leviticus 27:29 No person set apart for
destruction may be ransomed; he must surely be put to death.
Leviticus 27:30 Thus any tithe from the land,
whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees,
belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
Leviticus 27:31 If a man wishes to redeem part
of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value.
Leviticus 27:32 Every tenth animal from the herd
or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the
LORD.
Leviticus 27:33 He must not inspect whether it
is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he
does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall
become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”
Leviticus 27:34 These are the commandments that
the LORD gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.
NUMBERS
Numbers 1:1 On the first day of the second month
of the second year after the Israelites had come out of the land
of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the
Wilderness of Sinai. He said:
Numbers 1:2 “Take a census of the whole
congregation of Israel by their clans and families, listing every
man by name, one by one.
Numbers 1:3 You and Aaron are to number those
who are twenty years of age or older by their divisions—everyone
who can serve in Israel’s army.
Numbers 1:4 And one man from each tribe, the
head of each family, must be there with you.
Numbers 1:5 These are the names of the men who
are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of
Shedeur;
Numbers 1:6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of
Zurishaddai;
Numbers 1:7 from Judah, Nahshon son of
Amminadab;
Numbers 1:8 from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;
Numbers 1:9 from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;
Numbers 1:10 from the sons of Joseph: from
Ephraim, Elishama son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel son
of Pedahzur;
Numbers 1:11 from Benjamin, Abidan son of
Gideoni;
Numbers 1:12 from Dan, Ahiezer son of
Ammishaddai;
Numbers 1:13 from Asher, Pagiel son of Ocran;
Numbers 1:14 from Gad, Eliasaph son of Deuel;
Numbers 1:15 and from Naphtali, Ahira son of
Enan.”
Numbers 1:16 These men were appointed from the
congregation; they were the leaders of the tribes of their
fathers, the heads of the clans of Israel.
Numbers 1:17 So Moses and Aaron took these men
who had been designated by name,
Numbers 1:18 and on the first day of the second
month they assembled the whole congregation and recorded their
ancestry by clans and families, counting one by one the names of
those twenty years of age or older,
Numbers 1:19 just as the LORD had commanded
Moses. So Moses numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai:
Numbers 1:20 From the sons of Reuben, the
firstborn of Israel, according to the records of their clans and
families, counting one by one the names of every male twenty years
of age or older who could serve in the army,
Numbers 1:21 those registered to the tribe of
Reuben numbered 46,500.
Numbers 1:22 From the sons of Simeon, according
to the records of their clans and families, counting one by one
the names of every male twenty years of age or older who could
serve in the army,
Numbers 1:23 those registered to the tribe of
Simeon numbered 59,300.
Numbers 1:24 From the sons of Gad, according to
the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all
those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
Numbers 1:25 those registered to the tribe of
Gad numbered 45,650.
Numbers 1:26 From the sons of Judah, according
to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of
all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the
army,
Numbers 1:27 those registered to the tribe of
Judah numbered 74,600.
Numbers 1:28 From the sons of Issachar,
according to the records of their clans and families, counting the
names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in
the army,
Numbers 1:29 those registered to the tribe of
Issachar numbered 54,400.
Numbers 1:30 From the sons of Zebulun, according
to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of
all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the
army,
Numbers 1:31 those registered to the tribe of
Zebulun numbered 57,400.
Numbers 1:32 From the sons of Joseph: From the
sons of Ephraim, according to the records of their clans and
families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or
older who could serve in the army,
Numbers 1:33 those registered to the tribe of
Ephraim numbered 40,500.
Numbers 1:34 And from the sons of Manasseh,
according to the records of their clans and families, counting the
names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in
the army,
Numbers 1:35 those registered to the tribe of
Manasseh numbered 32,200.
Numbers 1:36 From the sons of Benjamin,
according to the records of their clans and families, counting the
names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in
the army,
Numbers 1:37 those registered to the tribe of
Benjamin numbered 35,400.
Numbers 1:38 From the sons of Dan, according to
the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all
those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
Numbers 1:39 those registered to the tribe of
Dan numbered 62,700.
Numbers 1:40 From the sons of Asher, according
to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of
all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the
army,
Numbers 1:41 those registered to the tribe of
Asher numbered 41,500.
Numbers 1:42 From the sons of Naphtali,
according to the records of their clans and families, counting the
names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in
the army,
Numbers 1:43 those registered to the tribe of
Naphtali numbered 53,400.
Numbers 1:44 These were the men numbered by
Moses and Aaron, with the assistance of the twelve leaders of
Israel, each one representing his family.
Numbers 1:45 So all the Israelites twenty years
of age or older who could serve in Israel’s army were counted
according to their families.
Numbers 1:46 And all those counted totaled
603,550.
Numbers 1:47 The Levites, however, were not
numbered along with them by the tribe of their fathers.
Numbers 1:48 For the LORD had said to Moses:
Numbers 1:49 “Do not number the tribe of Levi in
the census with the other Israelites.
Numbers 1:50 Instead, you are to appoint the
Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, all its furnishings,
and everything in it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its
articles, care for it, and camp around it.
Numbers 1:51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move,
the Levites are to take it down, and whenever it is to be pitched,
the Levites are to set it up. Any outsider who goes near it must
be put to death.
Numbers 1:52 The Israelites are to camp by their
divisions, each man in his own camp and under his own standard.
Numbers 1:53 But the Levites are to camp around
the tabernacle of the Testimony and watch over it, so that no
wrath will fall on the congregation of Israel. So the Levites are
responsible for the tabernacle of the Testimony.”
Numbers 1:54 Thus the Israelites did everything
just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 2:1 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron:
Numbers 2:2 “The Israelites are to camp around
the Tent of Meeting at a distance from it, each man under his
standard, with the banners of his family.
Numbers 2:3 On the east side, toward the
sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard:
The leader of the descendants of Judah is Nahshon son of
Amminadab,
Numbers 2:4 and his division numbers 74,600.
Numbers 2:5 The tribe of Issachar will camp next
to it. The leader of the Issacharites is Nethanel son of Zuar,
Numbers 2:6 and his division numbers 54,400.
Numbers 2:7 Next will be the tribe of Zebulun.
The leader of the Zebulunites is Eliab son of Helon,
Numbers 2:8 and his division numbers 57,400.
Numbers 2:9 The total number of men in the
divisions of the camp of Judah is 186,400; they shall set out
first.
Numbers 2:10 On the south side, the divisions of
Reuben are to camp under their standard: The leader of the
Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur,
Numbers 2:11 and his division numbers 46,500.
Numbers 2:12 The tribe of Simeon will camp next
to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of
Zurishaddai,
Numbers 2:13 and his division numbers 59,300.
Numbers 2:14 Next will be the tribe of Gad. The
leader of the Gadites is Eliasaph son of Deuel,
Numbers 2:15 and his division numbers 45,650.
Numbers 2:16 The total number of men in the
divisions of the camp of Reuben is 151,450; they shall set out
second.
Numbers 2:17 In the middle of the camps, the
Tent of Meeting is to travel with the camp of the Levites. They
are to set out in the order they encamped, each in his own place
under his standard.
Numbers 2:18 On the west side, the divisions of
Ephraim are to camp under their standard: The leader of the
Ephraimites is Elishama son of Ammihud,
Numbers 2:19 and his division numbers 40,500.
Numbers 2:20 The tribe of Manasseh will be next
to it. The leader of the Manassites is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur,
Numbers 2:21 and his division numbers 32,200.
Numbers 2:22 Next will be the tribe of Benjamin.
The leader of the Benjamites is Abidan son of Gideoni,
Numbers 2:23 and his division numbers 35,400.
Numbers 2:24 The total number of men in the
divisions of the camp of Ephraim is 108,100; they shall set out
third.
Numbers 2:25 On the north side, the divisions of
Dan are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Danites is
Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai,
Numbers 2:26 and his division numbers 62,700.
Numbers 2:27 The tribe of Asher will camp next
to it. The leader of the Asherites is Pagiel son of Ocran,
Numbers 2:28 and his division numbers 41,500.
Numbers 2:29 Next will be the tribe of Naphtali.
The leader of the Naphtalites is Ahira son of Enan,
Numbers 2:30 and his division numbers 53,400.
Numbers 2:31 The total number of men in the camp
of Dan is 157,600; they shall set out last, under their
standards.”
Numbers 2:32 These are the Israelites, numbered
according to their families. The total of those counted in the
camps, by their divisions, was 603,550.
Numbers 2:33 But the Levites were not counted
among the other Israelites, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 2:34 So the Israelites did everything
the LORD commanded Moses; they camped under their standards in
this way and set out in the same way, each man with his clan and
his family.
Numbers 3:1 This is the account of Aaron and
Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
Numbers 3:2 These are the names of the sons of
Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
Numbers 3:3 These were Aaron’s sons, the
anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.
Numbers 3:4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died in
the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire
before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai. And since they had no
sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the
lifetime of their father Aaron.
Numbers 3:5 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi and present
them to Aaron the priest to assist him.
Numbers 3:7 They are to perform duties for him
and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting,
attending to the service of the tabernacle.
Numbers 3:8 They shall take care of all the
furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the
Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.
Numbers 3:9 Assign the Levites to Aaron and his
sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the
Israelites.
Numbers 3:10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his
sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider
who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”
Numbers 3:11 Again the LORD spoke to Moses,
saying,
Numbers 3:12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites
from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn
Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,
Numbers 3:13 for all the firstborn are Mine. On
the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I
consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and
beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”
Numbers 3:14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the
Wilderness of Sinai, saying,
Numbers 3:15 “Number the Levites by their
families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or
more.”
Numbers 3:16 So Moses numbered them according to
the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.
Numbers 3:17 These were the sons of Levi by
name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Numbers 3:18 These were the names of the sons of
Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.
Numbers 3:19 The sons of Kohath by their clans
were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
Numbers 3:20 And the sons of Merari by their
clans were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of the Levites,
according to their families.
Numbers 3:21 From Gershon came the Libnite clan
and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.
Numbers 3:22 The number of all the males a month
old or more was 7,500.
Numbers 3:23 The Gershonite clans were to camp
on the west, behind the tabernacle,
Numbers 3:24 and the leader of the families of
the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.
Numbers 3:25 The duties of the Gershonites at
the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering,
the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
Numbers 3:26 the curtains of the courtyard, the
curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the
tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these
items.
Numbers 3:27 From Kohath came the clans of the
Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites;
these were the clans of the Kohathites.
Numbers 3:28 The number of all the males a month
old or more was 8,600. They were responsible for the duties of the
sanctuary.
Numbers 3:29 The clans of the Kohathites were to
camp on the south side of the tabernacle,
Numbers 3:30 and the leader of the families of
the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.
Numbers 3:31 Their duties were the ark, the
table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary
used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.
Numbers 3:32 The chief of the leaders of the
Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those
responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.
Numbers 3:33 From Merari came the clans of the
Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.
Numbers 3:34 The number of all the males a month
old or more was 6,200.
Numbers 3:35 The leader of the families of the
Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the
north side of the tabernacle.
Numbers 3:36 The duties assigned to the sons of
Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and
all its equipment—all the service for these items,
Numbers 3:37 as well as the posts of the
surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
Numbers 3:38 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were
to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before
the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the
sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any
outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
Numbers 3:39 The total number of Levites that
Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command,
including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.
Numbers 3:40 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or
more, and list their names.
Numbers 3:41 You are to take the Levites for
Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the
livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the
livestock of the Israelites.”
Numbers 3:42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn
of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him.
Numbers 3:43 The total number of the firstborn
males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
Numbers 3:44 Again the LORD spoke to Moses,
saying,
Numbers 3:45 “Take the Levites in place of all
the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place
of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD.
Numbers 3:46 To redeem the 273 firstborn
Israelites who outnumber the Levites,
Numbers 3:47 you are to collect five shekels for
each one, according to the sanctuary shekel of twenty gerahs.
Numbers 3:48 Give the money to Aaron and his
sons as the redemption price for the excess among the Israelites.”
Numbers 3:49 So Moses collected the redemption
money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites.
Numbers 3:50 He collected the money from the
firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the
sanctuary shekel.
Numbers 3:51 And Moses gave the redemption money
to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just
as the LORD had commanded him.
Numbers 4:1 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Numbers 4:2 “Take a census of the Kohathites
among the Levites by their clans and families,
Numbers 4:3 men from thirty to fifty years
old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of
Meeting.
Numbers 4:4 This service of the Kohathites at
the Tent of Meeting regards the most holy things.
Numbers 4:5 Whenever the camp sets out, Aaron
and his sons are to go in, take down the veil of the curtain, and
cover the ark of the Testimony with it.
Numbers 4:6 They are to place over this a
covering of fine leather, spread a solid blue cloth over it, and
insert its poles.
Numbers 4:7 Over the table of the Presence they
are to spread a blue cloth and place the plates and cups on it,
along with the bowls and pitchers for the drink offering. The
regular bread offering is to remain on it.
Numbers 4:8 And they shall spread a scarlet
cloth over them, cover them with fine leather, and insert the
poles.
Numbers 4:9 They are to take a blue cloth and
cover the lampstand used for light, together with its lamps, wick
trimmers, and trays, as well as the jars of oil with which to
supply it.
Numbers 4:10 Then they shall wrap it and all its
utensils inside a covering of fine leather and put it on the
carrying frame.
Numbers 4:11 Over the gold altar they are to
spread a blue cloth, cover it with fine leather, and insert the
poles.
Numbers 4:12 They are to take all the utensils
for serving in the sanctuary, place them in a blue cloth, cover
them with fine leather, and put them on the carrying frame.
Numbers 4:13 Then they shall remove the ashes
from the bronze altar, spread a purple cloth over it,
Numbers 4:14 and place on it all the vessels
used to serve there: the firepans, meat forks, shovels, and
sprinkling bowls—all the equipment of the altar. They are to
spread over it a covering of fine leather and insert the poles.
Numbers 4:15 When Aaron and his sons have
finished covering the holy objects and all their equipment, as
soon as the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites shall come and
do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy objects, or they
will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites
regarding the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 4:16 Eleazar son of Aaron the priest
shall oversee the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the
daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He has oversight of
the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including the holy
objects and their utensils.”
Numbers 4:17 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Numbers 4:18 “Do not allow the Kohathite tribal
clans to be cut off from among the Levites.
Numbers 4:19 In order that they may live and not
die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them:
Aaron and his sons are to go in and assign each man his task and
what he is to carry.
Numbers 4:20 But the Kohathites are not to go in
and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will
die.”
Numbers 4:21 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 4:22 “Take a census of the Gershonites
as well, by their families and clans,
Numbers 4:23 from thirty to fifty years old,
counting everyone who comes to serve in the work at the Tent of
Meeting.
Numbers 4:24 This is the service of the
Gershonite clans regarding work and transport:
Numbers 4:25 They are to carry the curtains of
the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting with the covering of fine
leather over it, the curtains for the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting,
Numbers 4:26 the curtains of the courtyard, and
the curtains for the entrance at the gate of the courtyard that
surrounds the tabernacle and altar, along with their ropes and all
the equipment for their service. The Gershonites will do all that
needs to be done with these items.
Numbers 4:27 All the service of the
Gershonites—all their transport duties and other work—is to be
done at the direction of Aaron and his sons; you are to assign to
them all that they are responsible to carry.
Numbers 4:28 This is the service of the
Gershonite clans at the Tent of Meeting, and their duties shall be
under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
Numbers 4:29 As for the sons of Merari, you are
to number them by their clans and families,
Numbers 4:30 from thirty to fifty years old,
counting everyone who comes to serve in the work of the Tent of
Meeting.
Numbers 4:31 This is the duty for all their
service at the Tent of Meeting: to carry the frames of the
tabernacle with its crossbars, posts, and bases,
Numbers 4:32 and the posts of the surrounding
courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, including all
their equipment and everything related to their use. You shall
assign by name the items that they are responsible to carry.
Numbers 4:33 This is the service of the Merarite
clans according to all their work at the Tent of Meeting, under
the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.”
Numbers 4:34 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of
the congregation numbered the Kohathites by their clans and
families,
Numbers 4:35 everyone from thirty to fifty years
old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 4:36 And those numbered by their clans
totaled 2,750.
Numbers 4:37 These were counted from the
Kohathite clans, everyone who could serve at the Tent of Meeting.
Moses and Aaron numbered them according to the command of the LORD
through Moses.
Numbers 4:38 Then the Gershonites were numbered
by their clans and families,
Numbers 4:39 everyone from thirty to fifty years
old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 4:40 And those numbered by their clans
and families totaled 2,630.
Numbers 4:41 These were counted from the
Gershonite clans who served at the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and
Aaron counted at the LORD’s command.
Numbers 4:42 And the Merarites were numbered by
their clans and families,
Numbers 4:43 everyone from thirty to fifty years
old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 4:44 The men registered by their clans
numbered 3,200.
Numbers 4:45 These were counted from the
Merarite clans, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the LORD’s
command through Moses.
Numbers 4:46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of
Israel numbered by their clans and families all the Levites
Numbers 4:47 from thirty to fifty years old who
came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 4:48 And the number of men was 8,580.
Numbers 4:49 At the LORD’s command they were
numbered through Moses and each one was assigned his work and
burden, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 5:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 5:2 “Command the Israelites to send away
from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily
discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.
Numbers 5:3 You must send away male and female
alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their
camp, where I dwell among them.”
Numbers 5:4 So the Israelites did this, sending
such people outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had
instructed Moses.
Numbers 5:5 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 5:6 “Tell the Israelites that when a man
or woman acts unfaithfully against the LORD by committing any sin
against another, that person is guilty
Numbers 5:7 and must confess the sin he has
committed. He must make full restitution, add a fifth to its
value, and give all this to the one he has wronged.
Numbers 5:8 But if the man has no relative to
whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution
belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest along with the
ram of atonement, by which the atonement is made for him.
Numbers 5:9 Every sacred contribution the
Israelites bring to the priest shall belong to him.
Numbers 5:10 Each man’s sacred gifts are his
own, but whatever he gives to the priest will belong to the
priest.”
Numbers 5:11 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 5:12 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him
Numbers 5:13 by sleeping with another man, and
it is concealed from her husband and her impurity is undetected
(since there is no witness against her and she was not caught in
the act),
Numbers 5:14 and if a feeling of jealousy comes
over her husband and he suspects his wife who has defiled
herself—or if a feeling of jealousy comes over him and he suspects
her even though she has not defiled herself—
Numbers 5:15 then he is to bring his wife to the
priest. He must also bring for her an offering of a tenth of an
ephah of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put
frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy,
an offering of memorial as a reminder of iniquity.
Numbers 5:16 The priest is to bring the wife
forward and have her stand before the LORD.
Numbers 5:17 Then he is to take some holy water
in a clay jar and put some of the dust from the tabernacle floor
into the water.
Numbers 5:18 After the priest has the woman
stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her
hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering
for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a
curse.
Numbers 5:19 And he is to put the woman under
oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you
have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s
authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a
curse.
Numbers 5:20 But if you have gone astray while
under your husband’s authority and have defiled yourself and lain
carnally with a man other than your husband’—
Numbers 5:21 and the priest shall have the woman
swear under the oath of the curse—‘then may the LORD make you an
attested curse among your people by making your thigh shrivel and
your belly swell.
Numbers 5:22 May this water that brings a curse
enter your stomach and cause your belly to swell and your thigh to
shrivel.’ Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen, Amen.’
Numbers 5:23 And the priest shall write these
curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.
Numbers 5:24 He is to have the woman drink the
bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and cause
her bitter suffering.
Numbers 5:25 The priest shall take from her hand
the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the LORD, and
bring it to the altar.
Numbers 5:26 Then the priest is to take a
handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on
the altar; after that he is to have the woman drink the water.
Numbers 5:27 When he has made her drink the
water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her
husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and
cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will
shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people.
Numbers 5:28 But if the woman has not defiled
herself and is clean, she will be unaffected and able to conceive
children.
Numbers 5:29 This is the law of jealousy when a
wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s
authority,
Numbers 5:30 or when a feeling of jealousy comes
over a husband and he suspects his wife. He is to have the woman
stand before the LORD, and the priest is to apply to her this
entire law.
Numbers 5:31 The husband will be free from
guilt, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.”
Numbers 6:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 6:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a
Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,
Numbers 6:3 he is to abstain from wine and
strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong
drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes
or raisins.
Numbers 6:4 All the days of his separation, he
is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the
seeds or skins.
Numbers 6:5 For the entire period of his vow of
separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy
until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must
let the hair of his head grow long.
Numbers 6:6 Throughout the days of his
separation to the LORD, he must not go near a dead body.
Numbers 6:7 Even if his father or mother or
brother or sister should die, he is not to defile himself, because
the crown of consecration to his God is upon his head.
Numbers 6:8 Throughout the time of his
separation, he is holy to the LORD.
Numbers 6:9 If someone suddenly dies in his
presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave
his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day.
Numbers 6:10 On the eighth day he must bring two
turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to
the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 6:11 And the priest is to offer one as a
sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement
for him, because he has sinned by being in the presence of the
dead body. On that day he must consecrate his head again.
Numbers 6:12 He must rededicate his time of
separation to the LORD and bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt
offering. But the preceding days shall not be counted, because his
separation was defiled.
Numbers 6:13 Now this is the law of the Nazirite
when his time of separation is complete: He must be brought to the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
Numbers 6:14 and he is to present an offering to
the LORD of an unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering,
an unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, and an
unblemished ram as a peace offering—
Numbers 6:15 together with their grain offerings
and drink offerings—and a basket of unleavened cakes made from
fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers coated with oil.
Numbers 6:16 The priest is to present all these
before the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.
Numbers 6:17 He shall also offer the ram as a
peace offering to the LORD, along with the basket of unleavened
bread. And the priest is to offer the accompanying grain offering
and drink offering.
Numbers 6:18 Then at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the
hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering.
Numbers 6:19 And the priest is to take the
boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket,
and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the
Nazirite who has just shaved the hair of his consecration.
Numbers 6:20 The priest shall then wave them as
a wave offering before the LORD. This is a holy portion for the
priest, in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the
thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
Numbers 6:21 This is the law of the Nazirite who
vows his offering to the LORD for his separation, in addition to
whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he
makes, according to the law of his separation.”
Numbers 6:22 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 6:23 “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is
how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
Numbers 6:24 ‘May the LORD bless you and keep
you;
Numbers 6:25 may the LORD cause His face to
shine upon you and be gracious to you;
Numbers 6:26 may the LORD lift up His
countenance toward you and give you peace.’
Numbers 6:27 So they shall put My name on the
Israelites, and I will bless them.”
Numbers 7:1 On the day Moses finished setting up
the tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its
furnishings, along with the altar and all its utensils.
Numbers 7:2 And the leaders of Israel, the heads
of their families, presented an offering. These men were the
tribal leaders who had supervised the registration.
Numbers 7:3 They brought as their offering
before the LORD six covered carts and twelve oxen—an ox from each
leader and a cart from every two leaders—and presented them before
the tabernacle.
Numbers 7:4 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 7:5 “Accept these gifts from them, that
they may be used in the work of the Tent of Meeting. And give them
to the Levites, to each man according to his service.”
Numbers 7:6 So Moses took the carts and oxen and
gave them to the Levites.
Numbers 7:7 He gave the Gershonites two carts
and four oxen, as their service required,
Numbers 7:8 and he gave the Merarites four carts
and eight oxen, as their service required, all under the direction
of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
Numbers 7:9 But he did not give any to the
Kohathites, since they were to carry on their shoulders the holy
objects for which they were responsible.
Numbers 7:10 When the altar was anointed, the
leaders approached with their offerings for its dedication and
presented them before the altar.
Numbers 7:11 And the LORD said to Moses, “Each
day one leader is to present his offering for the dedication of
the altar.”
Numbers 7:12 On the first day Nahshon son of
Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering.
Numbers 7:13 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:14 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:15 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:16 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:17 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
Numbers 7:18 On the second day Nethanel son of
Zuar, the leader of Issachar, drew near.
Numbers 7:19 The offering he presented was one
silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one
silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the
sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a
grain offering;
Numbers 7:20 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:21 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:22 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:23 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.
Numbers 7:24 On the third day Eliab son of
Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites, drew near.
Numbers 7:25 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:26 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:27 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:28 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:29 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.
Numbers 7:30 On the fourth day Elizur son of
Shedeur, the leader of the Reubenites, drew near.
Numbers 7:31 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:32 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:33 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:34 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:35 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.
Numbers 7:36 On the fifth day Shelumiel son of
Zurishaddai, the leader of the Simeonites, drew near.
Numbers 7:37 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:38 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:39 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:40 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:41 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
Numbers 7:42 On the sixth day Eliasaph son of
Deuel, the leader of the Gadites, drew near.
Numbers 7:43 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:44 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:45 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:46 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:47 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.
Numbers 7:48 On the seventh day Elishama son of
Ammihud, the leader of the Ephraimites, drew near.
Numbers 7:49 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:50 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:51 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:52 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:53 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.
Numbers 7:54 On the eighth day Gamaliel son of
Pedahzur, the leader of the Manassites, drew near.
Numbers 7:55 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:56 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:57 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:58 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:59 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
Numbers 7:60 On the ninth day Abidan son of
Gideoni, the leader of the Benjamites, drew near.
Numbers 7:61 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:62 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:63 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:64 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:65 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.
Numbers 7:66 On the tenth day Ahiezer son of
Ammishaddai, the leader of the Danites, drew near.
Numbers 7:67 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:68 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:69 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:70 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:71 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
Numbers 7:72 On the eleventh day Pagiel son of
Ocran, the leader of the Asherites, drew near.
Numbers 7:73 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:74 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:75 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:76 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:77 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Pagiel son of Ocran.
Numbers 7:78 On the twelfth day Ahira son of
Enan, the leader of the Naphtalites, drew near.
Numbers 7:79 His offering was one silver platter
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl
weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel
and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:80 one gold dish weighing ten shekels,
filled with incense;
Numbers 7:81 one young bull, one ram, and one
male lamb a year old for a burnt offering;
Numbers 7:82 one male goat for a sin offering;
Numbers 7:83 and a peace offering of two oxen,
five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This
was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
Numbers 7:84 So these were the offerings from
the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was
anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve
gold dishes.
Numbers 7:85 Each silver platter weighed a
hundred and thirty shekels, and each silver bowl seventy shekels.
The total weight of the silver articles was two thousand four
hundred shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.
Numbers 7:86 The twelve gold dishes filled with
incense weighed ten shekels each, according to the sanctuary
shekel. The total weight of the gold dishes was a hundred and
twenty shekels.
Numbers 7:87 All the livestock for the burnt
offering totaled twelve bulls, twelve rams, and twelve male lambs
a year old—together with their grain offerings—and twelve male
goats for the sin offering.
Numbers 7:88 All the livestock sacrificed for
the peace offering totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty
male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the
dedication offering for the altar after it was anointed.
Numbers 7:89 When Moses entered the Tent of
Meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him
from between the two cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark of
the Testimony. Thus the LORD spoke to him.
Numbers 8:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 8:2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him: ‘When
you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of
the lampstand.’”
Numbers 8:3 And Aaron did so; he set up the
lamps facing toward the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD
had commanded Moses.
Numbers 8:4 This is how the lampstand was
constructed: it was made of hammered gold from its base to its
blossoms, fashioned according to the pattern the LORD had shown
Moses.
Numbers 8:5 Again the LORD spoke to Moses,
saying,
Numbers 8:6 “Take the Levites from among the
Israelites and make them ceremonially clean.
Numbers 8:7 This is what you must do to cleanse
them: Sprinkle them with the water of purification. Have them
shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify
themselves.
Numbers 8:8 Then have them take a young bull
with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are
to take a second young bull for a sin offering.
Numbers 8:9 Bring the Levites before the Tent of
Meeting and assemble the whole congregation of Israel.
Numbers 8:10 You are to present the Levites
before the LORD and have the Israelites lay their hands upon them.
Numbers 8:11 Aaron is to present the Levites
before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so
that they may perform the service of the LORD.
Numbers 8:12 And the Levites are to lay their
hands on the heads of the bulls, and offer to the LORD one as a
sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, to make atonement
for the Levites.
Numbers 8:13 You are to have the Levites stand
before Aaron and his sons and then present them before the LORD as
a wave offering.
Numbers 8:14 In this way you shall separate the
Levites from the rest of the Israelites, and the Levites will
belong to Me.
Numbers 8:15 After you have cleansed them and
presented them as a wave offering, they may come to serve at the
Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 8:16 For the Levites have been wholly
given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for
Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, the firstborn
of all the sons of Israel.
Numbers 8:17 For every firstborn male in Israel
is Mine, both man and beast. I set them apart for Myself on the
day I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
Numbers 8:18 But I have taken the Levites in
place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.
Numbers 8:19 And I have given the Levites as a
gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to perform
the service for the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting and to make
atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the
Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.”
Numbers 8:20 So Moses, Aaron, and the whole
congregation of Israel did with the Levites everything that the
LORD had commanded Moses they should do.
Numbers 8:21 The Levites purified themselves and
washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering
before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse
them.
Numbers 8:22 After that, the Levites came to
perform their service at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of
Aaron and his sons. Thus they did with the Levites just as the
LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 8:23 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 8:24 “This applies to the Levites: Men
twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the
service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 8:25 But at the age of fifty, they must
retire from performing the work and no longer serve.
Numbers 8:26 After that, they may assist their
brothers in fulfilling their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but
they themselves are not to do the work. This is how you are to
assign responsibilities to the Levites.”
Numbers 9:1 In the first month of the second
year after Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD
spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai:
Numbers 9:2 “The Israelites are to observe the
Passover at its appointed time.
Numbers 9:3 You are to observe it at the
appointed time, at twilight on the fourteenth day of this month,
in accordance with its statutes and ordinances.”
Numbers 9:4 So Moses told the Israelites to
observe the Passover,
Numbers 9:5 and they did so in the Wilderness of
Sinai, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. The
Israelites did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 9:6 But there were some men who were
unclean due to a dead body, so they could not observe the Passover
on that day. And they came before Moses and Aaron that same day
Numbers 9:7 and said to Moses, “We are unclean
because of a dead body, but why should we be excluded from
presenting the LORD’s offering with the other Israelites at the
appointed time?”
Numbers 9:8 “Wait here until I find out what the
LORD commands concerning you,” Moses replied.
Numbers 9:9 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 9:10 “Tell the Israelites: ‘When any one
of you or your descendants is unclean because of a dead body, or
is away on a journey, he may still observe the Passover to the
LORD.
Numbers 9:11 Such people are to observe it at
twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. They are to
eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs;
Numbers 9:12 they may not leave any of it until
morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover
according to all its statutes.
Numbers 9:13 But if a man who is ceremonially
clean and is not on a journey still fails to observe the Passover,
he must be cut off from his people, because he did not present the
LORD’s offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the
consequences of his sin.
Numbers 9:14 If a foreigner dwelling among you
wants to observe the Passover to the LORD, he is to do so
according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to
apply the same statute to both the foreigner and the native of the
land.’”
Numbers 9:15 On the day that the tabernacle, the
Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it and
appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until
morning.
Numbers 9:16 It remained that way continually;
the cloud would cover the tabernacle by day, and at night it would
appear like fire.
Numbers 9:17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from
above the Tent, the Israelites would set out, and wherever the
cloud settled, there the Israelites would camp.
Numbers 9:18 At the LORD’s command the
Israelites set out, and at the LORD’s command they camped. As long
as the cloud remained over the tabernacle, they remained encamped.
Numbers 9:19 Even when the cloud lingered over
the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites kept the LORD’s
charge and did not set out.
Numbers 9:20 Sometimes the cloud remained over
the tabernacle for only a few days, and they would camp at the
LORD’s command and set out at the LORD’s command.
Numbers 9:21 Sometimes the cloud remained only
from evening until morning, and when it lifted in the morning,
they would set out. Whether it was by day or by night, when the
cloud was taken up, they would set out.
Numbers 9:22 Whether the cloud lingered for two
days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set
out as long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle; but when it
was lifted, they would set out.
Numbers 9:23 They camped at the LORD’s command,
and they set out at the LORD’s command; they carried out the
LORD’s charge according to His command through Moses.
Numbers 10:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 10:2 “Make two trumpets of hammered
silver to be used for calling the congregation and for having the
camps set out.
Numbers 10:3 When both are sounded, the whole
congregation is to assemble before you at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting.
Numbers 10:4 But if only one is sounded, then
the leaders, the heads of the clans of Israel, are to gather
before you.
Numbers 10:5 When you sound short blasts, the
camps that lie on the east side are to set out.
Numbers 10:6 When you sound the short blasts a
second time, the camps that lie on the south side are to set out.
The blasts are to signal them to set out.
Numbers 10:7 To convene the assembly, you are to
sound long blasts, not short ones.
Numbers 10:8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are
to sound the trumpets. This shall be a permanent statute for you
and the generations to come.
Numbers 10:9 When you enter into battle in your
land against an adversary who attacks you, sound short blasts on
the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God
and saved from your enemies.
Numbers 10:10 And on your joyous occasions, your
appointed feasts, and the beginning of each month, you are to blow
the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to
serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am the LORD your
God.”
Numbers 10:11 On the twentieth day of the second
month of the second year, the cloud was lifted from above the
tabernacle of the Testimony,
Numbers 10:12 and the Israelites set out from
the Wilderness of Sinai, traveling from place to place until the
cloud settled in the Wilderness of Paran.
Numbers 10:13 They set out this first time
according to the LORD’s command through Moses.
Numbers 10:14 First, the divisions of the camp
of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of
Amminadab in command.
Numbers 10:15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the
division of the tribe of Issachar,
Numbers 10:16 and Eliab son of Helon was over
the division of the tribe of Zebulun.
Numbers 10:17 Then the tabernacle was taken
down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting
it.
Numbers 10:18 Then the divisions of the camp of
Reuben set out under their standard, with Elizur son of Shedeur in
command.
Numbers 10:19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was
over the division of the tribe of Simeon,
Numbers 10:20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over
the division of the tribe of Gad.
Numbers 10:21 Then the Kohathites set out,
transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up
before their arrival.
Numbers 10:22 Next, the divisions of the camp of
Ephraim set out under their standard, with Elishama son of Ammihud
in command.
Numbers 10:23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over
the division of the tribe of Manasseh,
Numbers 10:24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over
the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
Numbers 10:25 Finally, the divisions of the camp
of Dan set out under their standard, serving as the rear guard for
all units, with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command.
Numbers 10:26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the
division of the tribe of Asher,
Numbers 10:27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the
division of the tribe of Naphtali.
Numbers 10:28 This was the order of march for
the Israelite divisions as they set out.
Numbers 10:29 Then Moses said to Hobab, the son
of Moses’ father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, “We are setting out
for the place of which the LORD said: ‘I will give it to you.’
Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the LORD has
promised good things to Israel.”
Numbers 10:30 “I will not go,” Hobab replied.
“Instead, I am going back to my own land and my own people.”
Numbers 10:31 “Please do not leave us,” Moses
said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and
you can serve as our eyes.
Numbers 10:32 If you come with us, we will share
with you whatever good things the LORD gives us.”
Numbers 10:33 So they set out on a three-day
journey from the mountain of the LORD, with the ark of the
covenant of the LORD traveling ahead of them for those three days
to seek a resting place for them.
Numbers 10:34 And the cloud of the LORD was over
them by day when they set out from the camp.
Numbers 10:35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses
would say, “Rise up, O LORD! May Your enemies be scattered; may
those who hate You flee before You.”
Numbers 10:36 And when it came to rest, he would
say: “Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Numbers 11:1 Soon the people began to complain
about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard
them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among
them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.
Numbers 11:2 And the people cried out to Moses,
and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.
Numbers 11:3 So that place was called Taberah,
because the fire of the LORD had burned among them.
Numbers 11:4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them
had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept
and said, “Who will feed us meat?
Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish we ate freely
in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and
garlic.
Numbers 11:6 But now our appetite is gone; there
is nothing to see but this manna!”
Numbers 11:7 Now the manna resembled coriander
seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin.
Numbers 11:8 The people walked around and
gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar,
then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted
like pastry baked with fine oil.
Numbers 11:9 When the dew fell on the camp at
night, the manna would fall with it.
Numbers 11:10 Then Moses heard the people of
family after family weeping at the entrances to their tents, and
the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was also
displeased.
Numbers 11:11 So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have
You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found
favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me the burden of all
these people?
Numbers 11:12 Did I conceive all these people?
Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in
your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You
swore to give their fathers?
Numbers 11:13 Where can I get meat for all these
people? For they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
Numbers 11:14 I cannot carry all these people by
myself; it is too burdensome for me.
Numbers 11:15 If this is how You are going to
treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your
eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.”
Numbers 11:16 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders
and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and
have them stand there with you.
Numbers 11:17 And I will come down and speak
with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you
and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the burden of
the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.
Numbers 11:18 And say to the people: Consecrate
yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have
cried out in the hearing of the LORD, saying: ‘Who will feed us
meat? For we were better off in Egypt!’ Therefore the LORD will
give you meat, and you will eat.
Numbers 11:19 You will eat it not for one or two
days, nor for five or ten or twenty days,
Numbers 11:20 but for a whole month—until it
comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous—because you have
rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before
Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Numbers 11:21 But Moses replied, “Here I am
among 600,000 men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat,
and they will eat for a month.’
Numbers 11:22 If all our flocks and herds were
slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish
in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”
Numbers 11:23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the
LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will
come to pass.”
Numbers 11:24 So Moses went out and relayed to
the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the
elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.
Numbers 11:25 Then the LORD came down in the
cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on
Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit
rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again.
Numbers 11:26 Two men, however, had remained in
the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested
on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out
to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp.
Numbers 11:27 A young man ran and reported to
Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
Numbers 11:28 Joshua son of Nun, the attendant
to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop
them!”
Numbers 11:29 But Moses replied, “Are you
jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were
prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!”
Numbers 11:30 Then Moses returned to the camp,
along with the elders of Israel.
Numbers 11:31 Now a wind sent by the LORD came
up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp,
about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s
journey in every direction around the camp.
Numbers 11:32 All that day and night, and all
the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one
gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around
the camp.
Numbers 11:33 But while the meat was still
between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD
burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe
plague.
Numbers 11:34 So they called that place
Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had
craved other food.
Numbers 11:35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people
moved on to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time.
Numbers 12:1 Then Miriam and Aaron criticized
Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had
taken a Cushite wife.
Numbers 12:2 “Does the LORD speak only through
Moses?” they said. “Does He not also speak through us?” And the
LORD heard this.
Numbers 12:3 Now Moses was a very humble man,
more so than any man on the face of the earth.
Numbers 12:4 And suddenly the LORD said to
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three, come out to the Tent of
Meeting.” So the three went out,
Numbers 12:5 and the LORD came down in a pillar
of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron
and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward,
Numbers 12:6 He said, “Hear now My words: If
there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to
him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.
Numbers 12:7 But this is not so with My servant
Moses; he is faithful in all My house.
Numbers 12:8 I speak with him face to face,
clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then
were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
Numbers 12:9 So the anger of the LORD burned
against them, and He departed.
Numbers 12:10 As the cloud lifted from above the
Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned
toward her, saw that she was leprous,
Numbers 12:11 and said to Moses, “My lord,
please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly
committed.
Numbers 12:12 Please do not let her be like a
stillborn infant whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of
his mother’s womb.”
Numbers 12:13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O
God, please heal her!”
Numbers 12:14 But the LORD answered Moses, “If
her father had but spit in her face, would she not have been in
disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for
seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”
Numbers 12:15 So Miriam was confined outside the
camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she was
brought in again.
Numbers 12:16 After that, the people set out
from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.
Numbers 13:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 13:2 “Send out for yourself men to spy
out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From
each of their fathers’ tribes send one man who is a leader among
them.”
Numbers 13:3 So at the consent of the LORD,
Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were
leaders of the Israelites,
Numbers 13:4 and these were their names: From
the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
Numbers 13:5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat
son of Hori;
Numbers 13:6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son
of Jephunneh;
Numbers 13:7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal
son of Joseph;
Numbers 13:8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea
son of Nun;
Numbers 13:9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti
son of Raphu;
Numbers 13:10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel
son of Sodi;
Numbers 13:11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a
tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
Numbers 13:12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son
of Gemalli;
Numbers 13:13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur
son of Michael;
Numbers 13:14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi
son of Vophsi;
Numbers 13:15 and from the tribe of Gad, Geuel
son of Machi.
Numbers 13:16 These were the names of the men
Moses sent to spy out the land; and Moses gave to Hoshea son of
Nun the name Joshua.
Numbers 13:17 When Moses sent them to spy out
the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev and
into the hill country.
Numbers 13:18 See what the land is like and
whether its people are strong or weak, few or many.
Numbers 13:19 Is the land where they live good
or bad? Are the cities where they dwell open camps or
fortifications?
Numbers 13:20 Is the soil fertile or
unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous, and
bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for
the first ripe grapes.)
Numbers 13:21 So they went up and spied out the
land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, toward
Lebo-hamath.
Numbers 13:22 They went up through the Negev and
came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants
of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in
Egypt.
Numbers 13:23 When they came to the Valley of
Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes,
which they carried on a pole between two men. They also took some
pomegranates and figs.
Numbers 13:24 Because of the cluster of grapes
the Israelites cut there, that place was called the Valley of
Eshcol.
Numbers 13:25 After forty days the men returned
from spying out the land,
Numbers 13:26 and they went back to Moses,
Aaron, and the whole congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of
Paran at Kadesh. They brought back a report for the whole
congregation and showed them the fruit of the land.
Numbers 13:27 And they gave this account to
Moses: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and indeed, it
is flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit!
Numbers 13:28 Nevertheless, the people living in
the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We
even saw the descendants of Anak there.
Numbers 13:29 The Amalekites live in the land of
the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill
country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”
Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb quieted the people
before Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the
land, for we can certainly conquer it!”
Numbers 13:31 But the men who had gone up with
him replied, “We cannot go up against the people, for they are
stronger than we are!”
Numbers 13:32 So they gave the Israelites a bad
report about the land that they had spied out: “The land we
explored devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw there
are great in stature.
Numbers 13:33 We even saw the Nephilim there—the
descendants of Anak that come from the Nephilim! We seemed like
grasshoppers in our own sight, and we must have seemed the same to
them!”
Numbers 14:1 Then the whole congregation lifted
up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.
Numbers 14:2 All the Israelites grumbled against
Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only
we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this
wilderness!
Numbers 14:3 Why is the LORD bringing us into
this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become
plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
Numbers 14:4 So they said to one another, “Let
us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
Numbers 14:5 Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown
before the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel.
Numbers 14:6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of
Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore
their clothes
Numbers 14:7 and said to the whole congregation
of Israel, “The land we passed through and explored is an
exceedingly good land.
Numbers 14:8 If the LORD delights in us, He will
bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and
He will give it to us.
Numbers 14:9 Only do not rebel against the LORD,
and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be
like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD
is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”
Numbers 14:10 But the whole congregation
threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD
appeared to all the Israelites at the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 14:11 And the LORD said to Moses, “How
long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they
refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed
among them?
Numbers 14:12 I will strike them with a plague
and destroy them—and I will make you into a nation greater and
mightier than they are.”
Numbers 14:13 But Moses said to the LORD, “The
Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this
people from among them.
Numbers 14:14 And they will tell it to the
inhabitants of this land. They have already heard that You, O
LORD, are in the midst of this people, that You, O LORD, have been
seen face to face, that Your cloud stands over them, and that You
go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by
night.
Numbers 14:15 If You kill this people as one
man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say,
Numbers 14:16 ‘Because the LORD was unable to
bring this people into the land He swore to give them, He has
slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
Numbers 14:17 So now I pray, may the power of my
Lord be magnified, just as You have declared:
Numbers 14:18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and
abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and
transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty
unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their
children to the third and fourth generation.’
Numbers 14:19 Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of
this people, in keeping with the greatness of Your loving
devotion, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left
Egypt.”
Numbers 14:20 “I have pardoned them as you
requested,” the LORD replied.
Numbers 14:21 “Yet as surely as I live and as
surely as the whole earth is filled with the glory of the LORD,
Numbers 14:22 not one of the men who have seen
My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the
wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times—
Numbers 14:23 not one will ever see the land
that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated
Me with contempt will see it.
Numbers 14:24 But because My servant Caleb has a
different spirit and has followed Me wholeheartedly, I will bring
him into the land he has entered, and his descendants will inherit
it.
Numbers 14:25 Now since the Amalekites and
Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and head
for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
Numbers 14:26 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Numbers 14:27 “How long will this wicked
congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that
the Israelites are making against Me.
Numbers 14:28 So tell them: As surely as I live,
declares the LORD, I will do to you exactly as I heard you say.
Numbers 14:29 Your bodies will fall in this
wilderness—all who were numbered in the census, everyone twenty
years of age or older—because you have grumbled against Me.
Numbers 14:30 Surely none of you will enter the
land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh
and Joshua son of Nun.
Numbers 14:31 But I will bring your children,
whom you said would become plunder, into the land you have
rejected—and they will enjoy it.
Numbers 14:32 As for you, however, your bodies
will fall in this wilderness.
Numbers 14:33 Your children will be shepherds in
the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your
unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies in the
wilderness.
Numbers 14:34 In keeping with the forty days you
spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year
for each day—and you will experience My alienation.
Numbers 14:35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I
will surely do these things to this entire wicked congregation,
which has conspired against Me. They will meet their end in the
wilderness, and there they will die.”
Numbers 14:36 So the men Moses had sent to spy
out the land, who had returned and made the whole congregation
grumble against him by bringing out a bad report about the land—
Numbers 14:37 those men who had brought out the
bad report about the land—were struck down by a plague before the
LORD.
Numbers 14:38 Of those men who had gone to spy
out the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh
remained alive.
Numbers 14:39 And when Moses relayed these words
to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.
Numbers 14:40 Early the next morning they got up
and went up toward the ridge of the hill country. “We have indeed
sinned,” they said, “but we will go to the place the LORD has
promised.”
Numbers 14:41 But Moses said, “Why are you
transgressing the commandment of the LORD? This will not succeed!
Numbers 14:42 Do not go up, lest you be struck
down by your enemies, because the LORD is not among you.
Numbers 14:43 For there the Amalekites and
Canaanites will face you, and you will fall by the sword. Because
you have turned away from the LORD, He will not be with you.”
Numbers 14:44 But they dared to go up to the
ridge of the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the
covenant of the LORD moved from the camp.
Numbers 14:45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites
who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked
them, and routed them all the way to Hormah.
Numbers 15:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 15:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them: After you enter the land that I am giving you as a home
Numbers 15:3 and you present an offering made by
fire to the LORD from the herd or flock to produce a pleasing
aroma to the LORD—either a burnt offering or a sacrifice, for a
special vow or freewill offering or appointed feast—
Numbers 15:4 then the one presenting his
offering to the LORD shall also present a grain offering of a
tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter hin of olive
oil.
Numbers 15:5 With the burnt offering or
sacrifice of each lamb, you are to prepare a quarter hin of wine
as a drink offering.
Numbers 15:6 With a ram you are to prepare a
grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with
a third of a hin of olive oil,
Numbers 15:7 and a third of a hin of wine as a
drink offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Numbers 15:8 When you prepare a young bull as a
burnt offering or sacrifice to fulfill a vow or as a peace
offering to the LORD,
Numbers 15:9 present with the bull a grain
offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half
a hin of olive oil.
Numbers 15:10 Also present half a hin of wine as
a drink offering. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma
to the LORD.
Numbers 15:11 This is to be done for each bull,
ram, lamb, or goat.
Numbers 15:12 This is how you must prepare each
one, no matter how many.
Numbers 15:13 Everyone who is native-born shall
prepare these things in this way when he presents an offering made
by fire as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Numbers 15:14 And for the generations to come,
if a foreigner residing with you or someone else among you wants
to prepare an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the
LORD, he is to do exactly as you do.
Numbers 15:15 The assembly is to have the same
statute both for you and for the foreign resident; it is a
permanent statute for the generations to come. You and the
foreigner shall be the same before the LORD.
Numbers 15:16 The same law and the same
ordinance will apply both to you and to the foreigner residing
with you.”
Numbers 15:17 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 15:18 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them: When you enter the land to which I am bringing you
Numbers 15:19 and you eat the food of the land,
you shall lift up an offering to the LORD.
Numbers 15:20 From the first of your dough, you
are to lift up a cake as a contribution; offer it just like an
offering from the threshing floor.
Numbers 15:21 Throughout your generations, you
are to give the LORD an offering from the first of your dough.
Numbers 15:22 Now if you stray unintentionally
and do not obey all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to
Moses—
Numbers 15:23 all that the LORD has commanded
you through Moses from the day the LORD gave them and continuing
through the generations to come—
Numbers 15:24 and if it was done unintentionally
without the knowledge of the congregation, then the whole
congregation is to prepare one young bull as a burnt offering, a
pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and drink
offering according to the regulation, and one male goat as a sin
offering.
Numbers 15:25 The priest is to make atonement
for the whole congregation of Israel, so that they may be
forgiven; for the sin was unintentional and they have brought to
the LORD an offering made by fire and a sin offering, presented
before the LORD for their unintentional sin.
Numbers 15:26 Then the whole congregation of
Israel and the foreigners residing among them will be forgiven,
since it happened to all the people unintentionally.
Numbers 15:27 Also, if one person sins
unintentionally, he is to present a year-old female goat as a sin
offering.
Numbers 15:28 And the priest shall make
atonement before the LORD on behalf of the person who erred by
sinning unintentionally; and when atonement has been made for him,
he will be forgiven.
Numbers 15:29 You shall have the same law for
the one who acts in error, whether he is a native-born Israelite
or a foreigner residing among you.
Numbers 15:30 But the person who sins defiantly,
whether a native or foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That person
shall be cut off from among his people.
Numbers 15:31 He shall certainly be cut off,
because he has despised the word of the LORD and broken His
commandment; his guilt remains on him.”
Numbers 15:32 While the Israelites were in the
wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day.
Numbers 15:33 Those who found the man gathering
wood brought him to Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation,
Numbers 15:34 and because it had not been
declared what should be done to him, they placed him in custody.
Numbers 15:35 And the LORD said to Moses, “The
man must surely be put to death. The whole congregation is to
stone him outside the camp.”
Numbers 15:36 So the whole congregation took the
man outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD had
commanded Moses.
Numbers 15:37 Later, the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 15:38 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them that throughout the generations to come they are to make for
themselves tassels for the corners of their garments, with a blue
cord on each tassel.
Numbers 15:39 These will serve as tassels for
you to look at, so that you may remember all the commandments of
the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by
following your own heart and your own eyes.
Numbers 15:40 Then you will remember and obey
all My commandments, and you will be holy to your God.
Numbers 15:41 I am the LORD your God who brought
you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your
God.”
Numbers 16:1 Now Korah son of Izhar, the son of
Kohath son of Levi, along with some Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram,
sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—conducted
Numbers 16:2 a rebellion against Moses, along
with 250 men of Israel renowned as leaders of the congregation and
representatives in the assembly.
Numbers 16:3 They came together against Moses
and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves!
For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is
in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the
assembly of the LORD?”
Numbers 16:4 When Moses heard this, he fell
facedown.
Numbers 16:5 Then he said to Korah and all his
followers, “Tomorrow morning the LORD will reveal who belongs to
Him and who is holy, and He will bring that person near to
Himself. The one He chooses, He will bring near to Himself.
Numbers 16:6 You, Korah, and all your followers
are to do as follows: Take censers,
Numbers 16:7 and tomorrow you are to place fire
and incense in them in the presence of the LORD. Then the man the
LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. It is you sons of Levi
who have taken too much upon yourselves!”
Numbers 16:8 Moses also said to Korah, “Now
listen, you sons of Levi!
Numbers 16:9 Is it not enough for you that the
God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel
and brought you near to Himself to perform the work at the LORD’s
tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to minister to
them?
Numbers 16:10 He has brought you near, you and
all your fellow Levites, but you are seeking the priesthood as
well.
Numbers 16:11 Therefore, it is you and all your
followers who have conspired against the LORD! As for Aaron, who
is he that you should grumble against him?”
Numbers 16:12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and
Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, “We will not come!
Numbers 16:13 Is it not enough that you have
brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us
in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over
us?
Numbers 16:14 Moreover, you have not brought us
into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance
of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men?
No, we will not come!”
Numbers 16:15 Then Moses became very angry and
said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering. I have not taken
one donkey from them or mistreated a single one of them.”
Numbers 16:16 And Moses said to Korah, “You and
all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and
they and Aaron.
Numbers 16:17 Each man is to take his censer,
place incense in it, and present it before the LORD—250 censers.
You and Aaron are to present your censers as well.”
Numbers 16:18 So each man took his censer, put
fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 16:19 When Korah had gathered his whole
assembly against them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the
glory of the LORD appeared to the whole congregation.
Numbers 16:20 And the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Numbers 16:21 “Separate yourselves from this
congregation so that I may consume them in an instant.”
Numbers 16:22 But Moses and Aaron fell facedown
and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one
man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”
Numbers 16:23 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 16:24 “Tell the congregation to move
away from the dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”
Numbers 16:25 So Moses got up and went to Dathan
and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
Numbers 16:26 And he warned the congregation,
“Move away now from the tents of these wicked men. Do not touch
anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because
of all their sins.”
Numbers 16:27 So they moved away from the
dwellings of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Meanwhile, Dathan and
Abiram had come out and stood at the entrances to their tents with
their wives and children and infants.
Numbers 16:28 Then Moses said, “This is how you
will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things, for it
was not my own doing:
Numbers 16:29 If these men die a natural death,
or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent
me.
Numbers 16:30 But if the LORD brings about
something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and
swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down
alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated
the LORD with contempt.”
Numbers 16:31 As soon as Moses had finished
saying all this, the ground beneath them split open,
Numbers 16:32 and the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed them and their households—all Korah’s men and all their
possessions.
Numbers 16:33 They went down alive into Sheol
with all they owned. The earth closed over them, and they vanished
from the assembly.
Numbers 16:34 At their cries, all the people of
Israel who were around them fled, saying, “The earth may swallow
us too!”
Numbers 16:35 And fire came forth from the LORD
and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Numbers 16:36 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 16:37 “Tell Eleazar son of Aaron the
priest to remove the censers from the flames and to scatter the
coals far away, because the censers are holy.
Numbers 16:38 As for the censers of those who
sinned at the cost of their own lives, hammer them into sheets to
overlay the altar, for these were presented before the LORD, and
so have become holy. They will serve as a sign to the Israelites.”
Numbers 16:39 So Eleazar the priest took the
bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had
them hammered out to overlay the altar,
Numbers 16:40 just as the LORD commanded him
through Moses. This was to be a reminder to the Israelites that no
outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer
incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his
followers.
Numbers 16:41 The next day the whole
congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying,
“You have killed the LORD’s people!”
Numbers 16:42 But when the congregation gathered
against them, Moses and Aaron turned toward the Tent of Meeting,
and suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD
appeared.
Numbers 16:43 Then Moses and Aaron went to the
front of the Tent of Meeting,
Numbers 16:44 and the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 16:45 “Get away from this congregation
so that I may consume them in an instant.” And Moses and Aaron
fell facedown.
Numbers 16:46 Moses said to Aaron, “Take your
censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go
quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because
wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
Numbers 16:47 So Aaron took the censer as Moses
had ordered and ran into the midst of the assembly. And seeing
that the plague had begun among the people, he offered the incense
and made atonement for the people.
Numbers 16:48 He stood between the living and
the dead, and the plague was halted.
Numbers 16:49 But those who died from the plague
numbered 14,700, in addition to those who had died on account of
Korah.
Numbers 16:50 Then Aaron returned to Moses at
the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, since the plague had been
halted.
Numbers 17:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 17:2 “Speak to the Israelites and take
from them twelve staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Write
each man’s name on his staff,
Numbers 17:3 and write Aaron’s name on the staff
of Levi, because there must be one staff for the head of each
tribe.
Numbers 17:4 Place the staffs in the Tent of
Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you.
Numbers 17:5 The staff belonging to the man I
choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant
grumbling of the Israelites against you.”
Numbers 17:6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites,
and each of their leaders gave him a staff—one for each of the
leaders of their tribes, twelve staffs in all. And Aaron’s staff
was among them.
Numbers 17:7 Then Moses placed the staffs before
the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony.
Numbers 17:8 The next day Moses entered the Tent
of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the
house of Levi, had sprouted, put forth buds, blossomed, and
produced almonds.
Numbers 17:9 Then Moses brought out all the
staffs from the LORD’s presence to all the Israelites. They saw
them, and each man took his own staff.
Numbers 17:10 The LORD said to Moses, “Put
Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign
for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling
against Me, lest they die.”
Numbers 17:11 So Moses did as the LORD had
commanded him.
Numbers 17:12 Then the Israelites declared to
Moses, “Look, we are perishing! We are lost; we are all lost!
Numbers 17:13 Anyone who comes near the
tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to perish?”
Numbers 18:1 So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and
your sons and your father’s house must bear the iniquity involving
the sanctuary. And you and your sons alone must bear the iniquity
involving your priesthood.
Numbers 18:2 But bring with you also your
brothers from the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that
they may join you and assist you and your sons before the Tent of
the Testimony.
Numbers 18:3 And they shall attend to your
duties and to all the duties of the Tent; but they must not come
near to the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both
they and you will die.
Numbers 18:4 They are to join you and attend to
the duties of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent;
but no outsider may come near you.
Numbers 18:5 And you shall attend to the duties
of the sanctuary and of the altar, so that wrath may not fall on
the Israelites again.
Numbers 18:6 Behold, I Myself have selected your
fellow Levites from the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to
the LORD to perform the service for the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 18:7 But only you and your sons shall
attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and
what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am
giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider
who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
Numbers 18:8 Then the LORD said to Aaron,
“Behold, I have put you in charge of My offerings. As for all the
sacred offerings of the Israelites, I have given them to you and
your sons as a portion and a permanent statute.
Numbers 18:9 A portion of the most holy
offerings reserved from the fire will be yours. From all the
offerings they render to Me as most holy offerings, whether grain
offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs
to you and your sons.
Numbers 18:10 You are to eat it as a most holy
offering, and every male may eat it. You shall regard it as holy.
Numbers 18:11 And this is yours as well: the
offering of their gifts, along with all the wave offerings of the
Israelites. I have given this to you and your sons and daughters
as a permanent statute. Every ceremonially clean person in your
household may eat it.
Numbers 18:12 I give you all the freshest olive
oil and all the finest new wine and grain that the Israelites give
to the LORD as their firstfruits.
Numbers 18:13 The firstfruits of everything in
their land that they bring to the LORD will belong to you. Every
ceremonially clean person in your household may eat them.
Numbers 18:14 Every devoted thing in Israel
belongs to you.
Numbers 18:15 The firstborn of every womb,
whether man or beast, that is offered to the LORD belongs to you.
But you must surely redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn
male of unclean animals.
Numbers 18:16 You are to pay the redemption
price for a month-old male according to your valuation: five
shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is
twenty gerahs.
Numbers 18:17 But you must not redeem the
firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to
sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as an
offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
Numbers 18:18 And their meat belongs to you,
just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to
you.
Numbers 18:19 All the holy offerings that the
Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and to your sons and
daughters as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of
salt before the LORD for you and your offspring.”
Numbers 18:20 Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You
will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any
portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among
the Israelites.
Numbers 18:21 Behold, I have given to the
Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for
the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 18:22 No longer may the Israelites come
near to the Tent of Meeting, or they will incur guilt and die.
Numbers 18:23 The Levites are to perform the
work of the Tent of Meeting, and they must bear their iniquity.
This is a permanent statute for the generations to come. The
Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.
Numbers 18:24 For I have given to the Levites as
their inheritance the tithe that the Israelites present to the
LORD as a contribution. That is why I told them that they would
not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”
Numbers 18:25 And the LORD instructed Moses,
Numbers 18:26 “Speak to the Levites and tell
them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have
given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an
offering to the LORD—a tithe of the tithe.
Numbers 18:27 Your offering will be reckoned to
you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress.
Numbers 18:28 So you are to present an offering
to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites,
and from these you are to give the LORD’s offering to Aaron the
priest.
Numbers 18:29 You must present the offering due
the LORD from all the best of every gift, the holiest part of it.’
Numbers 18:30 Therefore say to the Levites,
‘When you have presented the best part, it will be reckoned to you
as the produce of the threshing floor or winepress.
Numbers 18:31 And you and your households may
eat the rest of it anywhere; it is the compensation for your work
at the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 18:32 Once you have presented the best
part of it, you will not incur guilt because of it. But you must
not defile the sacred offerings of the Israelites, or else you
will die.’”
Numbers 19:1 Then the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron,
Numbers 19:2 “This is the statute of the law
that the LORD has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you
an unblemished red heifer that has no defect and has never been
placed under a yoke.
Numbers 19:3 Give it to Eleazar the priest, and
he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his
presence.
Numbers 19:4 Eleazar the priest is to take some
of its blood on his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the
front of the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 19:5 Then the heifer must be burned in
his sight. Its hide, its flesh, and its blood are to be burned,
along with its dung.
Numbers 19:6 The priest is to take cedar wood,
hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer.
Numbers 19:7 Then the priest must wash his
clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the
camp, but he will be ceremonially unclean until evening.
Numbers 19:8 The one who burned the heifer must
also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he too will
be ceremonially unclean until evening.
Numbers 19:9 Then a man who is ceremonially
clean is to gather up the ashes of the heifer and store them in a
ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They must be kept by
the congregation of Israel for preparing the water of
purification; this is for purification from sin.
Numbers 19:10 The man who has gathered up the
ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes, and he will be
ceremonially unclean until evening. This is a permanent statute
for the Israelites and for the foreigner residing among them.
Numbers 19:11 Whoever touches any dead body will
be unclean for seven days.
Numbers 19:12 He must purify himself with the
water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be
clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third and seventh
days, he will not be clean.
Numbers 19:13 Anyone who touches a human corpse
and fails to purify himself defiles the tabernacle of the LORD.
That person must be cut off from Israel. He remains unclean,
because the water of purification has not been sprinkled on him,
and his uncleanness is still on him.
Numbers 19:14 This is the law when a person dies
in a tent: Everyone who enters the tent and everyone already in
the tent will be unclean for seven days,
Numbers 19:15 and any open container without a
lid fastened on it is unclean.
Numbers 19:16 Anyone in the open field who
touches someone who has been killed by the sword or has died of
natural causes, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave,
will be unclean for seven days.
Numbers 19:17 For the purification of the
unclean person, take some of the ashes of the burnt sin offering,
put them in a jar, and pour fresh water over them.
Numbers 19:18 Then a man who is ceremonially
clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle
the tent, all the furnishings, and the people who were there. He
is also to sprinkle the one who touched a bone, a grave, or a
person who has died or been slain.
Numbers 19:19 The man who is ceremonially clean
is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third day and on the
seventh day. After he purifies the unclean person on the seventh
day, the one being cleansed must wash his clothes and bathe in
water, and that evening he will be clean.
Numbers 19:20 But if a person who is unclean
does not purify himself, he will be cut off from the assembly,
because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. The water of
purification has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.
Numbers 19:21 This is a permanent statute for
the people: The one who sprinkles the water of purification must
wash his clothes, and whoever touches the water of purification
will be unclean until evening.
Numbers 19:22 Anything the unclean person
touches will become unclean, and anyone who touches it will be
unclean until evening.”
Numbers 20:1 In the first month, the whole
congregation of Israel entered the Wilderness of Zin and stayed in
Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
Numbers 20:2 Now there was no water for the
congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron.
Numbers 20:3 The people quarreled with Moses and
said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD!
Numbers 20:4 Why have you brought the LORD’s
assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die
here?
Numbers 20:5 Why have you led us up out of Egypt
to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain,
figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”
Numbers 20:6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the
presence of the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
They fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
Numbers 20:7 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 20:8 “Take the staff and assemble the
congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock
while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring
out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and
their livestock.”
Numbers 20:9 So Moses took the staff from the
LORD’s presence, just as he had been commanded.
Numbers 20:10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the
assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen
now, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”
Numbers 20:11 Then Moses raised his hand and
struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of
water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were
able to drink.
Numbers 20:12 But the LORD said to Moses and
Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the
sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the
land that I have given them.”
Numbers 20:13 These were the waters of Meribah,
where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His
holiness among them.
Numbers 20:14 From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers
to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says:
You know all the hardship that has befallen us,
Numbers 20:15 how our fathers went down to
Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and
our fathers,
Numbers 20:16 and when we cried out to the LORD,
He heard our voice, sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt.
Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.
Numbers 20:17 Please let us pass through your
land. We will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink
water from any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway; we will
not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through
your territory.”
Numbers 20:18 But Edom answered, “You may not
travel through our land, or we will come out and confront you with
the sword.”
Numbers 20:19 “We will stay on the main road,”
the Israelites replied, “and if we or our herds drink your water,
we will pay for it. There will be no problem; only let us pass
through on foot.”
Numbers 20:20 But Edom insisted, “You may not
pass through.” And they came out to confront the Israelites with a
large army and a strong hand.
Numbers 20:21 So Edom refused to allow Israel to
pass through their territory, and Israel turned away from them.
Numbers 20:22 After they had set out from
Kadesh, the whole congregation of Israel came to Mount Hor.
Numbers 20:23 And at Mount Hor, near the border
of the land of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
Numbers 20:24 “Aaron will be gathered to his
people; he will not enter the land that I have given the
Israelites, because both of you rebelled against My command at the
waters of Meribah.
Numbers 20:25 Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and
bring them up Mount Hor.
Numbers 20:26 Remove Aaron’s priestly garments
and put them on his son Eleazar. Aaron will be gathered to his
people and will die there.”
Numbers 20:27 So Moses did as the LORD had
commanded, and they climbed Mount Hor in the sight of the whole
congregation.
Numbers 20:28 After Moses had removed Aaron’s
garments and put them on his son Eleazar, Aaron died there on top
of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the
mountain.
Numbers 20:29 When the whole congregation saw
that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him
thirty days.
Numbers 21:1 When the Canaanite king of Arad,
who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the
road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some prisoners.
Numbers 21:2 So Israel made a vow to the LORD:
“If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will devote
their cities to destruction.”
Numbers 21:3 And the LORD heard Israel’s plea
and delivered up the Canaanites. Israel devoted them and their
cities to destruction; so they named the place Hormah.
Numbers 21:4 Then they set out from Mount Hor
along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of
Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey
Numbers 21:5 and spoke against God and against
Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the
wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this
wretched food!”
Numbers 21:6 So the LORD sent venomous snakes
among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died.
Numbers 21:7 Then the people came to Moses and
said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against
you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from
us.” So Moses interceded for the people.
Numbers 21:8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make
a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten
looks at it, he will live.”
Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a bronze snake and
mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the
bronze snake, he would live.
Numbers 21:10 Then the Israelites set out and
camped at Oboth.
Numbers 21:11 They journeyed from Oboth and
camped at Iye-abarim in the wilderness opposite Moab to the east.
Numbers 21:12 From there they set out and camped
in the Valley of Zered.
Numbers 21:13 From there they moved on and
camped on the other side of the Arnon, in the wilderness that
extends into the Amorite territory. Now the Arnon is the border
between the Moabites and the Amorites.
Numbers 21:14 Therefore it is stated in the Book
of the Wars of the LORD: “Waheb in Suphah and the wadis of the
Arnon,
Numbers 21:15 even the slopes of the wadis that
extend to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab.”
Numbers 21:16 From there they went on to Beer,
the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Gather the people so that
I may give them water.”
Numbers 21:17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well, all of you sing to it!
Numbers 21:18 The princes dug the well; the
nobles of the people hollowed it out with their scepters and with
their staffs.” From the wilderness the Israelites went on to
Mattanah,
Numbers 21:19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and
from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
Numbers 21:20 and from Bamoth to the valley in
Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
Numbers 21:21 Then Israel sent messengers to
Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
Numbers 21:22 “Let us pass through your land. We
will not cut through any field or vineyard, or drink water from
any well. We will stay on the King’s Highway until we have passed
through your territory.”
Numbers 21:23 But Sihon would not let Israel
pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered his whole army
and went out to confront Israel in the wilderness. When he came to
Jahaz, he fought against Israel.
Numbers 21:24 And Israel put him to the sword
and took possession of his land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok—but
only up to the border of the Ammonites, because it was fortified.
Numbers 21:25 Israel captured all the cities of
the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its
villages.
Numbers 21:26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king
of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab
and taken all his land as far as the Arnon.
Numbers 21:27 That is why the poets say: “Come
to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored.
Numbers 21:28 For a fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the rulers
of Arnon’s heights.
Numbers 21:29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are
destroyed, O people of Chemosh! He gave up his sons as refugees,
and his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.
Numbers 21:30 But we have overthrown them;
Heshbon is destroyed as far as Dibon. We demolished them as far as
Nophah, which reaches to Medeba.”
Numbers 21:31 So Israel lived in the land of the
Amorites.
Numbers 21:32 After Moses had sent spies to
Jazer, Israel captured its villages and drove out the Amorites who
were there.
Numbers 21:33 Then they turned and went up the
road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out
to meet them in battle at Edrei.
Numbers 21:34 But the LORD said to Moses, “Do
not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with
all his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of
the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
Numbers 21:35 So they struck down Og, along with
his sons and his whole army, until no remnant was left. And they
took possession of his land.
Numbers 22:1 Then the Israelites traveled on and
camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho.
Numbers 22:2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all
that Israel had done to the Amorites,
Numbers 22:3 and Moab was terrified of the
people because they were numerous. Indeed, Moab dreaded the
Israelites.
Numbers 22:4 So the Moabites said to the elders
of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox
licks up the grass of the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was
king of Moab at that time,
Numbers 22:5 he sent messengers to Balaam son of
Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his
people. “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt,” said Balak.
“They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
Numbers 22:6 So please come now and put a curse
on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may
be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know
that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”
Numbers 22:7 The elders of Moab and Midian
departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam
and relayed to him the words of Balak.
Numbers 22:8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam
replied, “and I will give you the answer that the LORD speaks to
me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
Numbers 22:9 Then God came to Balaam and asked,
“Who are these men with you?”
Numbers 22:10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak son
of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:
Numbers 22:11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of
Egypt, and they cover the face of the land. Now come and put a
curse on them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them
and drive them away.’”
Numbers 22:12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go
with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are
blessed.”
Numbers 22:13 So Balaam got up the next morning
and said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, because
the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”
Numbers 22:14 And the princes of Moab arose,
returned to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Numbers 22:15 Then Balak sent other princes,
more numerous and more distinguished than the first messengers.
Numbers 22:16 They came to Balaam and said,
“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder
you from coming to me,
Numbers 22:17 for I will honor you richly and do
whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people
for me!’”
Numbers 22:18 But Balaam replied to the servants
of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and
gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the
command of the LORD my God.
Numbers 22:19 So now, please stay here overnight
as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to
tell me.”
Numbers 22:20 That night God came to Balaam and
said, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with
them, but you must only do what I tell you.”
Numbers 22:21 So in the morning Balaam got up,
saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
Numbers 22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled
because Balaam was going along, and the angel of the LORD stood in
the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two
servants were with him.
Numbers 22:23 When the donkey saw the angel of
the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she
turned off the path and went into a field. So Balaam beat her to
return her to the path.
Numbers 22:24 Then the angel of the LORD stood
in a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on either
side.
Numbers 22:25 And the donkey saw the angel of
the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam’s
foot against it. So he beat her once again.
Numbers 22:26 And the angel of the LORD moved on
ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn
to the right or left.
Numbers 22:27 When the donkey saw the angel of
the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he became furious and
beat her with his staff.
Numbers 22:28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s
mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you
have beaten me these three times?”
Numbers 22:29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You
have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill
you right now!”
Numbers 22:30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am
I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I
ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied.
Numbers 22:31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s
eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a
drawn sword in his hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown.
Numbers 22:32 The angel of the LORD asked him,
“Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have
come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me.
Numbers 22:33 The donkey saw me and turned away
from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now
I would surely have killed you and let her live.”
Numbers 22:34 “I have sinned,” Balaam said to
the angel of the LORD, “for I did not realize that you were
standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is
displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”
Numbers 22:35 But the angel of the LORD said to
Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to speak only what I tell
you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Numbers 22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was
coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon
border, at the edge of his territory.
Numbers 22:37 And he said to Balaam, “Did I not
send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I
really not able to richly reward you?”
Numbers 22:38 “See, I have come to you,” Balaam
replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word
that God puts in my mouth.”
Numbers 22:39 So Balaam accompanied Balak, and
they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
Numbers 22:40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,
and he gave portions to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
Numbers 22:41 The next morning, Balak took
Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see
the outskirts of the camp of the people.
Numbers 23:1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build
for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven
rams.”
Numbers 23:2 So Balak did as Balaam had
instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each
altar.
Numbers 23:3 “Stay here by your burnt offering
while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will
meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So
Balaam went off to a barren height,
Numbers 23:4 and God met with him. “I have set
up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a
bull and a ram.”
Numbers 23:5 Then the LORD put a message in
Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this
message.”
Numbers 23:6 So he returned to Balak, who was
standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of
Moab.
Numbers 23:7 And Balaam lifted up an oracle,
saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the
mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for
me; come and denounce Israel!’
Numbers 23:8 How can I curse what God has not
cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?
Numbers 23:9 For I see them from atop the rocky
cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling
apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.
Numbers 23:10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or
number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the
righteous; let my end be like theirs!”
Numbers 23:11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What
have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and
behold, you have only blessed them!”
Numbers 23:12 But Balaam replied, “Should I not
speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
Numbers 23:13 Then Balak said to him, “Please
come with me to another place where you can see them. You will
only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from
there, curse them for me.”
Numbers 23:14 So Balak took him to the field of
Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and
offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Numbers 23:15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here
beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”
Numbers 23:16 And the LORD met with Balaam and
put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak
what I tell you.”
Numbers 23:17 So he returned to Balak, who was
standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab.
“What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.
Numbers 23:18 Then Balaam lifted up an oracle,
saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of
Zippor.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should
lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He
speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:20 I have indeed received a command
to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
Numbers 23:21 He considers no disaster for
Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with
them, and the shout of the King is among them.
Numbers 23:22 God brought them out of Egypt with
strength like a wild ox.
Numbers 23:23 For there is no spell against
Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of
Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’
Numbers 23:24 Behold, the people rise like a
lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they
devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”
Numbers 23:25 Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then
neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
Numbers 23:26 But Balaam replied, “Did I not
tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
Numbers 23:27 “Please come,” said Balak, “I will
take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you
curse them for me from there.”
Numbers 23:28 And Balak took Balaam to the top
of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.
Numbers 23:29 Then Balaam said, “Build for me
seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
Numbers 23:30 So Balak did as Balaam had
instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Numbers 24:1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased
the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as on
previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness.
Numbers 24:2 When Balaam looked up and saw
Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him,
Numbers 24:3 and he lifted up an oracle, saying:
“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man
whose eyes are open,
Numbers 24:4 the prophecy of one who hears the
words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down
with eyes wide open:
Numbers 24:5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwellings, O Israel!
Numbers 24:6 They spread out like palm groves,
like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted,
like cedars beside the waters.
Numbers 24:7 Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will have abundant water. His king will be greater
than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.
Numbers 24:8 God brought him out of Egypt with
strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their
bones, to pierce them with arrows.
Numbers 24:9 He crouches, he lies down like a
lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those
who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”
Numbers 24:10 Then Balak’s anger burned against
Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I
summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted
in blessing them these three times.
Numbers 24:11 Therefore, flee at once to your
home! I said I would richly reward you, but instead the LORD has
denied your reward.”
Numbers 24:12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not
already tell the messengers you sent me
Numbers 24:13 that even if Balak were to give me
his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my
own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD? I
will speak whatever the LORD says.
Numbers 24:14 Now I am going back to my people,
but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people
in the days to come.”
Numbers 24:15 Then Balaam lifted up an oracle,
saying, “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy
of a man whose eyes are open,
Numbers 24:16 the prophecy of one who hears the
words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a
vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:
Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not now; I behold
him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a
scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab
and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
Numbers 24:18 Edom will become a possession, as
will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.
Numbers 24:19 A ruler will come from Jacob and
destroy the survivors of the city.”
Numbers 24:20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted
up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his
end is destruction.”
Numbers 24:21 Next he saw the Kenites and lifted
up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your
nest is set in a cliff.
Numbers 24:22 Yet Kain will be destroyed when
Asshur takes you captive.”
Numbers 24:23 Once more Balaam lifted up an
oracle, saying: “Ah, who can live unless God has ordained it?
Numbers 24:24 Ships will come from the coasts of
Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish
forever.”
Numbers 24:25 Then Balaam arose and returned to
his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.
Numbers 25:1 While Israel was staying in
Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the
daughters of Moab,
Numbers 25:2 who also invited them to the
sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to
these gods.
Numbers 25:3 So Israel joined in worshiping Baal
of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.
Numbers 25:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take
all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight
before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from
Israel.”
Numbers 25:5 So Moses told the judges of Israel,
“Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in
worshiping Baal of Peor.”
Numbers 25:6 Just then an Israelite man brought
to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the
whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Numbers 25:7 On seeing this, Phinehas son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly,
took a spear in his hand,
Numbers 25:8 followed the Israelite into his
tent, and drove the spear through both of them—through the
Israelite and on through the belly of the woman. So the plague
against the Israelites was halted,
Numbers 25:9 but those who died in the plague
numbered 24,000.
Numbers 25:10 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 25:11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son
of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites;
for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not
consume the Israelites in My zeal.
Numbers 25:12 Declare, therefore, that I am
granting him My covenant of peace.
Numbers 25:13 It will be a covenant of permanent
priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for
his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”
Numbers 25:14 The name of the Israelite who was
slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader
of a Simeonite family.
Numbers 25:15 And the name of the slain
Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of
a Midianite family.
Numbers 25:16 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 25:17 “Attack the Midianites and strike
them dead.
Numbers 25:18 For they assailed you deceitfully
when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister
Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was
killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”
Numbers 26:1 After the plague had ended, the
LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,
Numbers 26:2 “Take a census of the whole
congregation of Israel by the houses of their fathers—all those
twenty years of age or older who can serve in the army of Israel.”
Numbers 26:3 So on the plains of Moab by the
Jordan, across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest issued
the instruction,
Numbers 26:4 “Take a census of the men twenty
years of age or older, as the LORD has commanded Moses.” And these
were the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt:
Numbers 26:5 Reuben was the firstborn of Israel.
These were the descendants of Reuben: The Hanochite clan from
Hanoch, the Palluite clan from Pallu,
Numbers 26:6 the Hezronite clan from Hezron, and
the Carmite clan from Carmi.
Numbers 26:7 These were the clans of Reuben, and
their registration numbered 43,730.
Numbers 26:8 Now the son of Pallu was Eliab,
Numbers 26:9 and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel,
Dathan, and Abiram. It was Dathan and Abiram, chosen by the
congregation, who fought against Moses and Aaron with the
followers of Korah who rebelled against the LORD.
Numbers 26:10 And the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the
fire consumed 250 men. They serve as a warning sign.
Numbers 26:11 However, the line of Korah did not
die out.
Numbers 26:12 These were the descendants of
Simeon by their clans: The Nemuelite clan from Nemuel, the
Jaminite clan from Jamin, the Jachinite clan from Jachin,
Numbers 26:13 the Zerahite clan from Zerah, and
the Shaulite clan from Shaul.
Numbers 26:14 These were the clans of Simeon,
and there were 22,200 men.
Numbers 26:15 These were the descendants of Gad
by their clans: The Zephonite clan from Zephon, the Haggite clan
from Haggi, the Shunite clan from Shuni,
Numbers 26:16 the Oznite clan from Ozni, the
Erite clan from Eri,
Numbers 26:17 the Arodite clan from Arod, and
the Arelite clan from Areli.
Numbers 26:18 These were the clans of Gad, and
their registration numbered 40,500.
Numbers 26:19 The sons of Judah were Er and
Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.
Numbers 26:20 These were the descendants of
Judah by their clans: The Shelanite clan from Shelah, the Perezite
clan from Perez, and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.
Numbers 26:21 And these were the descendants of
Perez: the Hezronite clan from Hezron and the Hamulite clan from
Hamul.
Numbers 26:22 These were the clans of Judah, and
their registration numbered 76,500.
Numbers 26:23 These were the descendants of
Issachar by their clans: The Tolaite clan from Tola, the Punite
clan from Puvah,
Numbers 26:24 the Jashubite clan from Jashub,
and the Shimronite clan from Shimron.
Numbers 26:25 These were the clans of Issachar,
and their registration numbered 64,300.
Numbers 26:26 These were the descendants of
Zebulun by their clans: The Seredite clan from Sered, the Elonite
clan from Elon, and the Jahleelite clan from Jahleel.
Numbers 26:27 These were the clans of Zebulun,
and their registration numbered 60,500.
Numbers 26:28 The descendants of Joseph included
the clans of Manasseh and Ephraim.
Numbers 26:29 These were the descendants of
Manasseh: The Machirite clan from Machir, the father of Gilead,
and the Gileadite clan from Gilead.
Numbers 26:30 These were the descendants of
Gilead: the Iezerite clan from Iezer, the Helekite clan from
Helek,
Numbers 26:31 the Asrielite clan from Asriel,
the Shechemite clan from Shechem,
Numbers 26:32 the Shemidaite clan from Shemida,
and the Hepherite clan from Hepher.
Numbers 26:33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had
no sons but only daughters. The names of his daughters were
Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Numbers 26:34 These were the clans of Manasseh,
and their registration numbered 52,700.
Numbers 26:35 These were the descendants of
Ephraim by their clans: The Shuthelahite clan from Shuthelah, the
Becherite clan from Becher, and the Tahanite clan from Tahan.
Numbers 26:36 And the descendants of Shuthelah
were the Eranite clan from Eran.
Numbers 26:37 These were the clans of Ephraim,
and their registration numbered 32,500. These clans were the
descendants of Joseph.
Numbers 26:38 These were the descendants of
Benjamin by their clans: The Belaite clan from Bela, the Ashbelite
clan from Ashbel, the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram,
Numbers 26:39 the Shuphamite clan from Shupham,
and the Huphamite clan from Hupham.
Numbers 26:40 And the descendants of Bela from
Ard and Naaman were the Ardite clan from Ard and the Naamite clan
from Naaman.
Numbers 26:41 These were the clans of Benjamin,
and their registration numbered 45,600.
Numbers 26:42 These were the descendants of Dan
by their clans: The Shuhamite clan from Shuham. These were the
clans of Dan.
Numbers 26:43 All of them were Shuhamite clans,
and their registration numbered 64,400.
Numbers 26:44 These were the descendants of
Asher by their clans: The Imnite clan from Imnah, the Ishvite clan
from Ishvi, and the Beriite clan from Beriah.
Numbers 26:45 And these were the descendants of
Beriah: the Heberite clan from Heber and the Malchielite clan from
Malchiel.
Numbers 26:46 And the name of Asher’s daughter
was Serah.
Numbers 26:47 These were the clans of Asher, and
their registration numbered 53,400.
Numbers 26:48 These were the descendants of
Naphtali by their clans: The Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel, the
Gunite clan from Guni,
Numbers 26:49 the Jezerite clan from Jezer, and
the Shillemite clan from Shillem.
Numbers 26:50 These were the clans of Naphtali,
and their registration numbered 45,400.
Numbers 26:51 These men of Israel numbered
601,730 in all.
Numbers 26:52 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 26:53 “The land is to be divided among
the tribes as an inheritance, according to the number of names.
Numbers 26:54 Increase the inheritance for a
large tribe and decrease it for a small one; each tribe is to
receive its inheritance according to the number of those
registered.
Numbers 26:55 Indeed, the land must be divided
by lot; they shall receive their inheritance according to the
names of the tribes of their fathers.
Numbers 26:56 Each inheritance is to be divided
by lot among the larger and smaller tribes.”
Numbers 26:57 Now these were the Levites
numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the
Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari.
Numbers 26:58 These were the families of the
Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan,
the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father
of Amram,
Numbers 26:59 and Amram’s wife was named
Jochebed. She was also a daughter of Levi, born to Levi in Egypt.
To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.
Numbers 26:60 Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar
were born to Aaron,
Numbers 26:61 but Nadab and Abihu died when they
offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.
Numbers 26:62 The registration of the Levites
totaled 23,000, every male a month old or more; they were not
numbered among the other Israelites, because no inheritance was
given to them among the Israelites.
Numbers 26:63 These were the ones numbered by
Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on
the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.
Numbers 26:64 Among all these, however, there
was not one who had been numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest
when they counted the Israelites in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Numbers 26:65 For the LORD had told them that
they would surely die in the wilderness. Not one was left except
Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Numbers 27:1 Now the daughters of Zelophehad son
of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of
Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. These
were the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and
Tirzah. They approached
Numbers 27:2 the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting, stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and
the whole congregation, and said,
Numbers 27:3 “Our father died in the wilderness,
but he was not among the followers of Korah who gathered together
against the LORD. Instead, he died because of his own sin, and he
had no sons.
Numbers 27:4 Why should the name of our father
disappear from his clan because he had no sons? Give us property
among our father’s brothers.”
Numbers 27:5 So Moses brought their case before
the LORD,
Numbers 27:6 and the LORD answered him,
Numbers 27:7 “The daughters of Zelophehad speak
correctly. You certainly must give them property as an inheritance
among their father’s brothers, and transfer their father’s
inheritance to them.
Numbers 27:8 Furthermore, you shall say to the
Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, you are to transfer
his inheritance to his daughter.
Numbers 27:9 If he has no daughter, give his
inheritance to his brothers.
Numbers 27:10 If he has no brothers, give his
inheritance to his father’s brothers.
Numbers 27:11 And if his father has no brothers,
give his inheritance to the next of kin from his clan, that he may
take possession of it. This is to be a statutory ordinance for the
Israelites, as the LORD has commanded Moses.’”
Numbers 27:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go
up this mountain of the Abarim range and see the land that I have
given the Israelites.
Numbers 27:13 After you have seen it, you too
will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was;
Numbers 27:14 for when the congregation
contended in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you rebelled against
My command to show My holiness in their sight regarding the
waters.” Those were the waters of Meribah in Kadesh, in the
Wilderness of Zin.
Numbers 27:15 So Moses appealed to the LORD,
Numbers 27:16 “May the LORD, the God of the
spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation
Numbers 27:17 who will go out and come in before
them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the
congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep without a
shepherd.”
Numbers 27:18 And the LORD replied to Moses,
“Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay
your hands on him.
Numbers 27:19 Have him stand before Eleazar the
priest and the whole congregation, and commission him in their
sight.
Numbers 27:20 Confer on him some of your
authority, so that the whole congregation of Israel will obey him.
Numbers 27:21 He shall stand before Eleazar the
priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the
judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites
with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”
Numbers 27:22 Moses did as the LORD had
commanded him. He took Joshua, had him stand before Eleazar the
priest and the whole congregation,
Numbers 27:23 and laid his hands on him and
commissioned him, as the LORD had instructed through Moses.
Numbers 28:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 28:2 “Command the Israelites and say to
them: See that you present to Me at its appointed time the food
for My offerings by fire, as a pleasing aroma to Me.
Numbers 28:3 And tell them that this is the
offering made by fire you are to present to the LORD as a regular
burnt offering each day: two unblemished year-old male lambs.
Numbers 28:4 Offer one lamb in the morning and
the other at twilight,
Numbers 28:5 along with a tenth of an ephah of
fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with a quarter hin of oil
from pressed olives.
Numbers 28:6 This is a regular burnt offering
established at Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made
by fire to the LORD.
Numbers 28:7 The drink offering accompanying
each lamb shall be a quarter hin. Pour out the offering of
fermented drink to the LORD in the sanctuary area.
Numbers 28:8 And offer the second lamb at
twilight, with the same grain offering and drink offering as in
the morning. It is an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to
the LORD.
Numbers 28:9 On the Sabbath day, present two
unblemished year-old male lambs, accompanied by a grain offering
of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, as well as
a drink offering.
Numbers 28:10 This is the burnt offering for
every Sabbath, in addition to the regular burnt offering and its
drink offering.
Numbers 28:11 At the beginning of every month,
you are to present to the LORD a burnt offering of two young
bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished,
Numbers 28:12 along with three-tenths of an
ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each
bull, two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a
grain offering with the ram,
Numbers 28:13 and a tenth of an ephah of fine
flour mixed with oil as a grain offering with each lamb. This is a
burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the
LORD.
Numbers 28:14 Their drink offerings shall be
half a hin of wine with each bull, a third of a hin with the ram,
and a quarter hin with each lamb. This is the monthly burnt
offering to be made at each new moon throughout the year.
Numbers 28:15 In addition to the regular burnt
offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented
to the LORD as a sin offering.
Numbers 28:16 The fourteenth day of the first
month is the LORD’s Passover.
Numbers 28:17 On the fifteenth day of this
month, there shall be a feast; for seven days unleavened bread is
to be eaten.
Numbers 28:18 On the first day there is to be a
sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.
Numbers 28:19 Present to the LORD an offering
made by fire, a burnt offering of two young bulls, one ram, and
seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished.
Numbers 28:20 The grain offering shall consist
of fine flour mixed with oil; offer three-tenths of an ephah with
each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram,
Numbers 28:21 and a tenth of an ephah with each
of the seven lambs.
Numbers 28:22 Include one male goat as a sin
offering to make atonement for you.
Numbers 28:23 You are to present these in
addition to the regular morning burnt offering.
Numbers 28:24 Offer the same food each day for
seven days as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the
LORD. It is to be offered with its drink offering and the regular
burnt offering.
Numbers 28:25 On the seventh day you shall hold
a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.
Numbers 28:26 On the day of firstfruits, when
you present an offering of new grain to the LORD during the Feast
of Weeks, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do any
regular work.
Numbers 28:27 Present a burnt offering of two
young bulls, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old as a
pleasing aroma to the LORD,
Numbers 28:28 together with their grain
offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah
with each bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram,
Numbers 28:29 and a tenth of an ephah with each
of the seven lambs.
Numbers 28:30 Include one male goat to make
atonement for you.
Numbers 28:31 Offer them with their drink
offerings in addition to the regular burnt offering and its grain
offering. The animals must be unblemished.
Numbers 29:1 “On the first day of the seventh
month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you must not do any
regular work. This will be a day for you to sound the trumpets.
Numbers 29:2 As a pleasing aroma to the LORD,
you are to present a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram,
and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished,
Numbers 29:3 together with their grain offerings
of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with the
bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram,
Numbers 29:4 and a tenth of an ephah with each
of the seven male lambs.
Numbers 29:5 Include one male goat as a sin
offering to make atonement for you.
Numbers 29:6 These are in addition to the
monthly and daily burnt offerings with their prescribed grain
offerings and drink offerings. They are a pleasing aroma, an
offering made by fire to the LORD.
Numbers 29:7 On the tenth day of this seventh
month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you shall humble
yourselves; you must not do any work.
Numbers 29:8 Present as a pleasing aroma to the
LORD a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male
lambs a year old, all unblemished,
Numbers 29:9 together with their grain offerings
of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with the
bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram,
Numbers 29:10 and a tenth of an ephah with each
of the seven lambs.
Numbers 29:11 Include one male goat for a sin
offering, in addition to the sin offering of atonement and the
regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink
offerings.
Numbers 29:12 On the fifteenth day of the
seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly; you must not do
any regular work, and you shall observe a feast to the LORD for
seven days.
Numbers 29:13 As a pleasing aroma to the LORD,
you are to present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of
thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year
old, all unblemished,
Numbers 29:14 along with the grain offering of
three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil with each of
the thirteen bulls, two-tenths of an ephah with each of the two
rams,
Numbers 29:15 and a tenth of an ephah with each
of the fourteen lambs.
Numbers 29:16 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:17 On the second day you are to
present twelve young bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a
year old, all unblemished,
Numbers 29:18 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:19 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:20 On the third day you are to
present eleven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year
old, all unblemished,
Numbers 29:21 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:22 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:23 On the fourth day you are to
present ten bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old,
all unblemished,
Numbers 29:24 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:25 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:26 On the fifth day you are to
present nine bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old,
all unblemished,
Numbers 29:27 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:28 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:29 On the sixth day you are to
present eight bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old,
all unblemished,
Numbers 29:30 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:31 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:32 On the seventh day you are to
present seven bulls, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old,
all unblemished,
Numbers 29:33 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:34 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:35 On the eighth day you are to hold
a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.
Numbers 29:36 As a pleasing aroma to the LORD,
you are to present an offering made by fire, a burnt offering of
one bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all
unblemished,
Numbers 29:37 along with the grain and drink
offerings for the bulls, rams, and lambs, according to the number
prescribed.
Numbers 29:38 Include one male goat as a sin
offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain
offering and drink offering.
Numbers 29:39 You are to present these offerings
to the LORD at your appointed times, in addition to your vow and
freewill offerings, whether burnt offerings, grain offerings,
drink offerings, or peace offerings.”
Numbers 29:40 So Moses spoke all this to the
Israelites just as the LORD had commanded him.
Numbers 30:1 Then Moses said to the heads of the
tribes of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded:
Numbers 30:2 If a man makes a vow to the LORD or
swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break
his word; he must do everything he has promised.
Numbers 30:3 And if a woman in her father’s
house during her youth makes a vow to the LORD or obligates
herself by a pledge,
Numbers 30:4 and her father hears about her vow
or pledge but says nothing to her, then all the vows or pledges by
which she has bound herself shall stand.
Numbers 30:5 But if her father prohibits her on
the day he hears about it, then none of the vows or pledges by
which she has bound herself shall stand. The LORD will absolve her
because her father has prohibited her.
Numbers 30:6 If a woman marries while under a
vow or rash promise by which she has bound herself,
Numbers 30:7 and her husband hears of it but
says nothing to her on that day, then the vows or pledges by which
she has bound herself shall stand.
Numbers 30:8 But if her husband prohibits her
when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the
rash promise she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.
Numbers 30:9 Every vow a widow or divorced woman
pledges to fulfill is binding on her.
Numbers 30:10 If a woman in her husband’s house
has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath,
Numbers 30:11 and her husband hears of it but
says nothing to her and does not prohibit her, then all the vows
or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.
Numbers 30:12 But if her husband nullifies them
on the day he hears of them, then nothing that came from her lips,
whether her vows or pledges, shall stand. Her husband has
nullified them, and the LORD will absolve her.
Numbers 30:13 Her husband may confirm or nullify
any vow or any sworn pledge to deny herself.
Numbers 30:14 But if her husband says nothing to
her from day to day, then he confirms all the vows and pledges
that bind her. He has confirmed them, because he said nothing to
her on the day he heard about them.
Numbers 30:15 But if he nullifies them after he
hears of them, then he will bear her iniquity.”
Numbers 30:16 These are the statutes that the
LORD commanded Moses concerning the relationship between a man and
his wife, and between a father and a young daughter still in his
home.
Numbers 31:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 31:2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites
for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your
people.”
Numbers 31:3 So Moses told the people, “Arm some
of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and
execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.
Numbers 31:4 Send into battle a thousand men
from each tribe of Israel.”
Numbers 31:5 So a thousand men were recruited
from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.
Numbers 31:6 And Moses sent the thousand from
each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the
priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the
trumpets for signaling.
Numbers 31:7 Then they waged war against Midian,
as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.
Numbers 31:8 Among the slain were Evi, Rekem,
Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed
Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
Numbers 31:9 The Israelites captured the
Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their
herds, flocks, and goods.
Numbers 31:10 Then they burned all the cities
where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,
Numbers 31:11 and carried away all the plunder
and spoils, both people and animals.
Numbers 31:12 They brought the captives, spoils,
and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the
congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the
Jordan across from Jericho.
Numbers 31:13 And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and
all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the
camp.
Numbers 31:14 But Moses was angry with the
officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of
hundreds—who were returning from the battle.
Numbers 31:15 “Have you spared all the women?”
he asked them.
Numbers 31:16 “Look, these women caused the sons
of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to turn unfaithfully
against the LORD at Peor, so that the plague struck the
congregation of the LORD.
Numbers 31:17 So now, kill all the boys, as well
as every woman who has had relations with a man,
Numbers 31:18 but spare for yourselves every
girl who has never had relations with a man.
Numbers 31:19 All of you who have killed a
person or touched the dead are to remain outside the camp for
seven days. On the third day and the seventh day you are to purify
both yourselves and your captives.
Numbers 31:20 And purify every garment and
leather good, everything made of goat’s hair, and every article of
wood.”
Numbers 31:21 Then Eleazar the priest said to
the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is the statute of the
law which the LORD has commanded Moses:
Numbers 31:22 Only the gold, silver, bronze,
iron, tin, and lead—
Numbers 31:23 everything that can withstand the
fire—must be put through the fire, and it will be clean. But it
must still be purified with the water of purification. And
everything that cannot withstand the fire must pass through the
water.
Numbers 31:24 On the seventh day you are to wash
your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the
camp.”
Numbers 31:25 The LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 31:26 “You and Eleazar the priest and
the family heads of the congregation are to take a count of what
was captured, both of man and beast.
Numbers 31:27 Then divide the captives between
the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the
congregation.
Numbers 31:28 Set aside a tribute for the LORD
from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of
every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep.
Numbers 31:29 Take it from their half and give
it to Eleazar the priest as an offering to the LORD.
Numbers 31:30 From the Israelites’ half, take
one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep,
or other animals, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of
the tabernacle of the LORD.”
Numbers 31:31 So Moses and Eleazar the priest
did as the LORD had commanded Moses,
Numbers 31:32 and this plunder remained from the
spoils the soldiers had taken: 675,000 sheep,
Numbers 31:33 72,000 cattle,
Numbers 31:34 61,000 donkeys,
Numbers 31:35 and 32,000 women who had not slept
with a man.
Numbers 31:36 This was the half portion for
those who had gone to war: 337,500 sheep,
Numbers 31:37 including a tribute to the LORD of
675,
Numbers 31:38 36,000 cattle, including a tribute
to the LORD of 72,
Numbers 31:39 30,500 donkeys, including a
tribute to the LORD of 61,
Numbers 31:40 and 16,000 people, including a
tribute to the LORD of 32.
Numbers 31:41 Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar
the priest as an offering for the LORD, as the LORD had commanded
Moses.
Numbers 31:42 From the Israelites’ half, which
Moses had set apart from the men who had gone to war,
Numbers 31:43 this half belonged to the
congregation: 337,500 sheep,
Numbers 31:44 36,000 cattle,
Numbers 31:45 30,500 donkeys,
Numbers 31:46 and 16,000 people.
Numbers 31:47 From the Israelites’ half, Moses
took one out of every fifty persons and animals and gave them to
the Levites who kept charge of the tabernacle of the LORD, as the
LORD had commanded him.
Numbers 31:48 Then the officers who were over
the units of the army—the commanders of thousands and of
hundreds—approached Moses
Numbers 31:49 and said, “Your servants have
counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is
missing.
Numbers 31:50 So we have brought to the LORD an
offering of the gold articles each man acquired—armlets,
bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces—to make atonement for
ourselves before the LORD.”
Numbers 31:51 So Moses and Eleazar the priest
received from them all the articles made out of gold.
Numbers 31:52 All the gold that the commanders
of thousands and of hundreds presented as an offering to the LORD
weighed 16,750 shekels.
Numbers 31:53 Each of the soldiers had taken
plunder for himself.
Numbers 31:54 And Moses and Eleazar the priest
received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds
and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the
Israelites before the LORD.
Numbers 32:1 Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who
had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and
Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock.
Numbers 32:2 So the Gadites and Reubenites came
to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation,
and said,
Numbers 32:3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah,
Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
Numbers 32:4 which the LORD conquered before the
congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your
servants have livestock.”
Numbers 32:5 “If we have found favor in your
sight,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as a
possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
Numbers 32:6 But Moses asked the Gadites and
Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
Numbers 32:7 Why are you discouraging the
Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given
them?
Numbers 32:8 This is what your fathers did when
I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.
Numbers 32:9 For when your fathers went up to
the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the
Israelites from entering the land that the LORD had given them.
Numbers 32:10 So the anger of the LORD was
kindled that day, and He swore an oath, saying,
Numbers 32:11 ‘Because they did not follow Me
wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older
who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—
Numbers 32:12 not one except Caleb son of
Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did
follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’
Numbers 32:13 The anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty
years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight
was gone.
Numbers 32:14 Now behold, you, a brood of
sinners, have risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke
the burning anger of the LORD against Israel.
Numbers 32:15 For if you turn away from
following Him, He will once again leave this people in the
wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”
Numbers 32:16 Then the Gadites and Reubenites
approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for
our livestock and cities for our little ones.
Numbers 32:17 But we will arm ourselves and be
ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them
into their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will remain in the
fortified cities for protection from the inhabitants of the land.
Numbers 32:18 We will not return to our homes
until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance.
Numbers 32:19 Yet we will not have an
inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our
inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
Numbers 32:20 Moses replied, “If you will do
this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle,
Numbers 32:21 and if every one of your armed men
crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His
enemies out before Him,
Numbers 32:22 then when the land is subdued
before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the
LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a
possession before the LORD.
Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do this, you
will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin
will find you out.
Numbers 32:24 Build cities for your little ones
and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
Numbers 32:25 The Gadites and Reubenites said to
Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands.
Numbers 32:26 Our children, our wives, our
livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of
Gilead.
Numbers 32:27 But your servants are equipped for
war, and every man will cross over to the battle before the LORD,
just as our lord says.”
Numbers 32:28 So Moses gave orders about them to
Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family
leaders of the tribes of Israel.
Numbers 32:29 And Moses said to them, “If the
Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man
armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before
you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
Numbers 32:30 But if they do not arm themselves
and go across with you, then they must accept their possession
among you in the land of Canaan.”
Numbers 32:31 The Gadites and Reubenites
replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do.
Numbers 32:32 We will cross over into the land
of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance
on this side of the Jordan.”
Numbers 32:33 So Moses gave to the Gadites, to
the Reubenites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph
the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og
king of Bashan—the land including its cities and the territory
surrounding them.
Numbers 32:34 And the Gadites built up Dibon,
Ataroth, Aroer,
Numbers 32:35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
Numbers 32:36 Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as
fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks.
Numbers 32:37 The Reubenites built up Heshbon,
Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
Numbers 32:38 as well as Nebo and Baal-meon
(whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the
cities they rebuilt.
Numbers 32:39 The descendants of Machir son of
Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites
who were there.
Numbers 32:40 So Moses gave Gilead to the clan
of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there.
Numbers 32:41 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh,
went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair.
Numbers 32:42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath
and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Numbers 33:1 These are the journeys of the
Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt by their
divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
Numbers 33:2 At the LORD’s command, Moses
recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed
by their starting points:
Numbers 33:3 On the fifteenth day of the first
month, on the day after the Passover, the Israelites set out from
Rameses. They marched out defiantly in full view of all the
Egyptians,
Numbers 33:4 who were burying all their
firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD
had executed judgment against their gods.
Numbers 33:5 The Israelites set out from Rameses
and camped at Succoth.
Numbers 33:6 They set out from Succoth and
camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
Numbers 33:7 They set out from Etham and turned
back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near
Migdol.
Numbers 33:8 They set out from Pi-hahiroth and
crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed
three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.
Numbers 33:9 They set out from Marah and came to
Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and
they camped there.
Numbers 33:10 They set out from Elim and camped
by the Red Sea.
Numbers 33:11 They set out from the Red Sea and
camped in the Desert of Sin.
Numbers 33:12 They set out from the Desert of
Sin and camped at Dophkah.
Numbers 33:13 They set out from Dophkah and
camped at Alush.
Numbers 33:14 They set out from Alush and camped
at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
Numbers 33:15 They set out from Rephidim and
camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.
Numbers 33:16 They set out from the Wilderness
of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.
Numbers 33:17 They set out from
Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.
Numbers 33:18 They set out from Hazeroth and
camped at Rithmah.
Numbers 33:19 They set out from Rithmah and
camped at Rimmon-perez.
Numbers 33:20 They set out from Rimmon-perez and
camped at Libnah.
Numbers 33:21 They set out from Libnah and
camped at Rissah.
Numbers 33:22 They set out from Rissah and
camped at Kehelathah.
Numbers 33:23 They set out from Kehelathah and
camped at Mount Shepher.
Numbers 33:24 They set out from Mount Shepher
and camped at Haradah.
Numbers 33:25 They set out from Haradah and
camped at Makheloth.
Numbers 33:26 They set out from Makheloth and
camped at Tahath.
Numbers 33:27 They set out from Tahath and
camped at Terah.
Numbers 33:28 They set out from Terah and camped
at Mithkah.
Numbers 33:29 They set out from Mithkah and
camped at Hashmonah.
Numbers 33:30 They set out from Hashmonah and
camped at Moseroth.
Numbers 33:31 They set out from Moseroth and
camped at Bene-jaakan.
Numbers 33:32 They set out from Bene-jaakan and
camped at Hor-haggidgad.
Numbers 33:33 They set out from Hor-haggidgad
and camped at Jotbathah.
Numbers 33:34 They set out from Jotbathah and
camped at Abronah.
Numbers 33:35 They set out from Abronah and
camped at Ezion-geber.
Numbers 33:36 They set out from Ezion-geber and
camped at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.
Numbers 33:37 They set out from Kadesh and
camped at Mount Hor, on the outskirts of the land of Edom.
Numbers 33:38 At the LORD’s command, Aaron the
priest climbed Mount Hor and died there on the first day of the
fifth month, in the fortieth year after the Israelites had come
out of the land of Egypt.
Numbers 33:39 Aaron was 123 years old when he
died on Mount Hor.
Numbers 33:40 Now the Canaanite king of Arad,
who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard that the
Israelites were coming.
Numbers 33:41 And the Israelites set out from
Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.
Numbers 33:42 They set out from Zalmonah and
camped at Punon.
Numbers 33:43 They set out from Punon and camped
at Oboth.
Numbers 33:44 They set out from Oboth and camped
at Iye-abarim on the border of Moab.
Numbers 33:45 They set out from Iyim and camped
at Dibon-gad.
Numbers 33:46 They set out from Dibon-gad and
camped at Almon-diblathaim.
Numbers 33:47 They set out from Almon-diblathaim
and camped in the mountains of Abarim facing Nebo.
Numbers 33:48 They set out from the mountains of
Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from
Jericho.
Numbers 33:49 And there on the plains of Moab
they camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim.
Numbers 33:50 On the plains of Moab by the
Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 33:51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
Numbers 33:52 you must drive out before you all
the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and
cast idols, and demolish all their high places.
Numbers 33:53 You are to take possession of the
land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.
Numbers 33:54 And you are to divide the land by
lot according to your clans. Give a larger inheritance to a larger
clan and a smaller inheritance to a smaller one. Whatever falls to
each one by lot will be his. You will receive an inheritance
according to the tribes of your fathers.
Numbers 33:55 But if you do not drive out the
inhabitants of the land before you, those you allow to remain will
become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides; they will
harass you in the land where you settle.
Numbers 33:56 And then I will do to you what I
had planned to do to them.”
Numbers 34:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 34:2 “Command the Israelites and say to
them: When you enter the land of Canaan, it will be allotted to
you as an inheritance with these boundaries:
Numbers 34:3 Your southern border will extend
from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom. On the east,
your southern border will run from the end of the Salt Sea,
Numbers 34:4 cross south of the Ascent of
Akrabbim, continue to Zin, and go south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it
will go on to Hazar-addar and proceed to Azmon,
Numbers 34:5 where it will turn from Azmon, join
the Brook of Egypt, and end at the Sea.
Numbers 34:6 Your western border will be the
coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the
west.
Numbers 34:7 Your northern border will run from
the Great Sea directly to Mount Hor,
Numbers 34:8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo-hamath,
then extend to Zedad,
Numbers 34:9 continue to Ziphron, and end at
Hazar-enan. This will be your boundary on the north.
Numbers 34:10 And your eastern border will run
straight from Hazar-enan to Shepham,
Numbers 34:11 then go down from Shepham to
Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east
of the Sea of Chinnereth.
Numbers 34:12 Then the border will go down along
the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea. This will be your land,
defined by its borders on all sides.”
Numbers 34:13 So Moses commanded the Israelites,
“Apportion this land by lot as an inheritance. The LORD has
commanded that it be given to the nine and a half tribes.
Numbers 34:14 For the tribes of the Reubenites
and Gadites, along with the half-tribe of Manasseh, have already
received their inheritance.
Numbers 34:15 These two and a half tribes have
received their inheritance across the Jordan from Jericho, toward
the sunrise.”
Numbers 34:16 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 34:17 “These are the names of the men
who are to assign the land as an inheritance for you: Eleazar the
priest and Joshua son of Nun.
Numbers 34:18 Appoint one leader from each tribe
to distribute the land.
Numbers 34:19 These are their names: Caleb son
of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah;
Numbers 34:20 Shemuel son of Ammihud from the
tribe of Simeon;
Numbers 34:21 Elidad son of Chislon from the
tribe of Benjamin;
Numbers 34:22 Bukki son of Jogli, a leader from
the tribe of Dan;
Numbers 34:23 Hanniel son of Ephod, a leader
from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph;
Numbers 34:24 Kemuel son of Shiphtan, a leader
from the tribe of Ephraim;
Numbers 34:25 Eli-zaphan son of Parnach, a
leader from the tribe of Zebulun;
Numbers 34:26 Paltiel son of Azzan, a leader
from the tribe of Issachar;
Numbers 34:27 Ahihud son of Shelomi, a leader
from the tribe of Asher;
Numbers 34:28 and Pedahel son of Ammihud, a
leader from the tribe of Naphtali.”
Numbers 34:29 These are the ones whom the LORD
commanded to apportion the inheritance to the Israelites in the
land of Canaan.
Numbers 35:1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses on
the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho:
Numbers 35:2 “Command the Israelites to give,
from the inheritance they will possess, cities for the Levites to
live in and pasturelands around the cities.
Numbers 35:3 The cities will be for them to live
in, and the pasturelands will be for their herds, their flocks,
and all their other livestock.
Numbers 35:4 The pasturelands around the cities
you are to give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits from the
wall on every side.
Numbers 35:5 You are also to measure two
thousand cubits outside the city on the east, two thousand on the
south, two thousand on the west, and two thousand on the north,
with the city in the center. These areas will serve as larger
pasturelands for the cities.
Numbers 35:6 Six of the cities you give the
Levites are to be appointed as cities of refuge, to which a
manslayer may flee. In addition to these, give the Levites
forty-two other cities.
Numbers 35:7 The total number of cities you give
the Levites will be forty-eight, with their corresponding
pasturelands.
Numbers 35:8 The cities that you apportion from
the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in
proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger
tribe and less from a smaller one.”
Numbers 35:9 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Numbers 35:10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell
them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
Numbers 35:11 designate cities to serve as your
cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone
unintentionally may flee there.
Numbers 35:12 You are to have these cities as a
refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until
he stands trial before the assembly.
Numbers 35:13 The cities you select will be your
six cities of refuge.
Numbers 35:14 Select three cities across the
Jordan and three in the land of Canaan as cities of refuge.
Numbers 35:15 These six cities will serve as a
refuge for the Israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among
them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee
there.
Numbers 35:16 If, however, anyone strikes a
person with an iron object and kills him, he is a murderer; the
murderer must surely be put to death.
Numbers 35:17 Or if anyone has in his hand a
stone of deadly size, and he strikes and kills another, he is a
murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
Numbers 35:18 If anyone has in his hand a deadly
object of wood, and he strikes and kills another, he is a
murderer; the murderer must surely be put to death.
Numbers 35:19 The avenger of blood is to put the
murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
Numbers 35:20 Likewise, if anyone maliciously
pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills
him,
Numbers 35:21 or if in hostility he strikes him
with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must surely be
put to death; he is a murderer. When the avenger of blood finds
the murderer, he is to kill him.
Numbers 35:22 But if anyone pushes a person
suddenly, without hostility, or throws an object at him
unintentionally,
Numbers 35:23 or without looking drops a heavy
stone that kills him, but he was not an enemy and did not intend
to harm him,
Numbers 35:24 then the congregation must judge
between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these
ordinances.
Numbers 35:25 The assembly is to protect the
manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly
will return him to the city of refuge to which he fled, and he
must live there until the death of the high priest, who was
anointed with the holy oil.
Numbers 35:26 But if the manslayer ever goes
outside the limits of the city of refuge to which he fled
Numbers 35:27 and the avenger of blood finds him
outside of his city of refuge and kills him, then the avenger will
not be guilty of bloodshed
Numbers 35:28 because the manslayer must remain
in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only
after the death of the high priest may he return to the land he
owns.
Numbers 35:29 This will be a statutory ordinance
for you for the generations to come, wherever you live.
Numbers 35:30 If anyone kills a person, the
murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses.
But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone
witness.
Numbers 35:31 You are not to accept a ransom for
the life of a murderer who deserves to die; he must surely be put
to death.
Numbers 35:32 Nor should you accept a ransom for
the person who flees to a city of refuge and allow him to return
and live on his own land before the death of the high priest.
Numbers 35:33 Do not pollute the land where you
live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be
made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood
of the one who shed it.
Numbers 35:34 Do not defile the land where you
live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the
Israelites.”
Numbers 36:1 Now the family heads of the clan of
Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh, one of the clans of Joseph,
approached Moses and the leaders who were the heads of the
Israelite families and addressed them,
Numbers 36:2 saying, “When the LORD commanded my
lord to give the land as an inheritance to the Israelites by lot,
He also commanded him to give the inheritance of our brother
Zelophehad to his daughters.
Numbers 36:3 But if they marry any of the men
from the other tribes of Israel, their inheritance will be
withdrawn from the portion of our fathers and added to the tribe
into which they marry. So our allotted inheritance would be taken
away.
Numbers 36:4 And when the Jubilee for the
Israelites comes, their inheritance will be added to the tribe
into which they marry and taken away from the tribe of our
fathers.”
Numbers 36:5 So at the word of the LORD, Moses
commanded the Israelites: “The tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks
correctly.
Numbers 36:6 This is what the LORD has commanded
concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: They may marry anyone they
please, provided they marry within a clan of the tribe of their
father.
Numbers 36:7 No inheritance in Israel may be
transferred from tribe to tribe, because each of the Israelites is
to retain the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.
Numbers 36:8 Every daughter who possesses an
inheritance from any Israelite tribe must marry within a clan of
the tribe of her father, so that every Israelite will possess the
inheritance of his fathers.
Numbers 36:9 No inheritance may be transferred
from one tribe to another, for each tribe of Israel must retain
its inheritance.”
Numbers 36:10 So the daughters of Zelophehad did
as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 36:11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah,
and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married to cousins on
their father’s side.
Numbers 36:12 They married within the clans of
the descendants of Manasseh son of Joseph, and their inheritance
remained within the tribe of their father’s clan.
Numbers 36:13 These are the commandments and
ordinances that the LORD gave the Israelites through Moses on the
plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.
DEUTERONOMY
Deuteronomy 1:1 These are the words that Moses
spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the
Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth,
and Dizahab.
Deuteronomy 1:2 It is an eleven-day journey from
Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by way of Mount Seir.
Deuteronomy 1:3 In the fortieth year, on the
first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the
Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them.
Deuteronomy 1:4 This was after he had defeated
Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and then at
Edrei had defeated Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
Deuteronomy 1:5 On the east side of the Jordan
in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law, saying:
Deuteronomy 1:6 The LORD our God said to us at
Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
Deuteronomy 1:7 Resume your journey and go to
the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring
peoples in the Arabah, in the hill country, in the foothills, in
the Negev, and along the seacoast to the land of the Canaanites
and to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.
Deuteronomy 1:8 See, I have placed the land
before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He
would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their
descendants after them.”
Deuteronomy 1:9 At that time I said to you, “I
cannot carry the burden for you alone.
Deuteronomy 1:10 The LORD your God has
multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in
the sky.
Deuteronomy 1:11 May the LORD, the God of your
fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He
has promised.
Deuteronomy 1:12 But how can I bear your
troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?
Deuteronomy 1:13 Choose for yourselves wise,
understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I
will appoint them as your leaders.”
Deuteronomy 1:14 And you answered me and said,
“What you propose to do is good.”
Deuteronomy 1:15 So I took the leaders of your
tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over
you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of
tens, and as officers for your tribes.
Deuteronomy 1:16 At that time I charged your
judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly
between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.
Deuteronomy 1:17 Show no partiality in judging;
hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone,
for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too
difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
Deuteronomy 1:18 And at that time I commanded
you all the things you were to do.
Deuteronomy 1:19 And just as the LORD our God
had commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill
country of the Amorites, through all the vast and terrifying
wilderness you have seen. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,
Deuteronomy 1:20 I said: “You have reached the
hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us.
Deuteronomy 1:21 See, the LORD your God has
placed the land before you. Go up and take possession of it as the
LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not be afraid or
discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 1:22 Then all of you approached me
and said, “Let us send men ahead of us to search out the land and
bring us word of what route to follow and which cities to enter.”
Deuteronomy 1:23 The plan seemed good to me, so
I selected twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.
Deuteronomy 1:24 They left and went up into the
hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied out the
land.
Deuteronomy 1:25 They took some of the fruit of
the land in their hands, carried it down to us, and brought us
word: “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
Deuteronomy 1:26 But you were unwilling to go
up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 1:27 You grumbled in your tents and
said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the
land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be
annihilated.
Deuteronomy 1:28 Where can we go? Our brothers
have made our hearts melt, saying: ‘The people are larger and
taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the
heavens. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there.’”
Deuteronomy 1:29 So I said to you: “Do not be
terrified or afraid of them!
Deuteronomy 1:30 The LORD your God, who goes
before you, will fight for you, just as you saw Him do for you in
Egypt
Deuteronomy 1:31 and in the wilderness, where
the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the
way by which you traveled until you reached this place.”
Deuteronomy 1:32 But in spite of all this, you
did not trust the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 1:33 who went before you on the
journey, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, to seek out
a place for you to camp and to show you the road to travel.
Deuteronomy 1:34 When the LORD heard your words,
He grew angry and swore an oath, saying,
Deuteronomy 1:35 “Not one of the men of this
evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your
fathers,
Deuteronomy 1:36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh.
He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land
on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD
wholeheartedly.”
Deuteronomy 1:37 The LORD was also angry with me
on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land.
Deuteronomy 1:38 Joshua son of Nun, who stands
before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable
Israel to inherit the land.
Deuteronomy 1:39 And the little ones you said
would become captives—your children who on that day did not know
good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they
will possess it.
Deuteronomy 1:40 But you are to turn back and
head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea.”
Deuteronomy 1:41 “We have sinned against the
LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God
has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war,
thinking it easy to go up into the hill country.
Deuteronomy 1:42 But the LORD said to me, “Tell
them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you
from defeat by your enemies.”
Deuteronomy 1:43 So I spoke to you, but you
would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and
presumptuously went up into the hill country.
Deuteronomy 1:44 Then the Amorites who lived in
the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of
bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah.
Deuteronomy 1:45 And you returned and wept
before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear
to you.
Deuteronomy 1:46 For this reason you stayed in
Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.
Deuteronomy 2:1 Then we turned back and headed
for the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, as the LORD had
instructed me, and for many days we wandered around Mount Seir.
Deuteronomy 2:2 At this time the LORD said to
me,
Deuteronomy 2:3 “You have been wandering around
this hill country long enough; turn to the north
Deuteronomy 2:4 and command the people: ‘You
will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants
of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must
be very careful.
Deuteronomy 2:5 Do not provoke them, for I will
not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I
have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.
Deuteronomy 2:6 You are to pay them in silver
for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”
Deuteronomy 2:7 Indeed, the LORD your God has
blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over
your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has
been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.
Deuteronomy 2:8 So we passed by our brothers,
the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the
Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and
traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.
Deuteronomy 2:9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do
not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not
give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the
descendants of Lot as their possession.”
Deuteronomy 2:10 (The Emites used to live there,
a people great and many, as tall as the Anakites.
Deuteronomy 2:11 Like the Anakites, they were
also regarded as Rephaim, though the Moabites called them Emites.
Deuteronomy 2:12 The Horites used to live in
Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed
the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as
Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their
possession.)
Deuteronomy 2:13 “Now arise and cross over the
Brook of Zered.” So we crossed over the Brook of Zered.
Deuteronomy 2:14 The time we spent traveling
from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was
thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men
had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.
Deuteronomy 2:15 Indeed, the LORD’s hand was
against them, to eliminate them from the camp, until they had all
perished.
Deuteronomy 2:16 Now when all the fighting men
among the people had died,
Deuteronomy 2:17 the LORD said to me,
Deuteronomy 2:18 “Today you are going to cross
the border of Moab at Ar.
Deuteronomy 2:19 But when you get close to the
Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give
you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the
descendants of Lot as their possession.”
Deuteronomy 2:20 (That too was regarded as the
land of the Rephaim, who used to live there, though the Ammonites
called them Zamzummites.
Deuteronomy 2:21 They were a people great and
many, as tall as the Anakites. But the LORD destroyed them from
before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their
place,
Deuteronomy 2:22 just as He had done for the
descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the
Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in
their place to this day.
Deuteronomy 2:23 And the Avvim, who lived in
villages as far as Gaza, were destroyed by the Caphtorites, who
came out of Caphtor and settled in their place.)
Deuteronomy 2:24 “Arise, set out, and cross the
Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the
Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession
of it and engage him in battle.
Deuteronomy 2:25 This very day I will begin to
put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven.
They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because
of you.”
Deuteronomy 2:26 So from the Wilderness of
Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of
Heshbon, saying,
Deuteronomy 2:27 “Let us pass through your land;
we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to
the left.
Deuteronomy 2:28 You can sell us food to eat and
water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on
foot,
Deuteronomy 2:29 just as the descendants of Esau
who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until
we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving
us.”
Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would
not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit
stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into
your hand, as is the case this day.
Deuteronomy 2:31 Then the LORD said to me, “See,
I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin
to conquer and possess his land.”
Deuteronomy 2:32 So Sihon and his whole army
came out for battle against us at Jahaz.
Deuteronomy 2:33 And the LORD our God delivered
him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole
army.
Deuteronomy 2:34 At that time we captured all
his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city,
including women and children. We left no survivors.
Deuteronomy 2:35 We carried off for ourselves
only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.
Deuteronomy 2:36 From Aroer on the rim of the
Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as
Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God
gave us all of them.
Deuteronomy 2:37 But you did not go near the
land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok
River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the
LORD our God had forbidden.
Deuteronomy 3:1 Then we turned and went up the
road to Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army came out
to meet us in battle at Edrei.
Deuteronomy 3:2 But the LORD said to me, “Do not
fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, along with all
his people and his land. Do to him as you did to Sihon king of the
Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.”
Deuteronomy 3:3 So the LORD our God also
delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands. We
struck them down until no survivor was left.
Deuteronomy 3:4 At that time we captured all
sixty of his cities. There was not a single city we failed to
take—the entire region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
Deuteronomy 3:5 All these cities were fortified
with high walls and gates and bars, and there were many more
unwalled villages.
Deuteronomy 3:6 We devoted them to destruction,
as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the
men, women, and children of every city.
Deuteronomy 3:7 But all the livestock and
plunder of the cities we carried off for ourselves.
Deuteronomy 3:8 At that time we took from the
two kings of the Amorites the land across the Jordan, from the
Arnon Valley as far as Mount Hermon—
Deuteronomy 3:9 which the Sidonians call Sirion
but the Amorites call Senir—
Deuteronomy 3:10 all the cities of the plateau,
all of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as the cities of Salecah
and Edrei in the kingdom of Og.
Deuteronomy 3:11 (For only Og king of Bashan had
remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine
cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the
Ammonites.)
Deuteronomy 3:12 So at that time we took
possession of this land. To the Reubenites and Gadites I gave the
land beyond Aroer along the Arnon Valley, and half the hill
country of Gilead, along with its cities.
Deuteronomy 3:13 To the half-tribe of Manasseh I
gave the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og. (The
entire region of Argob, the whole territory of Bashan, used to be
called the land of the Rephaim.)
Deuteronomy 3:14 Jair, a descendant of Manasseh,
took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the
Geshurites and Maacathites. He renamed Bashan after himself,
Havvoth-jair, by which it is called to this day.
Deuteronomy 3:15 To Machir I gave Gilead,
Deuteronomy 3:16 and to the Reubenites and
Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead to the Arnon Valley (the
middle of the valley was the border) and up to the Jabbok River,
the border of the Ammonites.
Deuteronomy 3:17 The Jordan River in the Arabah
bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt
Sea) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east.
Deuteronomy 3:18 At that time I commanded you:
“The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All your
men of valor are to cross over, armed for battle, ahead of your
brothers, the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 3:19 But your wives, your children,
and your livestock—I know that you have much livestock—may remain
in the cities I have given you,
Deuteronomy 3:20 until the LORD gives rest to
your brothers as He has to you, and they too have taken possession
of the land that the LORD your God is giving them across the
Jordan. Then each of you may return to the possession I have given
you.”
Deuteronomy 3:21 And at that time I commanded
Joshua: “Your own eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has
done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the
kingdoms you are about to enter.
Deuteronomy 3:22 Do not be afraid of them, for
the LORD your God Himself will fight for you.”
Deuteronomy 3:23 At that time I also pleaded
with the LORD:
Deuteronomy 3:24 “O Lord GOD, You have begun to
show Your greatness and power to Your servant. For what god in
heaven or on earth can perform such works and mighty acts as
Yours?
Deuteronomy 3:25 Please let me cross over and
see the good land beyond the Jordan—that pleasant hill country as
well as Lebanon!”
Deuteronomy 3:26 But the LORD was angry with me
on account of you, and He would not listen to me. “That is
enough,” the LORD said to me. “Do not speak to Me again about this
matter.
Deuteronomy 3:27 Go to the top of Pisgah and
look to the west and north and south and east. See the land with
your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan.
Deuteronomy 3:28 But commission Joshua,
encourage him, and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of
the people and enable them to inherit the land that you will see.”
Deuteronomy 3:29 So we stayed in the valley
opposite Beth-peor.
Deuteronomy 4:1 Hear now, O Israel, the statutes
and ordinances I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live
and may enter and take possession of the land that the LORD, the
God of your fathers, is giving you.
Deuteronomy 4:2 You must not add to or subtract
from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of
the LORD your God that I am giving you.
Deuteronomy 4:3 Your eyes have seen what the
LORD did at Baal-peor, for the LORD your God destroyed from among
you all who followed Baal of Peor.
Deuteronomy 4:4 But you who held fast to the
LORD your God are alive to this day, every one of you.
Deuteronomy 4:5 See, I have taught you statutes
and ordinances just as the LORD my God has commanded me, so that
you may follow them in the land that you are about to enter and
possess.
Deuteronomy 4:6 Observe them carefully, for this
will show your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the
peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “Surely this
great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is great enough
to have a god as near to them as the LORD our God is to us
whenever we call on Him?
Deuteronomy 4:8 And what nation is great enough
to have righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I
set before you today?
Deuteronomy 4:9 Only be on your guard and
diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things
your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart
as long as you live. Teach them to your children and
grandchildren.
Deuteronomy 4:10 The day you stood before the
LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people
before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all
the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to
their children.”
Deuteronomy 4:11 You came near and stood at the
base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens,
with black clouds and deep darkness.
Deuteronomy 4:12 And the LORD spoke to you out
of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form;
there was only a voice.
Deuteronomy 4:13 He declared to you His
covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments
that He wrote on two tablets of stone.
Deuteronomy 4:14 At that time the LORD commanded
me to teach you the statutes and ordinances you are to follow in
the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 4:15 So since you saw no form of any
kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be
careful
Deuteronomy 4:16 that you do not act corruptly
and make an idol for yourselves of any form or shape, whether in
the likeness of a male or female,
Deuteronomy 4:17 of any beast that is on the
earth or bird that flies in the air,
Deuteronomy 4:18 or of any creature that crawls
on the ground or fish that is in the waters below.
Deuteronomy 4:19 When you look to the heavens
and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not
be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has
apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
Deuteronomy 4:20 Yet the LORD has taken you and
brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be the
people of His inheritance, as you are today.
Deuteronomy 4:21 The LORD, however, was angry
with me on account of you, and He swore that I would not cross the
Jordan to enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving you
as an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 4:22 For I will not be crossing the
Jordan, because I must die in this land. But you shall cross over
and take possession of that good land.
Deuteronomy 4:23 Be careful that you do not
forget the covenant of the LORD your God that He made with you; do
not make an idol for yourselves in the form of anything He has
forbidden you.
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a
consuming fire, a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:25 After you have children and
grandchildren and you have been in the land a long time, if you
then act corruptly and make an idol of any form—doing evil in the
sight of the LORD your God and provoking Him to anger—
Deuteronomy 4:26 I call heaven and earth as
witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from
the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not
live long upon it, but will be utterly destroyed.
Deuteronomy 4:27 Then the LORD will scatter you
among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the
nations to which the LORD will drive you.
Deuteronomy 4:28 And there you will serve
man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat
or smell.
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you will seek
the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your
heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:30 When you are in distress and
all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will
return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.
Deuteronomy 4:31 For the LORD your God is a
merciful God; He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the
covenant with your fathers, which He swore to them by oath.
Deuteronomy 4:32 Indeed, ask now from one end of
the heavens to the other about the days that long preceded you,
from the day that God created man on earth: Has anything as great
as this ever happened or been reported?
Deuteronomy 4:33 Has a people ever heard the
voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived?
Deuteronomy 4:34 Or has any god tried to take as
his own a nation out of another nation—by trials, signs, wonders,
and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great
terrors—as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, before your
eyes?
Deuteronomy 4:35 You were shown these things so
that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other
besides Him.
Deuteronomy 4:36 He let you hear His voice from
heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great
fire, and you heard His words out of the fire.
Deuteronomy 4:37 Because He loved your fathers,
He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt
by His presence and great power,
Deuteronomy 4:38 to drive out before you nations
greater and mightier than you, and to bring you into their land
and give it to you for your inheritance, as it is this day.
Deuteronomy 4:39 Know therefore this day and
take to heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the
earth below; there is no other.
Deuteronomy 4:40 Keep His statutes and
commandments, which I am giving you today, so that you and your
children after you may prosper, and that you may live long in the
land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.
Deuteronomy 4:41 Then Moses set aside three
cities across the Jordan to the east
Deuteronomy 4:42 to which a manslayer could flee
after killing his neighbor unintentionally without prior malice.
To save one’s own life, he could flee to one of these cities:
Deuteronomy 4:43 Bezer in the wilderness on the
plateau belonging to the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to
the Gadites, or Golan in Bashan belonging to the Manassites.
Deuteronomy 4:44 This is the law that Moses set
before the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 4:45 These are the testimonies,
statutes, and ordinances that Moses proclaimed to them after they
had come out of Egypt,
Deuteronomy 4:46 while they were in the valley
across the Jordan facing Beth-peor in the land of Sihon king of
the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon and was defeated by Moses and
the Israelites after they had come out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 4:47 They took possession of the
land belonging to Sihon and to Og king of Bashan—the two Amorite
kings across the Jordan to the east—
Deuteronomy 4:48 extending from Aroer on the rim
of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Siyon (that is, Hermon),
Deuteronomy 4:49 including all the Arabah on the
east side of the Jordan and as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below
the slopes of Pisgah.
Deuteronomy 5:1 Then Moses summoned all Israel
and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that
I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them
carefully.
Deuteronomy 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant
with us at Horeb.
Deuteronomy 5:3 He did not make this covenant
with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.
Deuteronomy 5:4 The LORD spoke with you face to
face out of the fire on the mountain.
Deuteronomy 5:5 At that time I was standing
between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD,
because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the
mountain. And He said:
Deuteronomy 5:6 “I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Deuteronomy 5:7 You shall have no other gods
before Me.
Deuteronomy 5:8 You shall not make for yourself
an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth
below, or in the waters beneath.
Deuteronomy 5:9 You shall not bow down to them
or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the
third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Deuteronomy 5:10 but showing loving devotion to
a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My
commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:11 You shall not take the name of
the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone
unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Deuteronomy 5:12 Observe the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.
Deuteronomy 5:13 Six days you shall labor and do
all your work,
Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a
Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any
work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or
maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor
the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and
maidservant may rest as you do.
Deuteronomy 5:15 Remember that you were a slave
in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out
of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why
the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Deuteronomy 5:16 Honor your father and your
mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days
may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the
LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 5:17 You shall not murder.
Deuteronomy 5:18 You shall not commit adultery.
Deuteronomy 5:19 You shall not steal.
Deuteronomy 5:20 You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor.
Deuteronomy 5:21 You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or
field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Deuteronomy 5:22 The LORD spoke these
commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the
fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added
nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave
them to me.
Deuteronomy 5:23 And when you heard the voice
out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all
the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me,
Deuteronomy 5:24 and you said, “Behold, the LORD
our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard
His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live
even if God speaks with him.
Deuteronomy 5:25 But now, why should we die? For
this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the
voice of the LORD our God any longer.
Deuteronomy 5:26 For who of all flesh has heard
the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have,
and survived?
Deuteronomy 5:27 Go near and listen to all that
the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD
our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
Deuteronomy 5:28 And the LORD heard the words
you spoke to me, and He said to me, “I have heard the words that
these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that
they have spoken.
Deuteronomy 5:29 If only they had such a heart
to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might
be well with them and with their children forever.
Deuteronomy 5:30 Go and tell them: ‘Return to
your tents.’
Deuteronomy 5:31 But you stand here with Me,
that I may speak to you all the commandments and statutes and
ordinances you are to teach them to follow in the land that I am
giving them to possess.”
Deuteronomy 5:32 So be careful to do as the LORD
your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right
or to the left.
Deuteronomy 5:33 You must walk in all the ways
that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and
prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
Deuteronomy 6:1 These are the commandments and
statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me
to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and
possess,
Deuteronomy 6:2 so that you and your children
and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your
lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give
you, and so that your days may be prolonged.
Deuteronomy 6:3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful
to observe them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly in a
land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of
your fathers, has promised you.
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our
God, the LORD is One.
Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength.
Deuteronomy 6:6 These words I am commanding you
today are to be upon your hearts.
Deuteronomy 6:7 And you shall teach them
diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home
and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you
get up.
Deuteronomy 6:8 Tie them as reminders on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Deuteronomy 6:9 Write them on the doorposts of
your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:10 And when the LORD your God
brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and
splendid cities that you did not build,
Deuteronomy 6:11 with houses full of every good
thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did
not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not
plant—and when you eat and are satisfied,
Deuteronomy 6:12 be careful not to forget the
LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery.
Deuteronomy 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve
Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
Deuteronomy 6:14 Do not follow other gods, the
gods of the peoples around you.
Deuteronomy 6:15 For the LORD your God, who is
among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your
God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face
of the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:16 Do not test the LORD your God
as you tested Him at Massah.
Deuteronomy 6:17 You are to diligently keep the
commandments of the LORD your God and the testimonies and statutes
He has given you.
Deuteronomy 6:18 Do what is right and good in
the sight of the LORD, so that it may be well with you and that
you may enter and possess the good land that the LORD your God
swore to give your fathers,
Deuteronomy 6:19 driving out all your enemies
before you, as the LORD has said.
Deuteronomy 6:20 In the future, when your son
asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and
ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”
Deuteronomy 6:21 then you are to tell him, “We
were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of
Egypt with a mighty hand.
Deuteronomy 6:22 Before our eyes the LORD
inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on
Pharaoh, and on all his household.
Deuteronomy 6:23 But He brought us out from
there to lead us in and give us the land that He had sworn to our
fathers.
Deuteronomy 6:24 And the LORD commanded us to
observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we
may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day.
Deuteronomy 6:25 And if we are careful to
observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God,
as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.”
Deuteronomy 7:1 When the LORD your God brings
you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives
out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites,
Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations
larger and stronger than you—
Deuteronomy 7:2 and when the LORD your God has
delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote
them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show
them no mercy.
Deuteronomy 7:3 Do not intermarry with them. Do
not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for
your sons,
Deuteronomy 7:4 because they will turn your sons
away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the
LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.
Deuteronomy 7:5 Instead, this is what you are to
do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars,
cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.
Deuteronomy 7:6 For you are a people holy to the
LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for
His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 7:7 The LORD did not set His
affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous
than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.
Deuteronomy 7:8 But because the LORD loved you
and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out
with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD
your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving
devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep
His commandments.
Deuteronomy 7:10 But those who hate Him He
repays to their faces with destruction; He will not hesitate to
repay to his face the one who hates Him.
Deuteronomy 7:11 So keep the commandments and
statutes and ordinances that I am giving you to follow this day.
Deuteronomy 7:12 If you listen to these
ordinances and keep them carefully, then the LORD your God will
keep His covenant and the loving devotion that He swore to your
fathers.
Deuteronomy 7:13 He will love you and bless you
and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the
produce of your land—your grain, new wine, and oil, the young of
your herds and the lambs of your flocks—in the land that He swore
to your fathers to give you.
Deuteronomy 7:14 You will be blessed above all
peoples; among you there will be no barren man or woman or
livestock.
Deuteronomy 7:15 And the LORD will remove from
you all sickness. He will not lay upon you any of the terrible
diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who
hate you.
Deuteronomy 7:16 You must destroy all the
peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them
with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to
you.
Deuteronomy 7:17 You may say in your heart,
“These nations are greater than we are; how can we drive them
out?”
Deuteronomy 7:18 But do not be afraid of them.
Be sure to remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and all
Egypt:
Deuteronomy 7:19 the great trials that you saw,
the signs and wonders, and the mighty hand and outstretched arm by
which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do
the same to all the peoples you now fear.
Deuteronomy 7:20 Moreover, the LORD your God
will send the hornet against them until even the survivors hiding
from you have perished.
Deuteronomy 7:21 Do not be terrified by them,
for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome
God.
Deuteronomy 7:22 The LORD your God will drive
out these nations before you little by little. You will not be
enabled to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals would
multiply around you.
Deuteronomy 7:23 But the LORD your God will give
them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they
are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 7:24 He will hand their kings over
to you, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No
one will be able to stand against you; you will annihilate them.
Deuteronomy 7:25 You must burn up the images of
their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or
take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is
detestable to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 7:26 And you must not bring any
detestable thing into your house, or you, like it, will be set
apart for destruction. You are to utterly detest and abhor it,
because it is set apart for destruction.
Deuteronomy 8:1 You must carefully follow every
commandment I am giving you today, so that you may live and
multiply, and enter and possess the land that the LORD swore to
give your fathers.
Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that these forty years
the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that
He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your
heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, and in your
hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your
fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth
of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8:4 Your clothing did not wear out
and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
Deuteronomy 8:5 So know in your heart that just
as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines
you.
Deuteronomy 8:6 Therefore you shall keep the
commandments of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and fearing
Him.
Deuteronomy 8:7 For the LORD your God is
bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks and fountains and
springs that flow through the valleys and hills;
Deuteronomy 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines,
fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey;
Deuteronomy 8:9 a land where you will eat food
without scarcity, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks
are iron and whose hills are ready to be mined for copper.
Deuteronomy 8:10 When you eat and are satisfied,
you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has
given you.
Deuteronomy 8:11 Be careful not to forget the
LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments and ordinances
and statutes, which I am giving you this day.
Deuteronomy 8:12 Otherwise, when you eat and are
satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell,
Deuteronomy 8:13 and when your herds and flocks
grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have
is multiplied,
Deuteronomy 8:14 then your heart will become
proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:15 He led you through the vast and
terrifying wilderness with its venomous snakes and scorpions, a
thirsty and waterless land. He brought you water from the rock of
flint.
Deuteronomy 8:16 He fed you in the wilderness
with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you
and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.
Deuteronomy 8:17 You might say in your heart,
“The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.”
Deuteronomy 8:18 But remember that it is the
LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to
confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this
day.
Deuteronomy 8:19 If you ever forget the LORD
your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them,
I testify against you today that you will surely perish.
Deuteronomy 8:20 Like the nations that the LORD
has destroyed before you, so you will perish if you do not obey
the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 9:1 Hear, O Israel: Today you are
about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater
and stronger than you, with large cities fortified to the heavens.
Deuteronomy 9:2 The people are strong and tall,
the descendants of the Anakim. You know about them, and you have
heard it said, “Who can stand up to the sons of Anak?”
Deuteronomy 9:3 But understand that today the
LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He
will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive
them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised
you.
Deuteronomy 9:4 When the LORD your God has
driven them out before you, do not say in your heart, “Because of
my righteousness the LORD has brought me in to possess this land.”
Rather, the LORD is driving out these nations before you because
of their wickedness.
Deuteronomy 9:5 It is not because of your
righteousness or uprightness of heart that you are going in to
possess their land, but it is because of their wickedness that the
LORD your God is driving out these nations before you, to keep the
promise He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 9:6 Understand, then, that it is not
because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you
this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
Deuteronomy 9:7 Remember this, and never forget
how you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day
you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place, you have
been rebelling against the LORD.
Deuteronomy 9:8 At Horeb you provoked the LORD,
and He was angry enough to destroy you.
Deuteronomy 9:9 When I went up on the mountain
to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that
the LORD made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and
forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water.
Deuteronomy 9:10 Then the LORD gave me the two
stone tablets, inscribed by the finger of God with the exact words
that the LORD spoke to you out of the fire on the mountain on the
day of the assembly.
Deuteronomy 9:11 And at the end of forty days
and forty nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the
tablets of the covenant.
Deuteronomy 9:12 And the LORD said to me, “Get
up and go down from here at once, for your people, whom you
brought out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. How quickly they
have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have
made for themselves a molten image.”
Deuteronomy 9:13 The LORD also said to me, “I
have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
Deuteronomy 9:14 Leave Me alone, so that I may
destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. Then I
will make you into a nation mightier and greater than they are.”
Deuteronomy 9:15 So I went back down the
mountain while it was blazing with fire, with the two tablets of
the covenant in my hands.
Deuteronomy 9:16 And I saw how you had sinned
against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves a molten
calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had
commanded you.
Deuteronomy 9:17 So I took the two tablets and
threw them out of my hands, shattering them before your eyes.
Deuteronomy 9:18 Then I fell down before the
LORD for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first
time. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin
you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD
and provoking Him to anger.
Deuteronomy 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger
and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to
destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well.
Deuteronomy 9:20 The LORD was angry enough with
Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron.
Deuteronomy 9:21 And I took that sinful thing,
the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed
it and ground it to powder as fine as dust, and I cast it into the
stream that came down from the mountain.
Deuteronomy 9:22 You continued to provoke the
LORD at Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah.
Deuteronomy 9:23 And when the LORD sent you out
from Kadesh-barnea, He said, “Go up and possess the land that I
have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the LORD
your God. You neither believed Him nor obeyed Him.
Deuteronomy 9:24 You have been rebelling against
the LORD since the day I came to know you.
Deuteronomy 9:25 So I fell down before the LORD
for forty days and forty nights, because the LORD had said He
would destroy you.
Deuteronomy 9:26 And I prayed to the LORD and
said, “O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance,
whom You redeemed through Your greatness and brought out of Egypt
with a mighty hand.
Deuteronomy 9:27 Remember Your servants Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people and the
wickedness of their sin.
Deuteronomy 9:28 Otherwise, those in the land
from which You brought us out will say, ‘Because the LORD was not
able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because
He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the
wilderness.’
Deuteronomy 9:29 But they are Your people, Your
inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and
outstretched arm.”
Deuteronomy 10:1 At that time the LORD said to
me, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, come up to
Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood.
Deuteronomy 10:2 And I will write on the tablets
the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you
are to place them in the ark.”
Deuteronomy 10:3 So I made an ark of acacia
wood, chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals, and went
up the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.
Deuteronomy 10:4 And the LORD wrote on the
tablets what had been written previously, the Ten Commandments
that He had spoken to you on the mountain out of the fire on the
day of the assembly. The LORD gave them to me,
Deuteronomy 10:5 and I went back down the
mountain and placed the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD
had commanded me; and there they have remained.
Deuteronomy 10:6 The Israelites traveled from
Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died and was buried,
and Eleazar his son succeeded him as priest.
Deuteronomy 10:7 From there they traveled to
Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with streams of
water.
Deuteronomy 10:8 At that time the LORD set apart
the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to
stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in
His name, as they do to this day.
Deuteronomy 10:9 That is why Levi has no portion
or inheritance among his brothers; the LORD is his inheritance, as
the LORD your God promised him.
Deuteronomy 10:10 I stayed on the mountain forty
days and forty nights, like the first time, and that time the LORD
again listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.
Deuteronomy 10:11 Then the LORD said to me, “Get
up. Continue your journey ahead of the people, that they may enter
and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, O Israel, what does
the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by
walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God
with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 10:13 and to keep the commandments
and statutes of the LORD that I am giving you this day for your
own good?
Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, to the LORD your God
belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and
everything in it.
Deuteronomy 10:15 Yet the LORD has set His
affection on your fathers and loved them. And He has chosen you,
their descendants after them, above all the peoples, even to this
day.
Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise your hearts,
therefore, and stiffen your necks no more.
Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God
of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God,
showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
Deuteronomy 10:18 He executes justice for the
fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food
and clothing.
Deuteronomy 10:19 So you also must love the
foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of
Egypt.
Deuteronomy 10:20 You are to fear the LORD your
God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His
name.
Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise and He is
your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders
that your eyes have seen.
Deuteronomy 10:22 Your fathers went down to
Egypt, seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as
numerous as the stars in the sky.
Deuteronomy 11:1 You shall therefore love the
LORD your God and always keep His charge, His statutes, His
ordinances, and His commandments.
Deuteronomy 11:2 Know this day that it is not
your children who have known and seen the discipline of the LORD
your God: His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched
arm;
Deuteronomy 11:3 the signs and works He did in
Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land;
Deuteronomy 11:4 what He did to the Egyptian
army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red
Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them
completely, even to this day;
Deuteronomy 11:5 what He did for you in the
wilderness until you reached this place;
Deuteronomy 11:6 and what He did in the midst of
all the Israelites to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the
Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them,
their households, their tents, and every living thing that
belonged to them.
Deuteronomy 11:7 For it is your own eyes that
have seen every great work that the LORD has done.
Deuteronomy 11:8 You shall therefore keep every
commandment I am giving you today, so that you may have the
strength to go in and possess the land that you are crossing the
Jordan to possess,
Deuteronomy 11:9 and so that you may live long
in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them and
their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land that you are
entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you
have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated on foot, like a
vegetable garden.
Deuteronomy 11:11 But the land that you are
crossing the Jordan to possess is a land of mountains and valleys
that drinks in the rain from heaven.
Deuteronomy 11:12 It is a land for which the
LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on
it, from the beginning to the end of the year.
Deuteronomy 11:13 So if you carefully obey the
commandments I am giving you today, to love the LORD your God and
to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 11:14 then I will provide rain for
your land in season, the autumn and spring rains, that you may
gather your grain, new wine, and oil.
Deuteronomy 11:15 And I will provide grass in
the fields for your livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied.
Deuteronomy 11:16 But be careful that you are
not enticed to turn aside to worship and bow down to other gods,
Deuteronomy 11:17 or the anger of the LORD will
be kindled against you. He will shut the heavens so that there
will be no rain, nor will the land yield its produce, and you will
soon perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you.
Deuteronomy 11:18 Fix these words of mine in
your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and
bind them on your foreheads.
Deuteronomy 11:19 Teach them to your children,
speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along
the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:20 Write them on the doorposts of
your houses and on your gates,
Deuteronomy 11:21 so that as long as the heavens
are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be
multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to give your fathers.
Deuteronomy 11:22 For if you carefully keep all
these commandments I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your
God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—
Deuteronomy 11:23 then the LORD will drive out
all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations
greater and stronger than you.
Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place where the sole of
your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from
the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the
Western Sea.
Deuteronomy 11:25 No man will be able to stand
against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you
upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you.
Deuteronomy 11:26 See, today I am setting before
you a blessing and a curse—
Deuteronomy 11:27 a blessing if you obey the
commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today,
Deuteronomy 11:28 but a curse if you disobey the
commandments of the LORD your God and turn aside from the path I
command you today by following other gods, which you have not
known.
Deuteronomy 11:29 When the LORD your God brings
you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim
the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.
Deuteronomy 11:30 Are not these mountains across
the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the
Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of
Moreh?
Deuteronomy 11:31 For you are about to cross the
Jordan to enter and possess the land that the LORD your God is
giving you. When you take possession of it and settle in it,
Deuteronomy 11:32 be careful to follow all the
statutes and ordinances that I am setting before you today.
Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the statutes and
ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in
the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to
possess.
Deuteronomy 12:2 Destroy completely all the
places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their
gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green
tree.
Deuteronomy 12:3 Tear down their altars, smash
their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the
idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.
Deuteronomy 12:4 You shall not worship the LORD
your God in this way.
Deuteronomy 12:5 Instead, you must seek the
place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to
establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
Deuteronomy 12:6 To that place you are to bring
your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave
offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as
the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
Deuteronomy 12:7 There, in the presence of the
LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in
all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 12:8 You are not to do as we are
doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own
eyes.
Deuteronomy 12:9 For you have not yet come to
the resting place and the inheritance that the LORD your God is
giving you.
Deuteronomy 12:10 When you cross the Jordan and
live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an
inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you
and you dwell securely,
Deuteronomy 12:11 then the LORD your God will
choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring
everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices,
your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you
vow to the LORD.
Deuteronomy 12:12 And you shall rejoice before
the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants
and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has
no portion or inheritance among you.
Deuteronomy 12:13 Be careful not to offer your
burnt offerings in just any place you see;
Deuteronomy 12:14 you must offer them only in
the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories,
and there you shall do all that I command you.
Deuteronomy 12:15 But whenever you want, you may
slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the
blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially
clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,
Deuteronomy 12:16 but you must not eat the
blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Deuteronomy 12:17 Within your gates you must not
eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of
your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to
give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.
Deuteronomy 12:18 Instead, you must eat them in
the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God
will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and
maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the
LORD your God in all you do,
Deuteronomy 12:19 and be careful not to neglect
the Levites as long as you live in your land.
Deuteronomy 12:20 When the LORD your God expands
your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I
want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.
Deuteronomy 12:21 If the place where the LORD
your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may
slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have
commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you
want.
Deuteronomy 12:22 Indeed, you may eat it as you
would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the
clean may eat it.
Deuteronomy 12:23 Only be sure not to eat the
blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the
life with the meat.
Deuteronomy 12:24 You must not eat the blood;
pour it on the ground like water.
Deuteronomy 12:25 Do not eat it, so that it may
go well with you and your children after you, because you will be
doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 12:26 But you are to take your holy
things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will
choose.
Deuteronomy 12:27 Present the meat and blood of
your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood
of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of
the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.
Deuteronomy 12:28 Be careful to obey all these
things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and
your children after you, because you will be doing what is good
and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 12:29 When the LORD your God cuts
off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you
drive them out and live in their land,
Deuteronomy 12:30 be careful not to be ensnared
by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not
inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve
their gods? I will do likewise.”
Deuteronomy 12:31 You must not worship the LORD
your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every
abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and
daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
Deuteronomy 12:32 See that you do everything I
command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
Deuteronomy 13:1 If a prophet or dreamer of
dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
Deuteronomy 13:2 and if the sign or wonder he
has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other
gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,”
Deuteronomy 13:3 you must not listen to the
words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing
you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with
all your soul.
Deuteronomy 13:4 You are to follow the LORD your
God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice;
serve Him and hold fast to Him.
Deuteronomy 13:5 Such a prophet or dreamer must
be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the
LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and
redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you
from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk.
So you must purge the evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 13:6 If your very own brother, or
your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest
friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other
gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,
Deuteronomy 13:7 the gods of the peoples around
you, whether near or far, whether from one end of the earth or the
other),
Deuteronomy 13:8 you must not yield to him or
listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield
him.
Deuteronomy 13:9 Instead, you must surely kill
him. Your hand must be the first against him to put him to death,
and then the hands of all the people.
Deuteronomy 13:10 Stone him to death for trying
to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Deuteronomy 13:11 Then all Israel will hear and
be afraid, and will never again do such a wicked thing among you.
Deuteronomy 13:12 If, regarding one of the
cities the LORD your God is giving you to inhabit, you hear it
said
Deuteronomy 13:13 that wicked men have arisen
from among you and have led the people of their city astray,
saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (which you have not
known),
Deuteronomy 13:14 then you must inquire,
investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established
with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you,
Deuteronomy 13:15 you must surely put the
inhabitants of that city to the sword. Devote to destruction all
its people and livestock.
Deuteronomy 13:16 And you are to gather all its
plunder in the middle of the public square, and completely burn
the city and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the LORD
your God. The city must remain a mound of ruins forever, never to
be rebuilt.
Deuteronomy 13:17 Nothing devoted to destruction
shall cling to your hands, so that the LORD will turn from His
fierce anger, grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply
you as He swore to your fathers,
Deuteronomy 13:18 because you obey the LORD your
God, keeping all His commandments I am giving you today and doing
what is right in the eyes of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 14:1 You are sons of the LORD your
God; do not cut yourselves or shave your foreheads on behalf of
the dead,
Deuteronomy 14:2 for you are a people holy to
the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be a people for His
prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 14:3 You must not eat any detestable
thing.
Deuteronomy 14:4 These are the animals that you
may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat,
Deuteronomy 14:5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe
deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain
sheep.
Deuteronomy 14:6 You may eat any animal that has
a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud.
Deuteronomy 14:7 But of those that chew the cud
or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the
following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although
they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are
unclean for you,
Deuteronomy 14:8 as well as the pig; though it
has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for
you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.
Deuteronomy 14:9 Of all the creatures that live
in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales,
Deuteronomy 14:10 but you may not eat anything
that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.
Deuteronomy 14:11 You may eat any clean bird,
Deuteronomy 14:12 but these you may not eat: the
eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
Deuteronomy 14:13 the red kite, the falcon, any
kind of kite,
Deuteronomy 14:14 any kind of raven,
Deuteronomy 14:15 the ostrich, the screech owl,
the gull, any kind of hawk,
Deuteronomy 14:16 the little owl, the great owl,
the white owl,
Deuteronomy 14:17 the desert owl, the osprey,
the cormorant,
Deuteronomy 14:18 the stork, any kind of heron,
the hoopoe, or the bat.
Deuteronomy 14:19 All flying insects are unclean
for you; they may not be eaten.
Deuteronomy 14:20 But you may eat any clean
bird.
Deuteronomy 14:21 You are not to eat any
carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your
gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For
you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not
cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Deuteronomy 14:22 You must be sure to set aside
a tenth of all the produce brought forth each year from your
fields.
Deuteronomy 14:23 And you are to eat a tenth of
your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and
flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will
choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear
the LORD your God always.
Deuteronomy 14:24 But if the distance is too
great for you to carry that with which the LORD your God has
blessed you, because the place where the LORD your God will choose
to put His Name is too far away,
Deuteronomy 14:25 then exchange it for money,
take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God
will choose.
Deuteronomy 14:26 Then you may spend the money
on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or
anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the
LORD your God and rejoice with your household.
Deuteronomy 14:27 And do not neglect the Levite
within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among
you.
Deuteronomy 14:28 At the end of every three
years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and lay it
up within your gates.
Deuteronomy 14:29 Then the Levite (because he
has no portion or inheritance among you), the foreigner, the
fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come and eat and
be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work
of your hands.
Deuteronomy 15:1 At the end of every seven years
you must cancel debts.
Deuteronomy 15:2 This is the manner of
remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his
neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or
brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.
Deuteronomy 15:3 You may collect something from
a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.
Deuteronomy 15:4 There will be no poor among
you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land
that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,
Deuteronomy 15:5 if only you obey the LORD your
God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving
you today.
Deuteronomy 15:6 When the LORD your God blesses
you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow
from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.
Deuteronomy 15:7 If there is a poor man among
your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD
your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or
shut your hand from your poor brother.
Deuteronomy 15:8 Instead, you are to open your
hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
Deuteronomy 15:9 Be careful not to harbor this
wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of
release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother
begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD
against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 15:10 Give generously to him, and do
not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this
the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in
everything to which you put your hand.
Deuteronomy 15:11 For there will never cease to
be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide
your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 15:12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a
woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the
seventh year you must set him free.
Deuteronomy 15:13 And when you release him, do
not send him away empty-handed.
Deuteronomy 15:14 You are to furnish him
liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your
winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed
you.
Deuteronomy 15:15 Remember that you were slaves
in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is
why I am giving you this command today.
Deuteronomy 15:16 But if your servant says to
you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your
household and is well off with you,
Deuteronomy 15:17 then take an awl and pierce it
through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for
life. And treat your maidservant the same way.
Deuteronomy 15:18 Do not regard it as a hardship
to set your servant free, because his six years of service were
worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will
bless you in all you do.
Deuteronomy 15:19 You must set apart to the LORD
your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks.
You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you
to shear the firstborn of your flock.
Deuteronomy 15:20 Each year you and your
household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the
LORD will choose.
Deuteronomy 15:21 But if an animal has a defect,
is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice
it to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 15:22 Eat it within your gates; both
the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a
gazelle or a deer.
Deuteronomy 15:23 But you must not eat the
blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and
celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month
of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
Deuteronomy 16:2 You are to offer to the LORD
your God the Passover sacrifice from the herd or flock in the
place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for His Name.
Deuteronomy 16:3 You must not eat leavened bread
with it; for seven days you are to eat with it unleavened bread,
the bread of affliction, because you left the land of Egypt in
haste—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day
you left the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 16:4 No leaven is to be found in all
your land for seven days, and none of the meat you sacrifice in
the evening of the first day shall remain until morning.
Deuteronomy 16:5 You are not to sacrifice the
Passover animal in any of the towns that the LORD your God is
giving you.
Deuteronomy 16:6 You must only offer the
Passover sacrifice at the place the LORD your God will choose as a
dwelling for His Name. Do this in the evening as the sun sets, at
the same time you departed from Egypt.
Deuteronomy 16:7 And you shall roast it and eat
it in the place the LORD your God will choose, and in the morning
you shall return to your tents.
Deuteronomy 16:8 For six days you must eat
unleavened bread, and on the seventh day you shall hold a solemn
assembly to the LORD your God, and you must not do any work.
Deuteronomy 16:9 You are to count off seven
weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing
grain.
Deuteronomy 16:10 And you shall celebrate the
Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that
you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you,
Deuteronomy 16:11 and you shall rejoice before
the LORD your God in the place He will choose as a dwelling for
His Name—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and
maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, as well as the
foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
Deuteronomy 16:12 Remember that you were slaves
in Egypt, and carefully follow these statutes.
Deuteronomy 16:13 You are to celebrate the Feast
of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce
of your threshing floor and your winepress.
Deuteronomy 16:14 And you shall rejoice in your
feast—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and
maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the
fatherless, and the widows among you.
Deuteronomy 16:15 For seven days you shall
celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place He will
choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your
produce and in all the work of your hands, so that your joy will
be complete.
Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times a year all your
men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will
choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and
the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD
empty-handed.
Deuteronomy 16:17 Everyone must appear with a
gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God
has given you.
Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and
officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is
giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
Deuteronomy 16:19 Do not deny justice or show
partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of
the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
Deuteronomy 16:20 Pursue justice, and justice
alone, so that you may live, and you may possess the land that the
LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 16:21 Do not set up any wooden
Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your
God,
Deuteronomy 16:22 and do not set up for
yourselves a sacred pillar, which the LORD your God hates.
Deuteronomy 17:1 You shall not sacrifice to the
LORD your God an ox or a sheep with any defect or serious flaw,
for that is detestable to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 17:2 If a man or woman among you in
one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing
evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His
covenant
Deuteronomy 17:3 and going to worship other
gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host
of heaven—which I have forbidden—
Deuteronomy 17:4 and if it is reported and you
hear about it, you must investigate it thoroughly. If the report
is true and such an abomination has happened in Israel,
Deuteronomy 17:5 you must bring out to your
gates the man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you must
stone that person to death.
Deuteronomy 17:6 On the testimony of two or
three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be
executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
Deuteronomy 17:7 The hands of the witnesses
shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the
hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among
you.
Deuteronomy 17:8 If a case is too difficult for
you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is
regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the
place the LORD your God will choose.
Deuteronomy 17:9 You are to go to the Levitical
priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of
them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
Deuteronomy 17:10 You must abide by the verdict
they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do
everything they instruct you,
Deuteronomy 17:11 according to the terms of law
they give and the verdict they proclaim. Do not turn aside to the
right or to the left from the decision they declare to you.
Deuteronomy 17:12 But the man who acts
presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands
there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to
death. You must purge the evil from Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:13 Then all the people will hear
and be afraid, and will no longer behave arrogantly.
Deuteronomy 17:14 When you enter the land that
the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it
and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like
all the nations around us,”
Deuteronomy 17:15 you are to appoint over
yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a
king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves
a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.
Deuteronomy 17:16 But the king must not acquire
many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to
acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go
back that way again.’
Deuteronomy 17:17 He must not take many wives
for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for
himself large amounts of silver and gold.
Deuteronomy 17:18 When he is seated on his royal
throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a
scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
Deuteronomy 17:19 It is to remain with him, and
he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may
learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the
words of this instruction and these statutes.
Deuteronomy 17:20 Then his heart will not be
exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the
commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his
sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.
Deuteronomy 18:1 The Levitical priests—indeed
the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with
Israel. They are to eat the offerings made by fire to the LORD;
that is their inheritance.
Deuteronomy 18:2 Although they have no
inheritance among their brothers, the LORD is their inheritance,
as He promised them.
Deuteronomy 18:3 This shall be the priests’
share from the people who offer a sacrifice, whether a bull or a
sheep: the priests are to be given the shoulder, the jowls, and
the stomach.
Deuteronomy 18:4 You are to give them the
firstfruits of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the first wool
sheared from your flock.
Deuteronomy 18:5 For the LORD your God has
chosen Levi and his sons out of all your tribes to stand and
minister in His name for all time.
Deuteronomy 18:6 Now if a Levite moves from any
town of residence throughout Israel and comes in all earnestness
to the place the LORD will choose,
Deuteronomy 18:7 then he shall serve in the name
of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who stand there
before the LORD.
Deuteronomy 18:8 They shall eat equal portions,
even though he has received money from the sale of his father’s
estate.
Deuteronomy 18:9 When you enter the land that
the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable
ways of the nations there.
Deuteronomy 18:10 Let no one be found among you
who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices
divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
Deuteronomy 18:11 casts spells, consults a
medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.
Deuteronomy 18:12 For whoever does these things
is detestable to the LORD. And because of these detestable things,
the LORD your God is driving out the nations before you.
Deuteronomy 18:13 You must be blameless before
the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 18:14 Though these nations, which
you will dispossess, listen to conjurers and diviners, the LORD
your God has not permitted you to do so.
Deuteronomy 18:15 The LORD your God will raise
up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must
listen to him.
Deuteronomy 18:16 This is what you asked of the
LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said,
“Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great
fire anymore, so that we will not die!”
Deuteronomy 18:17 Then the LORD said to me,
“They have spoken well.
Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a
prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in
his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
Deuteronomy 18:19 And I will hold accountable
anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in
My name.
Deuteronomy 18:20 But if any prophet dares to
speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak,
or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to
death.”
Deuteronomy 18:21 You may ask in your heart,
“How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”
Deuteronomy 18:22 When a prophet speaks in the
name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come
true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has
spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.
Deuteronomy 19:1 When the LORD your God has cut
off the nations whose land He is giving you, and when you have
driven them out and settled in their cities and houses,
Deuteronomy 19:2 then you are to set apart for
yourselves three cities within the land that the LORD your God is
giving you to possess.
Deuteronomy 19:3 You are to build roads for
yourselves and divide into three regions the land that the LORD
your God is giving you as an inheritance, so that any manslayer
can flee to these cities.
Deuteronomy 19:4 Now this is the situation
regarding the manslayer who flees to one of these cities to save
his life, having killed his neighbor accidentally, without
intending to harm him:
Deuteronomy 19:5 If he goes into the forest with
his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree,
but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his
neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.
Deuteronomy 19:6 Otherwise, the avenger of blood
might pursue the manslayer in a rage, overtake him if the distance
is great, and strike him dead though he did not deserve to die,
since he did not intend any harm.
Deuteronomy 19:7 This is why I am commanding you
to set apart for yourselves three cities.
Deuteronomy 19:8 And if the LORD your God
enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives
you all the land He promised them,
Deuteronomy 19:9 and if you carefully keep all
these commandments I am giving you today, loving the LORD your God
and walking in His ways at all times, then you are to add three
more cities to these three.
Deuteronomy 19:10 Thus innocent blood will not
be shed in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an
inheritance, so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
Deuteronomy 19:11 If, however, a man hates his
neighbor and lies in wait, attacks him and kills him, and then
flees to one of these cities,
Deuteronomy 19:12 the elders of his city must
send for him, bring him back, and hand him over to the avenger of
blood to die.
Deuteronomy 19:13 You must show him no pity. You
are to purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood,
that it may go well with you.
Deuteronomy 19:14 You must not move your
neighbor’s boundary marker, which was set up by your ancestors to
mark the inheritance you shall receive in the land that the LORD
your God is giving you to possess.
Deuteronomy 19:15 A lone witness is not
sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man,
regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be
established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Deuteronomy 19:16 If a false witness testifies
against someone, accusing him of a crime,
Deuteronomy 19:17 both parties to the dispute
must stand in the presence of the LORD, before the priests and
judges who are in office at that time.
Deuteronomy 19:18 The judges shall investigate
thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has
falsely accused his brother,
Deuteronomy 19:19 you must do to him as he
intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from
among you.
Deuteronomy 19:20 Then the rest of the people
will hear and be afraid, and they will never again do anything so
evil among you.
Deuteronomy 19:21 You must show no pity: life
for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot
for foot.
Deuteronomy 20:1 When you go out to war against
your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than
yours, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
Deuteronomy 20:2 When you are about to go into
battle, the priest is to come forward and address the army,
Deuteronomy 20:3 saying to them, “Hear, O
Israel, today you are going into battle with your enemies. Do not
be fainthearted or afraid; do not be alarmed or terrified because
of them.
Deuteronomy 20:4 For the LORD your God goes with
you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the
victory.”
Deuteronomy 20:5 Furthermore, the officers are
to address the army, saying, “Has any man built a new house and
not dedicated it? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and
another man dedicate it.
Deuteronomy 20:6 Has any man planted a vineyard
and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may
die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
Deuteronomy 20:7 Has any man become pledged to a
woman and not married her? Let him return home, or he may die in
battle and another man marry her.”
Deuteronomy 20:8 Then the officers shall speak
further to the army, saying, “Is any man afraid or fainthearted?
Let him return home, so that the hearts of his brothers will not
melt like his own.”
Deuteronomy 20:9 When the officers have finished
addressing the army, they are to appoint commanders to lead it.
Deuteronomy 20:10 When you approach a city to
fight against it, you are to make an offer of peace.
Deuteronomy 20:11 If they accept your offer of
peace and open their gates, all the people there will become
forced laborers to serve you.
Deuteronomy 20:12 But if they refuse to make
peace with you and wage war against you, lay siege to that city.
Deuteronomy 20:13 When the LORD your God has
delivered it into your hand, you must put every male to the sword.
Deuteronomy 20:14 But the women, children,
livestock, and whatever else is in the city—all its spoil—you may
take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that
the LORD your God gives you.
Deuteronomy 20:15 This is how you are to treat
all the cities that are far away from you and do not belong to the
nations nearby.
Deuteronomy 20:16 However, in the cities of the
nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance,
you must not leave alive anything that breathes.
Deuteronomy 20:17 For you must devote them to
complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has
commanded you,
Deuteronomy 20:18 so that they cannot teach you
to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so
cause you to sin against the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 20:19 When you lay siege to a city
for an extended time while fighting against it to capture it, you
must not destroy its trees by putting an axe to them, because you
can eat their fruit. You must not cut them down. Are the trees of
the field human, that you should besiege them?
Deuteronomy 20:20 But you may destroy the trees
that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works
against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls.
Deuteronomy 21:1 If one is found slain, lying in
a field in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to
possess, and it is not known who killed him,
Deuteronomy 21:2 your elders and judges must
come out and measure the distance from the victim to the
neighboring cities.
Deuteronomy 21:3 Then the elders of the city
nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked
or used for work,
Deuteronomy 21:4 bring the heifer to a valley
with running water that has not been plowed or sown, and break its
neck there by the stream.
Deuteronomy 21:5 And the priests, the sons of
Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to
serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name and to give a ruling
in every dispute and case of assault.
Deuteronomy 21:6 Then all the elders of the city
nearest the victim shall wash their hands by the stream over the
heifer whose neck has been broken,
Deuteronomy 21:7 and they shall declare, “Our
hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.
Deuteronomy 21:8 Accept this atonement, O LORD,
for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, and do not hold the
shedding of innocent blood against them.” And the bloodshed will
be atoned for.
Deuteronomy 21:9 So you shall purge from among
you the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what
is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 21:10 When you go to war against
your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand
and you take them captive,
Deuteronomy 21:11 if you see a beautiful woman
among them, and you desire her and want to take her as your wife,
Deuteronomy 21:12 then you shall bring her into
your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails,
Deuteronomy 21:13 and put aside the clothing of
her captivity. After she has lived in your house a full month and
mourned her father and mother, you may have relations with her and
be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
Deuteronomy 21:14 And if you are not pleased
with her, you are to let her go wherever she wishes. But you must
not sell her for money or treat her as a slave, since you have
dishonored her.
Deuteronomy 21:15 If a man has two wives, one
beloved and the other unloved, and both bear him sons, but the
unloved wife has the firstborn son,
Deuteronomy 21:16 when that man assigns his
inheritance to his sons he must not appoint the son of the beloved
wife as the firstborn over the son of the unloved wife.
Deuteronomy 21:17 Instead, he must acknowledge
the firstborn, the son of his unloved wife, by giving him a double
portion of all that he has. For that son is the firstfruits of his
father’s strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.
Deuteronomy 21:18 If a man has a stubborn and
rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and does
not listen to them when disciplined,
Deuteronomy 21:19 his father and mother are to
lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the
gate of his hometown,
Deuteronomy 21:20 and say to the elders, “This
son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is
a glutton and a drunkard.”
Deuteronomy 21:21 Then all the men of his city
will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among
you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
Deuteronomy 21:22 If a man has committed a sin
worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a
tree,
Deuteronomy 21:23 you must not leave the body on
the tree overnight, but you must be sure to bury him that day,
because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You
must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you as
an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 22:1 If you see your brother’s ox or
sheep straying, you must not ignore it; be sure to return it to
your brother.
Deuteronomy 22:2 If your brother does not live
near you, or if you do not know who he is, you are to take the
animal home to remain with you until your brother comes seeking
it; then you can return it to him.
Deuteronomy 22:3 And you shall do the same for
his donkey, his cloak, or anything your brother has lost and you
have found. You must not ignore it.
Deuteronomy 22:4 If you see your brother’s
donkey or ox fallen on the road, you must not ignore it; you must
help him lift it up.
Deuteronomy 22:5 A woman must not wear men’s
clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing, for whoever
does these things is detestable to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 22:6 If you come across a bird’s
nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along
the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you
must not take the mother along with the young.
Deuteronomy 22:7 You may take the young, but be
sure to let the mother go, so that it may be well with you and
that you may prolong your days.
Deuteronomy 22:8 If you build a new house, you
are to construct a railing around your roof, so that you do not
bring bloodguilt on your house if someone falls from it.
Deuteronomy 22:9 Do not plant your vineyard with
two types of seed; if you do, the entire harvest will be
defiled—both the crop you plant and the fruit of your vineyard.
Deuteronomy 22:10 Do not plow with an ox and a
donkey yoked together.
Deuteronomy 22:11 Do not wear clothes of wool
and linen woven together.
Deuteronomy 22:12 You are to make tassels on the
four corners of the cloak you wear.
Deuteronomy 22:13 Suppose a man marries a woman,
has relations with her, and comes to hate her,
Deuteronomy 22:14 and he then accuses her of
shameful conduct and gives her a bad name, saying, “I married this
woman and had relations with her, but I discovered she was not a
virgin.”
Deuteronomy 22:15 Then the young woman’s father
and mother shall bring the proof of her virginity to the city
elders at the gate
Deuteronomy 22:16 and say to the elders, “I gave
my daughter in marriage to this man, but he has come to hate her.
Deuteronomy 22:17 And now he has accused her of
shameful conduct, saying, ‘I discovered that your daughter was not
a virgin.’ But here is the proof of her virginity.” And they shall
spread out the cloth before the city elders.
Deuteronomy 22:18 Then the elders of that city
shall take the man and punish him.
Deuteronomy 22:19 They are also to fine him a
hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s
father, because this man has given a virgin of Israel a bad name.
And she shall remain his wife; he must not divorce her as long as
he lives.
Deuteronomy 22:20 If, however, this accusation
is true, and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found,
Deuteronomy 22:21 she shall be brought to the
door of her father’s house, and there the men of her city will
stone her to death. For she has committed an outrage in Israel by
being promiscuous in her father’s house. So you must purge the
evil from among you.
Deuteronomy 22:22 If a man is found lying with
another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman
must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
Deuteronomy 22:23 If there is a virgin pledged
in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city
and sleeps with her,
Deuteronomy 22:24 you must take both of them out
to the gate of that city and stone them to death—the young woman
because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he
has violated his neighbor’s wife. So you must purge the evil from
among you.
Deuteronomy 22:25 But if the man encounters a
betrothed woman in the open country, and he overpowers her and
lies with her, only the man who has done this must die.
Deuteronomy 22:26 Do nothing to the young woman,
because she has committed no sin worthy of death. This case is
just like one in which a man attacks his neighbor and murders him.
Deuteronomy 22:27 When he found her in the
field, the betrothed woman cried out, but there was no one to save
her.
Deuteronomy 22:28 If a man encounters a virgin
who is not pledged in marriage, and he seizes her and lies with
her, and they are discovered,
Deuteronomy 22:29 then the man who lay with her
must pay the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she
must become his wife because he has violated her. He must not
divorce her as long as he lives.
Deuteronomy 22:30 A man is not to marry his
father’s wife, so that he will not dishonor his father’s marriage
bed.
Deuteronomy 23:1 No man with crushed or severed
genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 23:2 No one of illegitimate birth
may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his
descendants, even to the tenth generation.
Deuteronomy 23:3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any
of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to
the tenth generation.
Deuteronomy 23:4 For they did not meet you with
food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son
of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.
Deuteronomy 23:5 Yet the LORD your God would not
listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a
blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
Deuteronomy 23:6 You are not to seek peace or
prosperity from them as long as you live.
Deuteronomy 23:7 Do not despise an Edomite, for
he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived
as a foreigner in his land.
Deuteronomy 23:8 The third generation of
children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 23:9 When you are encamped against
your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every wicked
thing.
Deuteronomy 23:10 If any man among you becomes
unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp
and stay outside.
Deuteronomy 23:11 When evening approaches, he
must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may return to the
camp.
Deuteronomy 23:12 You must have a place outside
the camp to go and relieve yourself.
Deuteronomy 23:13 And you must have a digging
tool in your equipment so that when you relieve yourself you can
dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
Deuteronomy 23:14 For the LORD your God walks
throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to
you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among
you and turn away from you.
Deuteronomy 23:15 Do not return a slave to his
master if he has taken refuge with you.
Deuteronomy 23:16 Let him live among you
wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing. Do not oppress
him.
Deuteronomy 23:17 No daughter or son of Israel
is to be a shrine prostitute.
Deuteronomy 23:18 You must not bring the wages
of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the
LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to
the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 23:19 Do not charge your brother
interest on money, food, or any other type of loan.
Deuteronomy 23:20 You may charge a foreigner
interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may
bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land
that you are entering to possess.
Deuteronomy 23:21 If you make a vow to the LORD
your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely
require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 23:22 But if you refrain from making
a vow, you will not be guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 23:23 Be careful to follow through
on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the
LORD your God with your own mouth.
Deuteronomy 23:24 When you enter your neighbor’s
vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put
any in your basket.
Deuteronomy 23:25 When you enter your neighbor’s
grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but
you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.
Deuteronomy 24:1 If a man marries a woman, but
she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in
her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her,
and send her away from his house.
Deuteronomy 24:2 If, after leaving his house,
she goes and becomes another man’s wife,
Deuteronomy 24:3 and the second man hates her,
writes her a certificate of divorce, hands it to her, and sends
her away from his house, or if he dies,
Deuteronomy 24:4 then the husband who divorced
her first may not remarry her after she has been defiled, for that
is an abomination to the LORD. You must not bring sin upon the
land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 24:5 If a man is newly married, he
must not be sent to war or be pressed into any duty. For one year
he is free to stay at home and bring joy to the wife he has
married.
Deuteronomy 24:6 Do not take a pair of
millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt,
because that would be taking one’s livelihood as security.
Deuteronomy 24:7 If a man is caught kidnapping
one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or
sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from
among you.
Deuteronomy 24:8 In cases of infectious skin
diseases, be careful to diligently follow everything the Levitical
priests instruct you. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.
Deuteronomy 24:9 Remember what the LORD your God
did to Miriam on the journey after you came out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 24:10 When you lend anything to your
neighbor, do not enter his house to collect security.
Deuteronomy 24:11 You are to stand outside while
the man to whom you are lending brings the security out to you.
Deuteronomy 24:12 If he is a poor man, you must
not go to sleep with the security in your possession;
Deuteronomy 24:13 be sure to return it to him by
sunset, so that he may sleep in his own cloak and bless you, and
this will be credited to you as righteousness before the LORD your
God.
Deuteronomy 24:14 Do not oppress a hired hand
who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner
residing in one of your towns.
Deuteronomy 24:15 You are to pay his wages each
day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them.
Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be
guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 24:16 Fathers shall not be put to
death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is
to die for his own sin.
Deuteronomy 24:17 Do not deny justice to the
foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as
security.
Deuteronomy 24:18 Remember that you were slaves
in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from that place.
Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
Deuteronomy 24:19 If you are harvesting in your
field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to
be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that
the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy 24:20 When you beat the olives from
your trees, you must not go over the branches again. What remains
will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
Deuteronomy 24:21 When you gather the grapes of
your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains
will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
Deuteronomy 24:22 Remember that you were slaves
in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.
Deuteronomy 25:1 If there is a dispute between
men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent
may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.
Deuteronomy 25:2 If the guilty man deserves to
be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his
presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.
Deuteronomy 25:3 He may receive no more than
forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and
be degraded in your sight.
Deuteronomy 25:4 Do not muzzle an ox while it is
treading out the grain.
Deuteronomy 25:5 When brothers dwell together
and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry
outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his
wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
Deuteronomy 25:6 The first son she bears will
carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not
be blotted out from Israel.
Deuteronomy 25:7 But if the man does not want to
marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city
gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his
brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of
a brother-in-law for me.”
Deuteronomy 25:8 Then the elders of his city
shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I
do not want to marry her,”
Deuteronomy 25:9 his brother’s widow shall go up
to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in
his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will
not maintain his brother’s line.”
Deuteronomy 25:10 And his family name in Israel
will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”
Deuteronomy 25:11 If two men are fighting, and
the wife of one steps in to rescue her husband from the one
striking him, and she reaches out her hand and grabs his genitals,
Deuteronomy 25:12 you are to cut off her hand.
You must show her no pity.
Deuteronomy 25:13 You shall not have two
differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.
Deuteronomy 25:14 You shall not have two
differing measures in your house, one large and one small.
Deuteronomy 25:15 You must maintain accurate and
honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land
that the LORD your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 25:16 For everyone who behaves
dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD
your God.
Deuteronomy 25:17 Remember what the Amalekites
did to you along your way from Egypt,
Deuteronomy 25:18 how they met you on your
journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your
stragglers; they had no fear of God.
Deuteronomy 25:19 When the LORD your God gives
you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving
you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory
of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
Deuteronomy 26:1 When you enter the land that
the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take
possession of it and settle in it,
Deuteronomy 26:2 you are to take some of the
firstfruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the
LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to
the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His
Name,
Deuteronomy 26:3 to the priest who is serving at
that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the LORD your God
that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to
give us.”
Deuteronomy 26:4 Then the priest shall take the
basket from your hands and place it before the altar of the LORD
your God,
Deuteronomy 26:5 and you are to declare before
the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went
down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great
nation, mighty and numerous.
Deuteronomy 26:6 But the Egyptians mistreated us
and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor.
Deuteronomy 26:7 So we called out to the LORD,
the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our
affliction, toil, and oppression.
Deuteronomy 26:8 Then the LORD brought us out of
Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great
terror, signs, and wonders.
Deuteronomy 26:9 And He brought us to this place
and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Deuteronomy 26:10 And now, behold, I have
brought the firstfruits of the land that You, O LORD, have given
me.” Then you are to place the basket before the LORD your God and
bow down before Him.
Deuteronomy 26:11 So you shall rejoice—you, the
Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you—in all the good
things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
Deuteronomy 26:12 When you have finished laying
aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of
the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the
fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within
your gates.
Deuteronomy 26:13 Then you shall declare in the
presence of the LORD your God, “I have removed from my house the
sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the
fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You
have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your
commandments.
Deuteronomy 26:14 I have not eaten any of the
sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while
unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD
my God; I have done everything You commanded me.
Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from Your holy
habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land
You have given us as You swore to our fathers—a land flowing with
milk and honey.”
Deuteronomy 26:16 The LORD your God commands you
this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. You must be
careful to follow them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 26:17 Today you have proclaimed that
the LORD is your God and that you will walk in His ways, keep His
statutes and commandments and ordinances, and listen to His voice.
Deuteronomy 26:18 And today the LORD has
proclaimed that you are His people and treasured possession as He
promised, that you are to keep all His commandments,
Deuteronomy 26:19 that He will set you high in
praise and name and honor above all the nations He has made, and
that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God, as He has
promised.
Deuteronomy 27:1 Then Moses and the elders of
Israel commanded the people: “Keep all the commandments I am
giving you today.
Deuteronomy 27:2 And on the day you cross the
Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up
large stones and coat them with plaster.
Deuteronomy 27:3 Write on them all the words of
this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the
LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey,
just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.
Deuteronomy 27:4 And when you have crossed the
Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am
commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster.
Deuteronomy 27:5 Moreover, you are to build
there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones. You must
not use any iron tool on them.
Deuteronomy 27:6 You shall build the altar of
the LORD your God with uncut stones and offer upon it burnt
offerings to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 27:7 There you are to sacrifice your
peace offerings, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of the
LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 27:8 And you shall write distinctly
upon these stones all the words of this law.”
Deuteronomy 27:9 Then Moses and the Levitical
priests spoke to all Israel: “Be silent, O Israel, and listen!
This day you have become the people of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 27:10 You shall therefore obey the
voice of the LORD your God and follow His commandments and
statutes I am giving you today.”
Deuteronomy 27:11 On that day Moses commanded
the people:
Deuteronomy 27:12 “When you have crossed the
Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the
people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Deuteronomy 27:13 And these tribes shall stand
on Mount Ebal to deliver the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun,
Dan, and Naphtali.
Deuteronomy 27:14 Then the Levites shall
proclaim in a loud voice to every Israelite:
Deuteronomy 27:15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes a
carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work
of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all
the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:16 ‘Cursed is he who dishonors
his father or mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his
neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:18 ‘Cursed is he who lets a blind
man wander in the road.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘Cursed is he who withholds
justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let
all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:20 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with
his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’
And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with
any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:22 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with
his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his
mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:23 ‘Cursed is he who sleeps with
his mother-in-law.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:24 ‘Cursed is he who strikes down
his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:25 ‘Cursed is he who accepts a
bribe to kill an innocent person.’ And let all the people say,
‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 27:26 ‘Cursed is he who does not put
the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say,
‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy 28:1 “Now if you faithfully obey the
voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His
commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you
high above all the nations of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings will
come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the voice of the
LORD your God:
Deuteronomy 28:3 You will be blessed in the city
and blessed in the country.
Deuteronomy 28:4 The fruit of your womb will be
blessed, as well as the produce of your land and the offspring of
your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your
flocks.
Deuteronomy 28:5 Your basket and kneading bowl
will be blessed.
Deuteronomy 28:6 You will be blessed when you
come in and blessed when you go out.
Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD will cause the enemies
who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march
out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD will decree a blessing
on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the
LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.
Deuteronomy 28:9 The LORD will establish you as
His holy people, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the
commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.
Deuteronomy 28:10 Then all the peoples of the
earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and
they will stand in awe of you.
Deuteronomy 28:11 The LORD will make you prosper
abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your
livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD
swore to your fathers to give you.
Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD will open the
heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in
season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to
many nations, but borrow from none.
Deuteronomy 28:13 The LORD will make you the
head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never
downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the
LORD your God, which I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 28:14 Do not turn aside to the right
or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do
not go after other gods to serve them.
Deuteronomy 28:15 If, however, you do not obey
the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and
statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon
you and overtake you:
Deuteronomy 28:16 You will be cursed in the city
and cursed in the country.
Deuteronomy 28:17 Your basket and kneading bowl
will be cursed.
Deuteronomy 28:18 The fruit of your womb will be
cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your
herds, and the lambs of your flocks.
Deuteronomy 28:19 You will be cursed when you
come in and cursed when you go out.
Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD will send curses upon
you, confusion and reproof in all to which you put your hand,
until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the
wickedness you have committed in forsaking Him.
Deuteronomy 28:21 The LORD will make the plague
cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land that you
are entering to possess.
Deuteronomy 28:22 The LORD will strike you with
wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat
and drought, and with blight and mildew; these will pursue you
until you perish.
Deuteronomy 28:23 The sky over your head will be
bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.
Deuteronomy 28:24 The LORD will turn the rain of
your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the
sky until you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:25 The LORD will cause you to be
defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in
one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object
of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:26 Your corpses will be food for
all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to
scare them away.
Deuteronomy 28:27 The LORD will afflict you with
the boils of Egypt, with tumors and scabs and itch from which you
cannot be cured.
Deuteronomy 28:28 The LORD will afflict you with
madness, blindness, and confusion of mind,
Deuteronomy 28:29 and at noon you will grope
about like a blind man in the darkness. You will not prosper in
your ways. Day after day you will be oppressed and plundered, with
no one to save you.
Deuteronomy 28:30 You will be pledged in
marriage to a woman, but another man will violate her. You will
build a house but will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard
but will not enjoy its fruit.
Deuteronomy 28:31 Your ox will be slaughtered
before your eyes, but you will not eat any of it. Your donkey will
be taken away and not returned to you. Your flock will be given to
your enemies, and no one will save you.
Deuteronomy 28:32 Your sons and daughters will
be given to another nation, while your eyes grow weary looking for
them day after day, with no power in your hand.
Deuteronomy 28:33 A people you do not know will
eat the produce of your land and of all your toil. All your days
you will be oppressed and crushed.
Deuteronomy 28:34 You will be driven mad by the
sights you see.
Deuteronomy 28:35 The LORD will afflict you with
painful, incurable boils on your knees and thighs, from the soles
of your feet to the top of your head.
Deuteronomy 28:36 The LORD will bring you and
the king you appoint to a nation neither you nor your fathers have
known, and there you will worship other gods—gods of wood and
stone.
Deuteronomy 28:37 You will become an object of
horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the
LORD will drive you.
Deuteronomy 28:38 You will sow much seed in the
field but harvest little, because the locusts will consume it.
Deuteronomy 28:39 You will plant and cultivate
vineyards, but will neither drink the wine nor gather the grapes,
because worms will eat them.
Deuteronomy 28:40 You will have olive trees
throughout your territory but will never anoint yourself with oil,
because the olives will drop off.
Deuteronomy 28:41 You will father sons and
daughters, but they will not remain yours, because they will go
into captivity.
Deuteronomy 28:42 Swarms of locusts will consume
all your trees and the produce of your land.
Deuteronomy 28:43 The foreigner living among you
will rise higher and higher above you, while you sink down lower
and lower.
Deuteronomy 28:44 He will lend to you, but you
will not lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the
tail.
Deuteronomy 28:45 All these curses will come
upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are
destroyed, since you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the
commandments and statutes He gave you.
Deuteronomy 28:46 These curses will be a sign
and a wonder upon you and your descendants forever.
Deuteronomy 28:47 Because you did not serve the
LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your
abundance,
Deuteronomy 28:48 you will serve your enemies
the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and
destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has
destroyed you.
Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD will bring a nation
from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like
an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
Deuteronomy 28:50 a ruthless nation with no
respect for the old and no pity for the young.
Deuteronomy 28:51 They will eat the offspring of
your livestock and the produce of your land until you are
destroyed. They will leave you no grain or new wine or oil, no
calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks, until they have
caused you to perish.
Deuteronomy 28:52 They will besiege all the
cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in
which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities
throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.
Deuteronomy 28:53 Then you will eat the fruit of
your womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters whom the LORD your
God has given you, in the siege and distress that your enemy will
inflict on you.
Deuteronomy 28:54 The most gentle and refined
man among you will begrudge his brother, the wife he embraces, and
the rest of his children who have survived,
Deuteronomy 28:55 refusing to share with any of
them the flesh of his children he will eat because he has nothing
left in the siege and distress that your enemy will inflict on you
within all your gates.
Deuteronomy 28:56 The most gentle and refined
woman among you, so gentle and refined she would not venture to
set the sole of her foot on the ground, will begrudge the husband
she embraces and her son and daughter
Deuteronomy 28:57 the afterbirth that comes from
between her legs and the children she bears, because she will
secretly eat them for lack of anything else in the siege and
distress that your enemy will inflict on you within your gates.
Deuteronomy 28:58 If you are not careful to
observe all the words of this law which are written in this book,
that you may fear this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your
God—
Deuteronomy 28:59 He will bring upon you and
your descendants extraordinary disasters, severe and lasting
plagues, and terrible and chronic sicknesses.
Deuteronomy 28:60 He will afflict you again with
all the diseases you dreaded in Egypt, and they will cling to you.
Deuteronomy 28:61 The LORD will also bring upon
you every sickness and plague not recorded in this Book of the
Law, until you are destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:62 You who were as numerous as
the stars in the sky will be left few in number, because you would
not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 28:63 Just as it pleased the LORD to
make you prosper and multiply, so also it will please Him to
annihilate you and destroy you. And you will be uprooted from the
land you are entering to possess.
Deuteronomy 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you
among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other, and
there you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone, which
neither you nor your fathers have known.
Deuteronomy 28:65 Among those nations you will
find no repose, not even a resting place for the sole of your
foot. There the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing
eyes, and a despairing soul.
Deuteronomy 28:66 So your life will hang in
doubt before you, and you will be afraid night and day, never
certain of survival.
Deuteronomy 28:67 In the morning you will say,
‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If
only it were morning!’—because of the dread in your hearts of the
terrifying sights you will see.
Deuteronomy 28:68 The LORD will return you to
Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again.
There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female
slaves, but no one will buy you.”
Deuteronomy 29:1 These are the words of the
covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites
in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant He had made with
them at Horeb.
Deuteronomy 29:2 Moses summoned all Israel and
proclaimed to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything
the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all
his land.
Deuteronomy 29:3 You saw with your own eyes the
great trials, and those miraculous signs and wonders.
Deuteronomy 29:4 Yet to this day the LORD has
not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.
Deuteronomy 29:5 For forty years I led you in
the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out.
Deuteronomy 29:6 You ate no bread and drank no
wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the LORD
your God.
Deuteronomy 29:7 When you reached this place,
Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan came out against us in
battle, but we defeated them.
Deuteronomy 29:8 We took their land and gave it
as an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh.
Deuteronomy 29:9 So keep and follow the words of
this covenant, that you may prosper in all you do.
Deuteronomy 29:10 All of you are standing today
before the LORD your God—you leaders of tribes, elders, officials,
and all the men of Israel,
Deuteronomy 29:11 your children and wives, and
the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your
water—
Deuteronomy 29:12 so that you may enter into the
covenant of the LORD your God, which He is making with you today,
and into His oath,
Deuteronomy 29:13 and so that He may establish
you today as His people, and He may be your God as He promised you
and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Deuteronomy 29:14 I am making this covenant and
this oath not only with you,
Deuteronomy 29:15 but also with those who are
standing here with us today in the presence of the LORD our God,
as well as with those who are not here today.
Deuteronomy 29:16 For you yourselves know how we
lived in the land of Egypt and how we passed through the nations
on the way here.
Deuteronomy 29:17 You saw the abominations and
idols among them made of wood and stone, of silver and gold.
Deuteronomy 29:18 Make sure there is no man or
woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from
the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations. Make
sure there is no root among you that bears such poisonous and
bitter fruit,
Deuteronomy 29:19 because when such a person
hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself,
saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness
of my own heart.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as
well as the dry.
Deuteronomy 29:20 The LORD will never be willing
to forgive him. Instead, His anger and jealousy will burn against
that man, and every curse written in this book will fall upon him.
The LORD will blot out his name from under heaven
Deuteronomy 29:21 and single him out from all
the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of
the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
Deuteronomy 29:22 Then the generation to
come—your sons who follow you and the foreigner who comes from a
distant land—will see the plagues of the land and the sicknesses
the LORD has inflicted on it.
Deuteronomy 29:23 All its soil will be a burning
waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant
growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,
Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.
Deuteronomy 29:24 So all the nations will ask,
‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land? Why this great
outburst of anger?’
Deuteronomy 29:25 And the people will answer,
‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of
their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of
the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 29:26 They went and served other
gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the
LORD had not given to them.
Deuteronomy 29:27 Therefore the anger of the
LORD burned against this land, and He brought upon it every curse
written in this book.
Deuteronomy 29:28 The LORD uprooted them from
their land in His anger, rage, and great wrath, and He cast them
into another land, where they are today.’
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to
the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our
children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 30:1 “When all these things come
upon you—the blessings and curses I have set before you—and you
call them to mind in all the nations to which the LORD your God
has banished you,
Deuteronomy 30:2 and when you and your children
return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart
and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today,
Deuteronomy 30:3 then He will restore you from
captivity and have compassion on you and gather you from all the
nations to which the LORD your God has scattered you.
Deuteronomy 30:4 Even if you have been banished
to the farthest horizon, He will gather you and return you from
there.
Deuteronomy 30:5 And the LORD your God will
bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take
possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply more
than your fathers.
Deuteronomy 30:6 The LORD your God will
circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you
will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that
you may live.
Deuteronomy 30:7 Then the LORD your God will put
all these curses upon your enemies who hate you and persecute you.
Deuteronomy 30:8 And you will again obey the
voice of the LORD and follow all His commandments I am giving you
today.
Deuteronomy 30:9 So the LORD your God will make
you abound in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your
womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your
land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your goodness, as He
delighted in that of your fathers,
Deuteronomy 30:10 if you obey the LORD your God
by keeping His commandments and statutes that are written in this
Book of the Law, and if you turn to Him with all your heart and
with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 30:11 For this commandment I give
you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
Deuteronomy 30:12 It is not in heaven, that you
should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us
and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
Deuteronomy 30:13 And it is not beyond the sea,
that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for
us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’
Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very near you;
it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.
Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have set before you
today life and goodness, as well as death and disaster.
Deuteronomy 30:16 For I am commanding you today
to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His
commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and
increase, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you
are entering to possess.
Deuteronomy 30:17 But if your heart turns away
and you do not listen, but are drawn away to bow down to other
gods and worship them,
Deuteronomy 30:18 I declare to you today that
you will surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the
land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as
witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and
death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you
and your descendants may live,
Deuteronomy 30:20 and that you may love the LORD
your God, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. For He is your life, and
He will prolong your life in the land that the LORD swore to give
to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 31:1 When Moses had finished
speaking these words to all Israel,
Deuteronomy 31:2 he said to them, “I am now a
hundred and twenty years old; I am no longer able to come and go,
and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’
Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD your God Himself will
cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you,
and you will dispossess them. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as
the LORD has said.
Deuteronomy 31:4 And the LORD will do to them as
He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, when He
destroyed them along with their land.
Deuteronomy 31:5 The LORD will deliver them over
to you, and you must do to them exactly as I have commanded you.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous; do
not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God
who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:7 Then Moses called for Joshua
and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and
courageous, for you will go with this people into the land that
the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall give
it to them as an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD Himself goes before
you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:9 So Moses wrote down this law
and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark
of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:10 Then Moses commanded them, “At
the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of
remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles,
Deuteronomy 31:11 when all Israel comes before
the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read
this law in the hearing of all Israel.
Deuteronomy 31:12 Assemble the people—men,
women, children, and the foreigners within your gates—so that they
may listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and to follow
carefully all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 31:13 Then their children who do not
know the law will listen and learn to fear the LORD your God, as
long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to
possess.”
Deuteronomy 31:14 Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present
yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.”
So Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves at the Tent of
Meeting.
Deuteronomy 31:15 Then the LORD appeared at the
tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance
to the tent.
Deuteronomy 31:16 And the LORD said to Moses,
“You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise
up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land
they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I
have made with them.
Deuteronomy 31:17 On that day My anger will burn
against them, and I will abandon them and hide My face from them,
so that they will be consumed, and many troubles and afflictions
will befall them. On that day they will say, ‘Have not these
disasters come upon us because our God is no longer with us?’
Deuteronomy 31:18 And on that day I will surely
hide My face because of all the evil they have done by turning to
other gods.
Deuteronomy 31:19 Now therefore, write down for
yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites; have them
recite it, so that it may be a witness for Me against them.
Deuteronomy 31:20 When I have brought them into
the land that I swore to give their fathers, a land flowing with
milk and honey, they will eat their fill and prosper. Then they
will turn to other gods and worship them, and they will reject Me
and break My covenant.
Deuteronomy 31:21 And when many troubles and
afflictions have come upon them, this song will testify against
them, because it will not be forgotten from the lips of their
descendants. For I know their inclination, even before I bring
them into the land that I swore to give them.”
Deuteronomy 31:22 So that very day Moses wrote
down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
Deuteronomy 31:23 Then the LORD commissioned
Joshua son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you
will bring the Israelites into the land that I swore to give them,
and I will be with you.”
Deuteronomy 31:24 When Moses had finished
writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
Deuteronomy 31:25 he gave this command to the
Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD:
Deuteronomy 31:26 “Take this Book of the Law and
place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so
that it may remain there as a witness against you.
Deuteronomy 31:27 For I know how rebellious and
stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the
LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my
death!
Deuteronomy 31:28 Assemble before me all the
elders of your tribes and all your officers so that I may speak
these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness
against them.
Deuteronomy 31:29 For I know that after my death
you will become utterly corrupt and turn from the path I have
commanded you. And in the days to come, disaster will befall you
because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him
to anger by the work of your hands.”
Deuteronomy 31:30 Then Moses recited aloud to
the whole assembly of Israel the words of this song from beginning
to end:
Deuteronomy 32:1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will
speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
Deuteronomy 32:2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like
showers on tender plants.
Deuteronomy 32:3 For I will proclaim the name of
the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God!
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is
perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without
injustice, righteous and upright is He.
Deuteronomy 32:5 His people have acted corruptly
toward Him; the spot on them is not that of His children, but of a
perverse and crooked generation.
Deuteronomy 32:6 Is this how you repay the LORD,
O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator?
Has He not made you and established you?
Deuteronomy 32:7 Remember the days of old;
consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell
you, your elders, and they will inform you.
Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High gave the
nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set
the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons
of God.
Deuteronomy 32:9 But the LORD’s portion is His
people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land,
in a barren, howling wilderness; He surrounded him, He instructed
him, He guarded him as the apple of His eye.
Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young, He spread His wings to catch them and
carried them on His pinions.
Deuteronomy 32:12 The LORD alone led him, and no
foreign god was with him.
Deuteronomy 32:13 He made him ride on the
heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He
nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty
crag,
Deuteronomy 32:14 with curds from the herd and
milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan,
and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of
the finest grapes you drank the wine.
Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun grew fat and
kicked—becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who
made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
Deuteronomy 32:16 They provoked His jealousy
with foreign gods; they enraged Him with abominations.
Deuteronomy 32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not
to God, to gods they had not known, to newly arrived gods, which
your fathers did not fear.
Deuteronomy 32:18 You ignored the Rock who
brought you forth; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Deuteronomy 32:19 When the LORD saw this, He
rejected them, provoked to anger by His sons and daughters.
Deuteronomy 32:20 He said: “I will hide My face
from them; I will see what will be their end. For they are a
perverse generation—children of unfaithfulness.
Deuteronomy 32:21 They have provoked My jealousy
by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their
worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not
a people; I will make them angry by a nation without
understanding.
Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire has been kindled by
My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the
earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the
mountains.
Deuteronomy 32:23 I will heap disasters upon
them; I will spend My arrows against them.
Deuteronomy 32:24 They will be wasted from
hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send
the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers
that slither in the dust.
Deuteronomy 32:25 Outside, the sword will take
their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and
the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man.
Deuteronomy 32:26 I would have said that I would
cut them to pieces and blot out their memory from mankind,
Deuteronomy 32:27 if I had not dreaded the taunt
of the enemy, lest their adversaries misunderstand and say: ‘Our
own hand has prevailed; it was not the LORD who did all this.’”
Deuteronomy 32:28 Israel is a nation devoid of
counsel, with no understanding among them.
Deuteronomy 32:29 If only they were wise, they
would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.
Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one man pursue a
thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had
sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
Deuteronomy 32:31 For their rock is not like our
Rock, even our enemies concede.
Deuteronomy 32:32 But their vine is from the
vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are
poisonous; their clusters are bitter.
Deuteronomy 32:33 Their wine is the venom of
serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.
Deuteronomy 32:34 “Have I not stored up these
things, sealed up within My vaults?
Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance is Mine; I will
repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster
is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
Deuteronomy 32:36 For the LORD will vindicate
His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that
their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
Deuteronomy 32:37 He will say: “Where are their
gods, the rock in which they took refuge,
Deuteronomy 32:38 which ate the fat of their
sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them
rise up and help you; let them give you shelter!
Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I am He; there is
no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I
heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.
Deuteronomy 32:40 For I lift up My hand to
heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever,
Deuteronomy 32:41 when I sharpen My flashing
sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on
My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.
Deuteronomy 32:42 I will make My arrows drunk
with blood, while My sword devours flesh—the blood of the slain
and captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.”
Deuteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, O heavens, with Him,
and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His
people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take
vengeance on His adversaries and repay those who hate Him; He will
cleanse His land and His people.
Deuteronomy 32:44 Then Moses came with Joshua
son of Nun and recited all the words of this song in the hearing
of the people.
Deuteronomy 32:45 When Moses had finished
reciting all these words to all Israel,
Deuteronomy 32:46 he said to them, “Take to
heart all these words I testify among you today, so that you may
command your children to carefully follow all the words of this
law.
Deuteronomy 32:47 For they are not idle words to
you, because they are your life, and by them you will live long in
the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Deuteronomy 32:48 On that same day the LORD said
to Moses,
Deuteronomy 32:49 “Go up into the Abarim Range
to Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab across from Jericho, and view
the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites as their
own possession.
Deuteronomy 32:50 And there on the mountain that
you climb, you will die and be gathered to your people, just as
your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his
people.
Deuteronomy 32:51 For at the waters of
Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith
with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in
their presence.
Deuteronomy 32:52 Although you shall see from a
distance the land that I am giving the Israelites, you shall not
enter it.”
Deuteronomy 33:1 This is the blessing that Moses
the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
Deuteronomy 33:2 He said: “The LORD came from
Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount
Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His
right hand.
Deuteronomy 33:3 Surely You love the people; all
the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet;
each receives Your words—
Deuteronomy 33:4 the law that Moses gave us, the
possession of the assembly of Jacob.
Deuteronomy 33:5 So the LORD became King in
Jeshurun when the leaders of the people gathered, when the tribes
of Israel came together.
Deuteronomy 33:6 Let Reuben live and not die,
nor his men be few.”
Deuteronomy 33:7 And concerning Judah he said:
“O LORD, hear the cry of Judah and bring him to his people. With
his own hands he defends his cause, but may You be a help against
his foes.”
Deuteronomy 33:8 Concerning Levi he said: “Give
Your Thummim to Levi and Your Urim to Your godly one, whom You
tested at Massah and contested at the waters of Meribah.
Deuteronomy 33:9 He said of his father and
mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and
did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained
Your covenant.
Deuteronomy 33:10 He will teach Your ordinances
to Jacob and Your law to Israel; he will set incense before You
and whole burnt offerings on Your altar.
Deuteronomy 33:11 Bless his substance, O LORD,
and accept the work of his hands. Smash the loins of those who
rise against him, and of his foes so they can rise no more.”
Deuteronomy 33:12 Concerning Benjamin he said:
“May the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him; God shields him
all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.”
Deuteronomy 33:13 Concerning Joseph he said:
“May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from
heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,
Deuteronomy 33:14 with the bountiful harvest
from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons,
Deuteronomy 33:15 with the best of the ancient
mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills,
Deuteronomy 33:16 with the choice gifts of the
land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in
the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown
the brow of the prince of his brothers.
Deuteronomy 33:17 His majesty is like a
firstborn bull, and his horns are like those of a wild ox. With
them he will gore the nations, even to the ends of the earth. Such
are the myriads of Ephraim, and such are the thousands of
Manasseh.”
Deuteronomy 33:18 Concerning Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.
Deuteronomy 33:19 They will call the peoples to
a mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness. For
they will feast on the abundance of the seas and the hidden
treasures of the sand.”
Deuteronomy 33:20 Concerning Gad he said:
“Blessed is he who enlarges the domain of Gad! He lies down like a
lion and tears off an arm or a head.
Deuteronomy 33:21 He chose the best land for
himself, because a ruler’s portion was reserved for him there. He
came with the leaders of the people; he administered the LORD’s
justice and His ordinances for Israel.”
Deuteronomy 33:22 Concerning Dan he said: “Dan
is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.”
Deuteronomy 33:23 Concerning Naphtali he said:
“Naphtali is abounding with favor, full of the blessing of the
LORD; he shall take possession of the sea and the south.”
Deuteronomy 33:24 And concerning Asher he said:
“May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored
among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.
Deuteronomy 33:25 May the bolts of your gate be
iron and bronze, and may your strength match your days.”
Deuteronomy 33:26 “There is none like the God of
Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His
majesty.
Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your
dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives
out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
Deuteronomy 33:28 So Israel dwells securely; the
fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new
wine, where even the heavens drip with dew.
Deuteronomy 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who
is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that
protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will
cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
Deuteronomy 34:1 Then Moses went up from the
plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces
Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far
as Dan,
Deuteronomy 34:2 all of Naphtali, the land of
Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western
Sea,
Deuteronomy 34:3 the Negev, and the region from
the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.
Deuteronomy 34:4 And the LORD said to him, “This
is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I
said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it
with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”
Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses the servant of the
LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said.
Deuteronomy 34:6 And He buried him in a valley
in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows
the location of his grave.
Deuteronomy 34:7 Moses was a hundred and twenty
years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his
vitality had not diminished.
Deuteronomy 34:8 The Israelites grieved for
Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping
and mourning for Moses came to an end.
Deuteronomy 34:9 Now Joshua son of Nun was
filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands
on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had
commanded Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:10 Since that time, no prophet
has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face—
Deuteronomy 34:11 no prophet who did all the
signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of
Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land,
Deuteronomy 34:12 and no prophet who performed
all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in
the sight of all Israel.
JOSHUA
Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of His servant
Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,
saying,
Joshua 1:2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now
therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the
Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.
Joshua 1:3 I have given you every place where
the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.
Joshua 1:4 Your territory shall extend from the
wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land
of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea.
Joshua 1:5 No one shall stand against you all
the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you;
I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you
shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore
to their fathers I would give them.
Joshua 1:7 Above all, be strong and very
courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant
Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the
left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.
Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law must not depart
from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper
and succeed in all you do.
Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you to be strong
and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the
LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers
of the people:
Joshua 1:11 “Go through the camp and tell the
people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you will
cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that the
LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”
Joshua 1:12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,
Joshua 1:13 “Remember what Moses the servant of
the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give
you rest, and He will give you this land.’
Joshua 1:14 Your wives, your young children, and
your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this
side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed
for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,
Joshua 1:15 until the LORD gives them rest as He
has done for you, and your brothers also possess the land that the
LORD your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land of
your inheritance and take possession of that which Moses the
servant of the LORD gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”
Joshua 1:16 So they answered Joshua, “Everything
you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we
will go.
Joshua 1:17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all
things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with
you, as He was with Moses.
Joshua 1:18 Anyone who rebels against your order
and does not obey your words, all that you command him, will be
put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”
Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent
two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially
Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named
Rahab and stayed there.
Joshua 2:2 And it was reported to the king of
Jericho: “Behold, some men of Israel have come here tonight to spy
out the land.”
Joshua 2:3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab
and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your
house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.”
Joshua 2:4 But the woman had taken the two men
and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I
did not know where they had come from.
Joshua 2:5 At dusk, when the gate was about to
close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went.
Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!”
Joshua 2:6 (But Rahab had taken them up to the
roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid
out there.)
Joshua 2:7 So the king’s men set out in pursuit
of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as
soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.
Joshua 2:8 Before the spies lay down for the
night, Rahab went up on the roof
Joshua 2:9 and said to them, “I know that the
LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen
on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of
you.
Joshua 2:10 For we have heard how the LORD dried
up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of
Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the
Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.
Joshua 2:11 When we heard this, our hearts
melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD
your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.
Joshua 2:12 Now therefore, please swear to me by
the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because
I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign
Joshua 2:13 that you will spare the lives of my
father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to
them, and that you will deliver us from death.”
Joshua 2:14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men
agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you
kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.”
Joshua 2:15 Then Rahab let them down by a rope
through the window, since the house where she lived was built into
the wall of the city.
Joshua 2:16 “Go to the hill country,” she said,
“so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there
for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.”
Joshua 2:17 The men said to her, “We will not be
bound by this oath you made us swear
Joshua 2:18 unless, when we enter the land, you
have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us
down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and
brothers and all your family into your house.
Joshua 2:19 If anyone goes out the door of your
house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we
will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the
house, his blood will be on our heads.
Joshua 2:20 And if you report our mission, we
will be released from the oath you made us swear.”
Joshua 2:21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied,
and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the
scarlet cord in the window.
Joshua 2:22 So the spies went out into the hill
country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had
returned without finding them, having searched all along the road.
Joshua 2:23 Then the two men started back, came
down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to
Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them.
Joshua 2:24 “The LORD has surely delivered the
entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who
dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.”
Joshua 3:1 Early the next morning Joshua got up
and left Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the
Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
Joshua 3:2 After three days the officers went
through the camp
Joshua 3:3 and commanded the people: “When you
see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by
the Levitical priests, you are to set out from your positions and
follow it.
Joshua 3:4 But keep a distance of about two
thousand cubits between yourselves and the ark. Do not go near it,
so that you can see the way to go, since you have never traveled
this way before.”
Joshua 3:5 Then Joshua told the people,
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders
among you.”
Joshua 3:6 And he said to the priests, “Take the
ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they
carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
Joshua 3:7 Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I
will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may
know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.
Joshua 3:8 Command the priests carrying the ark
of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in
the Jordan.’”
Joshua 3:9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come
here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”
Joshua 3:10 He continued, “This is how you will
know that the living God is among you and that He will surely
drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites,
Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
Joshua 3:11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of
the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan.
Joshua 3:12 Now choose twelve men from the
tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
Joshua 3:13 When the feet of the priests who
carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in
the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and
will stand up in a heap.”
Joshua 3:14 So when the people broke camp to
cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant
ahead of them.
Joshua 3:15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks
throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying
the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s
edge,
Joshua 3:16 the flowing water stood still. It
backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan,
while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt
Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite
Jericho.
Joshua 3:17 The priests carrying the ark of the
covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the
Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the
entire nation had crossed the Jordan.
Joshua 4:1 When the whole nation had finished
crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
Joshua 4:2 “Choose twelve men from among the
people, one from each tribe,
Joshua 4:3 and command them: ‘Take up for
yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the
priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in
the place where you spend the night.’”
Joshua 4:4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he
had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
Joshua 4:5 and said to them, “Cross over before
the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each
of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the
number of the tribes of Israel,
Joshua 4:6 to serve as a sign among you. In the
future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to
you?’
Joshua 4:7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters of
the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the
LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’
Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites
forever.”
Joshua 4:8 Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had
commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the
Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told
Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them
down.
Joshua 4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in
the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who
carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to
this day.
Joshua 4:10 Now the priests who carried the ark
remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had
completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them,
just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,
Joshua 4:11 and after everyone had finished
crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the
sight of the people.
Joshua 4:12 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed
for battle as Moses had instructed them.
Joshua 4:13 About 40,000 troops armed for battle
crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.
Joshua 4:14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua
in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of
his life, just as they had revered Moses.
Joshua 4:15 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
Joshua 4:16 “Command the priests who carry the
ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
Joshua 4:17 So Joshua commanded the priests,
“Come up from the Jordan.”
Joshua 4:18 When the priests carrying the ark of
the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet
touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their
course and overflowed all the banks as before.
Joshua 4:19 On the tenth day of the first month
the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the
eastern border of Jericho.
Joshua 4:20 And there at Gilgal Joshua set up
the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
Joshua 4:21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites,
“In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the
meaning of these stones?’
Joshua 4:22 you are to tell them, ‘Israel
crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
Joshua 4:23 For the LORD your God dried up the
waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just
as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had
crossed over.
Joshua 4:24 He did this so that all the peoples
of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so
that you may always fear the LORD your God.”
Joshua 5:1 Now when all the Amorite kings west
of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard
how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the
Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and
their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.
Joshua 5:2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua,
“Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.”
Joshua 5:3 So Joshua made flint knives and
circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
Joshua 5:4 Now this is why Joshua circumcised
them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died
on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt.
Joshua 5:5 Though all who had come out were
circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey
from Egypt had been circumcised.
Joshua 5:6 For the Israelites had wandered in
the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who
had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD.
So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to
their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Joshua 5:7 And Joshua raised up their sons in
their place, and these were the ones he circumcised. Until this
time they were still uncircumcised, since they had not been
circumcised along the way.
Joshua 5:8 And after all the nation had been
circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they were healed.
Joshua 5:9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today
I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place
has been called Gilgal to this day.
Joshua 5:10 On the evening of the fourteenth day
of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the
plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.
Joshua 5:11 The day after the Passover, on that
very day, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the
produce of the land.
Joshua 5:12 And the day after they had eaten
from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no more
manna for the Israelites, so that year they began to eat the crops
of the land of Canaan.
Joshua 5:13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he
looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn
sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for
us or for our enemies?”
Joshua 5:14 “Neither,” He replied. “I have now
come as Commander of the LORD’s army.” Then Joshua fell facedown
in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His
servant?”
Joshua 5:15 The Commander of the LORD’s army
replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are
standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up
because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
Joshua 6:2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold,
I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and
its mighty men of valor.
Joshua 6:3 March around the city with all the
men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
Joshua 6:4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’
horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around
the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.
Joshua 6:5 And when there is a long blast of the
ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a
mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your
people will charge straight into the city.”
Joshua 6:6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the
priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven
priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”
Joshua 6:7 And he told the people, “Advance and
march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the
ark of the LORD.”
Joshua 6:8 After Joshua had spoken to the
people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD
advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the
LORD followed them.
Joshua 6:9 While the horns continued to sound,
the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns,
and the rear guard followed the ark.
Joshua 6:10 But Joshua had commanded the people:
“Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let
one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout.
Then you are to shout!”
Joshua 6:11 So he had the ark of the LORD
carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned
to the camp and spent the night there.
Joshua 6:12 Joshua got up early the next
morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.
Joshua 6:13 And the seven priests carrying seven
rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing
the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear
guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding.
Joshua 6:14 So on the second day they marched
around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for
six days.
Joshua 6:15 Then on the seventh day, they got up
at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same
manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times.
Joshua 6:16 After the seventh time around, the
priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout!
For the LORD has given you the city!
Joshua 6:17 Now the city and everything in it
must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the
prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because
she hid the spies we sent.
Joshua 6:18 But keep away from the things
devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for
destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp
of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.
Joshua 6:19 For all the silver and gold and all
the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go
into His treasury.”
Joshua 6:20 So when the rams’ horns sounded, the
people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people
gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people
charged straight into the city and captured it.
Joshua 6:21 At the edge of the sword they
devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young
and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
Joshua 6:22 Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men
who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute
and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you
promised her.”
Joshua 6:23 So the young spies went in and
brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who
belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled
them outside the camp of Israel.
Joshua 6:24 Then the Israelites burned up the
city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold
and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s
house.
Joshua 6:25 And Joshua spared Rahab the
prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to
her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho.
So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.
Joshua 6:26 At that time Joshua invoked this
solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and
rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will
lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up
its gates.”
Joshua 6:27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his
fame spread throughout the land.
Joshua 7:1 The Israelites, however, acted
unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan
son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD
burned against the Israelites.
Joshua 7:2 Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from
Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and
told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and
spied out Ai.
Joshua 7:3 On returning to Joshua, they
reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three
thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people
of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”
Joshua 7:4 So about three thousand men went up,
but they fled before the men of Ai.
Joshua 7:5 And the men of Ai struck down about
thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the
quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of
the people melted and became like water.
Joshua 7:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell
facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the
elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
Joshua 7:7 “O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did
You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into
the hand of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been
content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
Joshua 7:8 O Lord, what can I say, now that
Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?
Joshua 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live
in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out
our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great
name?”
Joshua 7:10 But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand
up! Why have you fallen on your face?
Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have
transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have
taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have
stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own
possessions.
Joshua 7:12 This is why the Israelites cannot
stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run
from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart
for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove
from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
Joshua 7:13 Get up and consecrate the people,
saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are
things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your
enemies until you remove them.
Joshua 7:14 In the morning you must present
yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects shall
come forward clan by clan, and the clan that the LORD selects
shall come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD
selects shall come forward man by man.
Joshua 7:15 The one who is caught with the
things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that
belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the
LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’”
Joshua 7:16 So Joshua arose early the next
morning and had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe
of Judah was selected.
Joshua 7:17 He had the clans of Judah come
forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He had the
clan of the Zerahites come forward, and the family of Zabdi was
selected.
Joshua 7:18 And he had the family of Zabdi come
forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the
son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
Joshua 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son,
give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession
to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it
from me.”
Joshua 7:20 “It is true,” Achan replied, “I have
sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did:
Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a
beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a
bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.
They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver
underneath.”
Joshua 7:22 So Joshua sent messengers who ran to
the tent, and there it all was, hidden in his tent, with the
silver underneath.
Joshua 7:23 They took the things from inside the
tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread
them out before the LORD.
Joshua 7:24 Then Joshua, together with all
Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of
gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his
tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley
of Achor.
Joshua 7:25 “Why have you brought this trouble
upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon
you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the
others and burned their bodies.
Joshua 7:26 And they heaped over Achan a large
pile of rocks that remains to this day. So the LORD turned from
His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of
Achor to this day.
Joshua 8:1 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not
be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up
and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of
Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
Joshua 8:2 And you shall do to Ai and its king
as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off
their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush
behind the city.”
Joshua 8:3 So Joshua and the whole army set out
to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent
them out at night
Joshua 8:4 with these orders: “Pay attention.
You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All
of you must be ready.
Joshua 8:5 Then I and all the troops with me
will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they
did the first time, we will flee from them.
Joshua 8:6 They will pursue us until we have
drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites
are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from
them,
Joshua 8:7 you are to rise from the ambush and
seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your
hand.
Joshua 8:8 And when you have taken the city, set
it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you
orders.”
Joshua 8:9 So Joshua sent them out, and they
went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai,
to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
Joshua 8:10 Joshua got up early the next morning
and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched
before them up to Ai.
Joshua 8:11 Then all the troops who were with
him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of
Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and
the city.
Joshua 8:12 Now Joshua had taken about five
thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the
west of the city.
Joshua 8:13 So the forces were stationed with
the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the
west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.
Joshua 8:14 When the king of Ai saw the
Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of
the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place
overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had
been set up against him behind the city.
Joshua 8:15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves
be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
Joshua 8:16 Then all the men of Ai were summoned
to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from
the city.
Joshua 8:17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel
who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while
they pursued Israel.
Joshua 8:18 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold
out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver
the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai,
Joshua 8:19 and as soon as he did so, the men in
ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward,
entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.
Joshua 8:20 When the men of Ai turned and looked
back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could
not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the
wilderness now became the pursuers.
Joshua 8:21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that
the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising
from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai.
Joshua 8:22 Meanwhile, those in the ambush came
out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped
between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them
down until no survivor or fugitive remained.
Joshua 8:23 But they took the king of Ai alive
and brought him to Joshua.
Joshua 8:24 When Israel had finished killing all
the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness,
and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the
Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.
Joshua 8:25 A total of twelve thousand men and
women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
Joshua 8:26 Joshua did not draw back the hand
that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all
who lived in Ai.
Joshua 8:27 Israel took for themselves only the
cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
Joshua 8:28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a
permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
Joshua 8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree
until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down
the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the
city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which
remains to this day.
Joshua 8:30 At that time Joshua built an altar
on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
Joshua 8:31 just as Moses the servant of the
LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what
is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut
stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they
offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace
offerings.
Joshua 8:32 And there in the presence of the
Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of
Moses, which he had written.
Joshua 8:33 All Israel, foreigners and citizens
alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both
sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical
priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount
Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the
servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of
Israel.
Joshua 8:34 Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the
words of the law—the blessings and the curses—according to all
that is written in the Book of the Law.
Joshua 8:35 There was not a word of all that
Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole
assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the
foreigners who lived among them.
Joshua 9:1 Now when news of this reached all the
kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills,
and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the
Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites)—
Joshua 9:2 they came together to wage war
against Joshua and Israel.
Joshua 9:3 But the people of Gibeon, having
heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
Joshua 9:4 acted deceptively and set out as
envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old
wineskins, cracked and mended.
Joshua 9:5 They put worn, patched sandals on
their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies, and their
whole supply of bread was dry and moldy.
Joshua 9:6 They went to Joshua in the camp at
Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a
distant land; please make a treaty with us.”
Joshua 9:7 But the men of Israel said to the
Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell near us. How can we make a treaty with
you?”
Joshua 9:8 “We are your servants,” they said to
Joshua. Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where have you
come from?”
Joshua 9:9 “Your servants have come from a very
distant land,” they replied, “because of the fame of the LORD your
God. For we have heard the reports about Him: all that He did in
Egypt,
Joshua 9:10 and all that He did to the two kings
of the Amorites beyond the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og
king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth.
Joshua 9:11 So the elders and inhabitants of our
land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them
and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with
us.’
Joshua 9:12 This bread of ours was warm when we
packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But take a
look, it is now dry and moldy.
Joshua 9:13 These wineskins were new when we
filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and
sandals are worn out from our very long journey.”
Joshua 9:14 Then the men of Israel sampled their
provisions, but did not seek the counsel of the LORD.
Joshua 9:15 And Joshua made a treaty of peace
with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation
swore an oath to them.
Joshua 9:16 Three days after they had made the
treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites learned that they were
neighbors, living among them.
Joshua 9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the
third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and
Kiriath-jearim.
Joshua 9:18 But the Israelites did not attack
them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to
them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And the whole congregation
grumbled against the leaders.
Joshua 9:19 All the leaders answered, “We have
sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we
cannot touch them.
Joshua 9:20 This is how we will treat them: We
will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of
the oath we swore to them.”
Joshua 9:21 They continued, “Let them live, but
let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole
congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise.
Joshua 9:22 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites
and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away
from us, when in fact you live among us?
Joshua 9:23 Now therefore you are under a curse
and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for
the house of my God.”
Joshua 9:24 The Gibeonites answered, “Your
servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded
His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its
inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because
of you, and that is why we have done this.
Joshua 9:25 Now we are in your hands. Do to us
whatever seems good and right to you.”
Joshua 9:26 So Joshua did this and delivered
them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill the
Gibeonites.
Joshua 9:27 On that day he made them woodcutters
and water carriers, as they are to this day for the congregation
of the LORD and for the altar at the place He would choose.
Joshua 10:1 Now Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem
heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to
destruction—doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and
its king—and that the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel
and were living near them.
Joshua 10:2 So Adoni-zedek and his people were
greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the
royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
Joshua 10:3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of
Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of
Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
Joshua 10:4 “Come up and help me. We will attack
Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the
Israelites.”
Joshua 10:5 So the five kings of the
Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and
Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They
camped before Gibeon and made war against it.
Joshua 10:6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to
Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants. Come
quickly and save us! Help us, because all the kings of the
Amorites from the hill country have joined forces against us.”
Joshua 10:7 So Joshua and his whole army,
including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal.
Joshua 10:8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be
afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one
of them shall stand against you.”
Joshua 10:9 After marching all night from
Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise.
Joshua 10:10 And the LORD threw them into
confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at
Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck
them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
Joshua 10:11 As they fled before Israel along
the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them
large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the
hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.
Joshua 10:12 On the day that the LORD gave the
Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the
presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over
the Valley of Aijalon.”
Joshua 10:13 So the sun stood still and the moon
stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this
not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the
middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”
Joshua 10:14 There has been no day like it
before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man,
because the LORD fought for Israel.
Joshua 10:15 Then Joshua returned with all
Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Joshua 10:16 Now the five kings had fled and
hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
Joshua 10:17 And Joshua was informed: “The five
kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
Joshua 10:18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones
against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard them.
Joshua 10:19 But you, do not stop there. Pursue
your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach
their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your
hand.”
Joshua 10:20 So Joshua and the Israelites
continued to inflict a terrible slaughter until they had finished
them off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the fortified
cities.
Joshua 10:21 The whole army returned safely to
Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word
against the Israelites.
Joshua 10:22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth
of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.”
Joshua 10:23 So they brought the five kings out
of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and
Eglon.
Joshua 10:24 When they had brought the kings to
Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army
commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet
on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and
put their feet on their necks.
Joshua 10:25 “Do not be afraid or discouraged,”
Joshua said. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this
to all the enemies you fight.”
Joshua 10:26 After this, Joshua struck down and
killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees and left
them there until evening.
Joshua 10:27 At sunset Joshua ordered that they
be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave in which
they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth
of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.
Joshua 10:28 On that day Joshua captured
Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted
to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he
did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Joshua 10:29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him
moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
Joshua 10:30 And the LORD also delivered that
city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the
people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king
of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Joshua 10:31 And Joshua and all Israel with him
moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought
against it.
Joshua 10:32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into
the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He
put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.
Joshua 10:33 At that time Horam king of Gezer
went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his
people, leaving no survivors.
Joshua 10:34 So Joshua moved on from Lachish to
Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought
against it.
Joshua 10:35 That day they captured Eglon and
put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in
the city, just as he had done to Lachish.
Joshua 10:36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him
went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.
Joshua 10:37 They captured it and put to the
sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left
no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to
destruction Hebron and everyone in it.
Joshua 10:38 Finally Joshua and all Israel with
him turned toward Debir and fought against it.
Joshua 10:39 And they captured Debir, its king,
and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to
destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did
to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done
to Libnah and its king.
Joshua 10:40 So Joshua conquered the whole
region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes,
together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to
destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of
Israel, had commanded.
Joshua 10:41 Joshua conquered the area from
Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as
Gibeon.
Joshua 10:42 And because the LORD, the God of
Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and
their land in one campaign.
Joshua 10:43 Then Joshua returned with all
Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
Joshua 11:1 Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard
about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the
kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
Joshua 11:2 to the kings of the north in the
mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills,
and in Naphoth-dor to the west;
Joshua 11:3 to the Canaanites in the east and
west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the
hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land
of Mizpah.
Joshua 11:4 So these kings came out with all
their armies, a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore,
along with a great number of horses and chariots.
Joshua 11:5 All these kings joined forces and
encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
Joshua 11:6 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do
not be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow I will deliver
all of them slain before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses
and burn up their chariots.”
Joshua 11:7 So by the waters of Merom, Joshua
and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them,
Joshua 11:8 and the LORD delivered them into the
hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way
to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the
Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.
Joshua 11:9 Joshua treated them as the LORD had
told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
Joshua 11:10 At that time Joshua turned back and
captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was
formerly the head of all these kingdoms.
Joshua 11:11 The Israelites put everyone in
Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. Nothing that
breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself.
Joshua 11:12 Joshua captured all these kings and
their cities and put them to the sword. He devoted them to
destruction, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded.
Joshua 11:13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the
cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
Joshua 11:14 The Israelites took for themselves
all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all
the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them,
not sparing anyone who breathed.
Joshua 11:15 As the LORD had commanded His
servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did,
leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
Joshua 11:16 So Joshua took this entire region:
the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the
western foothills, the Arabah, and the mountains of Israel and
their foothills,
Joshua 11:17 from Mount Halak, which rises
toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the
foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them
down, putting them to death.
Joshua 11:18 Joshua waged war against all these
kings for a long period of time.
Joshua 11:19 No city made peace with the
Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were
taken in battle.
Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden
their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set
apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being
annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Joshua 11:21 At that time Joshua proceeded to
eliminate the Anakim from the hill country of Hebron, Debir, and
Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua
devoted them to destruction, along with their cities.
Joshua 11:22 No Anakim were left in the land of
the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the entire land, in
keeping with all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua
gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to
their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.
Joshua 12:1 Now these are the kings of the land
whom the Israelites struck down and whose lands they took beyond
the Jordan to the east, from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon,
including all the Arabah eastward:
Joshua 12:2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who
lived in Heshbon. He ruled from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon
Valley, along the middle of the valley, up to the Jabbok River
(the border of the Ammonites), that is, half of Gilead,
Joshua 12:3 as well as the Arabah east of the
Sea of Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea),
eastward through Beth-jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of
Pisgah.
Joshua 12:4 And Og king of Bashan, one of the
remnant of the Rephaim, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
Joshua 12:5 He ruled over Mount Hermon, Salecah,
all of Bashan up to the border of the Geshurites and Maacathites,
and half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.
Joshua 12:6 Moses, the servant of the LORD, and
the Israelites had struck them down and given their land as an
inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of
Manasseh.
Joshua 12:7 And these are the kings of the land
that Joshua and the Israelites conquered beyond the Jordan to the
west, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which
rises toward Seir (according to the allotments to the tribes of
Israel, Joshua gave them as an inheritance
Joshua 12:8 the hill country, the foothills, the
Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev—the lands of the
Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites):
Joshua 12:9 the king of Jericho, one; the king
of Ai, which is near Bethel, one;
Joshua 12:10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the
king of Hebron, one;
Joshua 12:11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king
of Lachish, one;
Joshua 12:12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of
Gezer, one;
Joshua 12:13 the king of Debir, one; the king of
Geder, one;
Joshua 12:14 the king of Hormah, one; the king
of Arad, one;
Joshua 12:15 the king of Libnah, one; the king
of Adullam, one;
Joshua 12:16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king
of Bethel, one;
Joshua 12:17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king
of Hepher, one;
Joshua 12:18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of
Lasharon, one;
Joshua 12:19 the king of Madon, one; the king of
Hazor, one;
Joshua 12:20 the king of Shimron-meron, one; the
king of Achshaph, one;
Joshua 12:21 the king of Taanach, one; the king
of Megiddo, one;
Joshua 12:22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king
of Jokneam in Carmel, one;
Joshua 12:23 the king of Dor in Naphath-dor,
one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one;
Joshua 12:24 and the king of Tirzah, one. So
there were thirty-one kings in all.
Joshua 13:1 Now Joshua was old and well along in
years, and the LORD said to him, “You are old and well along in
years, but very much of the land remains to be possessed.
Joshua 13:2 This is the land that remains: All
the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites,
Joshua 13:3 from the Shihor east of Egypt to the
territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite
territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod,
Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as that of the Avvites;
Joshua 13:4 to the south, all the land of the
Canaanites, from Mearah of the Sidonians to Aphek, as far as the
border of the Amorites;
Joshua 13:5 the land of the Gebalites; and all
Lebanon to the east, from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon to
Lebo-hamath.
Joshua 13:6 All the inhabitants of the hill
country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim—all the Sidonians—I Myself
will drive out before the Israelites. Be sure to divide it by lot
as an inheritance to Israel, as I have commanded you.
Joshua 13:7 Now therefore divide this land as an
inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh.”
Joshua 13:8 The other half of Manasseh, along
with the Reubenites and Gadites, had received the inheritance
Moses had given them beyond the Jordan to the east, just as Moses
the servant of the LORD had assigned to them:
Joshua 13:9 The area from Aroer on the rim of
the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the valley,
the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon,
Joshua 13:10 and all the cities of Sihon king of
the Amorites who reigned in Heshbon, as far as the border of the
Ammonites;
Joshua 13:11 also Gilead and the territory of
the Geshurites and Maacathites, all of Mount Hermon, and all
Bashan as far as Salecah—
Joshua 13:12 the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan,
who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei and had remained as a
remnant of the Rephaim. Moses had struck them down and
dispossessed them,
Joshua 13:13 but the Israelites did not drive
out the Geshurites or the Maacathites. So Geshur and Maacath dwell
among the Israelites to this day.
Joshua 13:14 To the tribe of Levi, however,
Moses had given no inheritance. The offerings made by fire to the
LORD, the God of Israel, are their inheritance, just as He had
promised them.
Joshua 13:15 This is what Moses had given to the
clans of the tribe of Reuben:
Joshua 13:16 The territory from Aroer on the rim
of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the middle of the
valley, to the whole plateau beyond Medeba,
Joshua 13:17 to Heshbon and all its cities on
the plateau, including Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,
Joshua 13:18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,
Joshua 13:19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar
on the hill in the valley,
Joshua 13:20 Beth-peor, the slopes of Pisgah,
and Beth-jeshimoth—
Joshua 13:21 all the cities of the plateau and
all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in
Heshbon until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian (Evi,
Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon who lived in the
land.
Joshua 13:22 The Israelites also killed the
diviner Balaam son of Beor along with the others they put to the
sword.
Joshua 13:23 And the border of the Reubenites
was the bank of the Jordan. This was the inheritance of the clans
of the Reubenites, including the cities and villages.
Joshua 13:24 This is what Moses had given to the
clans of the tribe of Gad:
Joshua 13:25 The territory of Jazer, all the
cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites as far as
Aroer, near Rabbah;
Joshua 13:26 the territory from Heshbon to
Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the border of
Debir;
Joshua 13:27 and in the valley, Beth-haram,
Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of
Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the
Jordan up to the edge of the Sea of Chinnereth).
Joshua 13:28 This was the inheritance of the
clans of the Gadites, including the cities and villages.
Joshua 13:29 This is what Moses had given to the
clans of the half-tribe of Manasseh, that is, to half the tribe of
the descendants of Manasseh:
Joshua 13:30 The territory from Mahanaim through
all Bashan—all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, including all the
towns of Jair that are in Bashan, sixty cities;
Joshua 13:31 half of Gilead; and Ashtaroth and
Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. All this was for the
clans of the descendants of Machir son of Manasseh, that is, half
of the descendants of Machir.
Joshua 13:32 These were the portions Moses had
given them on the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, east of
Jericho.
Joshua 13:33 To the tribe of Levi, however,
Moses had given no inheritance. The LORD, the God of Israel, is
their inheritance, just as He had promised them.
Joshua 14:1 Now these are the portions that the
Israelites inherited in the land of Canaan, as distributed by
Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the
families of the tribes of Israel.
Joshua 14:2 Their inheritance was assigned by
lot for the nine and a half tribes, as the LORD had commanded
through Moses.
Joshua 14:3 For Moses had given the inheritance
east of the Jordan to the other two and a half tribes. But he
granted no inheritance among them to the Levites.
Joshua 14:4 The descendants of Joseph became two
tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. And no portion of the land was given
to the Levites, except for cities in which to live, along with
pasturelands for their flocks and herds.
Joshua 14:5 So the Israelites did as the LORD
had commanded Moses, and they divided the land.
Joshua 14:6 Then the sons of Judah approached
Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to
him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at
Kadesh-barnea about you and me.
Joshua 14:7 I was forty years old when Moses the
servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the
land, and I brought back to him an honest report.
Joshua 14:8 Although my brothers who went with
me made the hearts of the people melt with fear, I remained loyal
to the LORD my God.
Joshua 14:9 On that day Moses swore to me,
saying, ‘Surely the land on which you have set foot will be an
inheritance to you and your children forever, because you have
wholly followed the LORD my God.’
Joshua 14:10 Now behold, as the LORD promised,
He has kept me alive these forty-five years since He spoke this
word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. So here I
am today, eighty-five years old,
Joshua 14:11 still as strong today as I was the
day Moses sent me out. As my strength was then, so it is now for
war, for going out, and for coming in.
Joshua 14:12 Now therefore give me this hill
country that the LORD promised me on that day, for you yourself
heard then that the Anakim were there, with great and fortified
cities. Perhaps with the LORD’s help I will drive them out, as the
LORD has spoken.”
Joshua 14:13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of
Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.
Joshua 14:14 Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb
son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite as an inheritance to this day,
because he wholly followed the LORD, the God of Israel.
Joshua 14:15 (Hebron used to be called
Kiriath-arba, after Arba, the greatest man among the Anakim.) Then
the land had rest from war.
Joshua 15:1 Now the allotment for the clans of
the tribe of Judah extended to the border of Edom, to the
Wilderness of Zin at the extreme southern boundary:
Joshua 15:2 Their southern border started at the
bay on the southern tip of the Salt Sea,
Joshua 15:3 proceeded south of the Ascent of
Akrabbim, continued on to Zin, went over to the south of
Kadesh-barnea, ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward
Karka.
Joshua 15:4 It proceeded to Azmon, joined the
Brook of Egypt, and ended at the Sea. This was their southern
border.
Joshua 15:5 The eastern border was the Salt Sea
as far as the mouth of the Jordan. The northern border started
from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan,
Joshua 15:6 went up to Beth-hoglah, proceeded
north of Beth-arabah, and went up to the Stone of Bohan son of
Reuben.
Joshua 15:7 Then the border went up to Debir
from the Valley of Achor, turning north to Gilgal, which faces the
Ascent of Adummim south of the ravine. It continued along the
waters of En-shemesh and came out at En-rogel.
Joshua 15:8 From there the border went up the
Valley of Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusites (that
is, Jerusalem) and ascended to the top of the hill that faces the
Valley of Hinnom on the west, at the northern end of the Valley of
Rephaim.
Joshua 15:9 From the hilltop the border curved
to the spring of the Waters of Nephtoah, proceeded to the cities
of Mount Ephron, and then bent around toward Baalah (that is,
Kiriath-jearim).
Joshua 15:10 The border curled westward from
Baalah to Mount Seir, ran along the northern slope of Mount Jearim
(that is, Chesalon), went down to Beth-shemesh, and crossed to
Timnah.
Joshua 15:11 Then it went out to the northern
slope of Ekron, curved toward Shikkeron, proceeded to Mount
Baalah, went on to Jabneel, and ended at the Sea.
Joshua 15:12 And the western border was the
coastline of the Great Sea. These are the boundaries around the
clans of the descendants of Judah.
Joshua 15:13 According to the LORD’s command to
him, Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons
of Judah—Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather
of Anak.)
Joshua 15:14 And Caleb drove out from there the
three sons of Anak—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai,
the children of Anak.
Joshua 15:15 From there he marched against the
inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
Joshua 15:16 And Caleb said, “To the man who
strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my
daughter Acsah in marriage.”
Joshua 15:17 So Othniel son of Caleb’s brother
Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him
in marriage.
Joshua 15:18 One day Acsah came to Othniel and
urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her
donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
Joshua 15:19 “Give me a blessing,” she answered.
“Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of
water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower
springs.
Joshua 15:20 This is the inheritance of the
clans of the tribe of Judah.
Joshua 15:21 These were the southernmost cities
of the tribe of Judah in the Negev toward the border of Edom:
Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
Joshua 15:22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,
Joshua 15:23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,
Joshua 15:24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
Joshua 15:25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron
(that is, Hazor),
Joshua 15:26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,
Joshua 15:27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,
Joshua 15:28 Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,
Joshua 15:29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Joshua 15:30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,
Joshua 15:31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,
Joshua 15:32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and
Rimmon—twenty-nine cities in all, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:33 These were in the foothills:
Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
Joshua 15:34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,
Joshua 15:35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,
Joshua 15:36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or
Gederothaim)—fourteen cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:37 Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,
Joshua 15:38 Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel,
Joshua 15:39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
Joshua 15:40 Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish,
Joshua 15:41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and
Makkedah—sixteen cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,
Joshua 15:43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,
Joshua 15:44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah—nine
cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:45 Ekron, with its towns and villages;
Joshua 15:46 from Ekron to the sea, all the
cities near Ashdod, along with their villages;
Joshua 15:47 Ashdod, with its towns and
villages; Gaza, with its towns and villages, as far as the Brook
of Egypt and the coastline of the Great Sea.
Joshua 15:48 These were in the hill country:
Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
Joshua 15:49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is,
Debir),
Joshua 15:50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,
Joshua 15:51 Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—eleven
cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
Joshua 15:53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,
Joshua 15:54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is,
Hebron), and Zior—nine cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
Joshua 15:56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,
Joshua 15:57 Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah—ten
cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,
Joshua 15:59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, and
Eltekon—six cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:60 Kiriath-baal (that is,
Kiriath-jearim), and Rabbah—two cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:61 These were in the wilderness:
Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
Joshua 15:62 Nibshan, the City of Salt, and
En-gedi—six cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 15:63 But the descendants of Judah could
not drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day
the Jebusites live there among the descendants of Judah.
Joshua 16:1 The allotment for the descendants of
Joseph extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of
Jericho on the east, through the wilderness that goes up from
Jericho into the hill country of Bethel.
Joshua 16:2 It went on from Bethel (that is,
Luz) and proceeded to the border of the Archites in Ataroth.
Joshua 16:3 Then it descended westward to the
border of the Japhletites as far as the border of Lower Beth-horon
and on to Gezer, and it ended at the Sea.
Joshua 16:4 So Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of
Joseph, received their inheritance.
Joshua 16:5 This was the territory of the
descendants of Ephraim by their clans: The border of their
inheritance went from Ataroth-addar in the east to Upper
Beth-horon
Joshua 16:6 and out toward the Sea. From
Michmethath on the north it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh
and passed by it to Janoah on the east.
Joshua 16:7 From Janoah it went down to Ataroth
and Naarah, and then reached Jericho and came out at the Jordan.
Joshua 16:8 From Tappuah the border went
westward to the Brook of Kanah and ended at the Sea. This was the
inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Ephraim,
Joshua 16:9 along with all the cities and
villages set apart for the descendants of Ephraim within the
inheritance of Manasseh.
Joshua 16:10 But they did not drive out the
Canaanites who lived in Gezer. So the Canaanites dwell among the
Ephraimites to this day, but they are forced laborers.
Joshua 17:1 Now this was the allotment for the
tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn son, namely for Machir the
firstborn of Manasseh and father of the Gileadites, who had
received Gilead and Bashan because Machir was a man of war.
Joshua 17:2 So this allotment was for the rest
of the descendants of Manasseh—the clans of Abiezer, Helek,
Asriel, Shechem, Hepher, and Shemida. These are the other male
descendants of the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph.
Joshua 17:3 But Zelophehad son of Hepher (the
son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh) had no sons
but only daughters. These are the names of his daughters: Mahlah,
Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
Joshua 17:4 They approached Eleazar the priest,
Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders, and said, “The LORD commanded
Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So Joshua
gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers, in keeping
with the command of the LORD.
Joshua 17:5 Thus ten shares fell to Manasseh, in
addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan beyond the Jordan,
Joshua 17:6 because the daughters of Manasseh
received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead
belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
Joshua 17:7 Now the border of Manasseh went from
Asher to Michmethath near Shechem, then southward to include the
inhabitants of En-tappuah.
Joshua 17:8 The region of Tappuah belonged to
Manasseh, but Tappuah itself, on the border of Manasseh, belonged
to Ephraim.
Joshua 17:9 From there the border continued
southward to the Brook of Kanah. There were cities belonging to
Ephraim among the cities of Manasseh, but the border of Manasseh
was on the north side of the brook and ended at the Sea.
Joshua 17:10 Ephraim’s territory was to the
south, and Manasseh’s was to the north, having the Sea as its
border and adjoining Asher on the north and Issachar on the east.
Joshua 17:11 Within Issachar and Asher, Manasseh
was assigned Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor (that is, Naphath), Endor,
Taanach, and Megiddo, each with their surrounding settlements.
Joshua 17:12 But the descendants of Manasseh
were unable to occupy these cities, because the Canaanites were
determined to stay in this land.
Joshua 17:13 However, when the Israelites grew
stronger, they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they failed
to drive them out completely.
Joshua 17:14 Then the sons of Joseph said to
Joshua, “Why have you given us only one portion as an inheritance?
We have many people, because the LORD has blessed us abundantly.”
Joshua 17:15 Joshua answered them, “If you have
so many people that the hill country of Ephraim is too small for
you, go to the forest and clear for yourself an area in the land
of the Perizzites and the Rephaim.”
Joshua 17:16 “The hill country is not enough for
us,” they replied, “and all the Canaanites who live in the valley
have iron chariots, both in Beth-shean with its towns and in the
Valley of Jezreel.”
Joshua 17:17 So Joshua said to the house of
Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You have many people and great
strength. You shall not have just one allotment,
Joshua 17:18 because the hill country will be
yours as well. It is a forest; clear it, and its farthest limits
will be yours. Although the Canaanites have iron chariots and
although they are strong, you can drive them out.”
Joshua 18:1 Then the whole congregation of
Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there.
And though the land was subdued before them,
Joshua 18:2 there were still seven tribes of
Israel who had not yet received their inheritance.
Joshua 18:3 So Joshua said to the Israelites,
“How long will you put off entering and possessing the land that
the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?
Joshua 18:4 Appoint three men from each tribe,
and I will send them out to survey the land and map it out,
according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me
Joshua 18:5 and divide the land into seven
portions. Judah shall remain in their territory in the south, and
the house of Joseph shall remain in their territory in the north.
Joshua 18:6 When you have mapped out the seven
portions of land and brought it to me, I will cast lots for you
here in the presence of the LORD our God.
Joshua 18:7 The Levites, however, have no
portion among you, because their inheritance is the priesthood of
the LORD. And Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh have
already received the inheritance that Moses the servant of the
LORD gave them beyond the Jordan to the east.”
Joshua 18:8 As the men got up to go out, Joshua
commanded them to map out the land, saying, “Go and survey the
land, map it out, and return to me. Then I will cast lots for you
here in Shiloh in the presence of the LORD.”
Joshua 18:9 So the men departed and went
throughout the land, mapping it city by city into seven portions.
Then they returned with the document to Joshua at the camp in
Shiloh.
Joshua 18:10 And Joshua cast lots for them in
the presence of the LORD at Shiloh, where he distributed the land
to the Israelites according to their divisions.
Joshua 18:11 The first lot came up for the clans
of the tribe of Benjamin. Their allotted territory lay between the
tribes of Judah and Joseph:
Joshua 18:12 On the north side their border
began at the Jordan, went up past the northern slope of Jericho,
headed west through the hill country, and came out at the
wilderness of Beth-aven.
Joshua 18:13 From there the border crossed over
to the southern slope of Luz (that is, Bethel) and went down to
Ataroth-addar on the hill south of Lower Beth-horon.
Joshua 18:14 On the west side the border curved
southward from the hill facing Beth-horon on the south and came
out at Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim), a city of the sons
of Judah. This was the western side.
Joshua 18:15 On the south side the border began
at the outskirts of Kiriath-jearim and extended westward to the
spring at the Waters of Nephtoah.
Joshua 18:16 Then it went down to the foot of
the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of
the Valley of Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the
southern slope of the Jebusites and downward to En-rogel.
Joshua 18:17 From there it curved northward and
proceeded to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth facing the Ascent of
Adummim, and continued down to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben.
Joshua 18:18 Then it went on to the northern
slope of Beth-arabah and went down into the valley.
Joshua 18:19 The border continued to the
northern slope of Beth-hoglah and came out at the northern bay of
the Salt Sea, at the mouth of the Jordan. This was the southern
border.
Joshua 18:20 On the east side the border was the
Jordan. These were the borders around the inheritance of the clans
of the tribe of Benjamin.
Joshua 18:21 These were the cities of the clans
of the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,
Joshua 18:22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel,
Joshua 18:23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
Joshua 18:24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and
Geba—twelve cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 18:25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,
Joshua 18:26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,
Joshua 18:27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,
Joshua 18:28 Zelah, Haeleph, Jebus (that is,
Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim—fourteen cities, along with
their villages. This was the inheritance of the clans of the tribe
of Benjamin.
Joshua 19:1 The second lot came out for the
clans of the tribe of Simeon: Their inheritance lay within the
territory of Judah
Joshua 19:2 and included Beersheba (or Sheba),
Moladah,
Joshua 19:3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,
Joshua 19:4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,
Joshua 19:5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,
Joshua 19:6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen—thirteen
cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 19:7 Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four
cities, along with their villages,
Joshua 19:8 and all the villages surrounding
these cities as far as Baalath-beer (Ramah of the Negev). This was
the inheritance of the clans of the tribe of Simeon.
Joshua 19:9 The inheritance of the Simeonites
was taken from the territory of Judah, because the share for
Judah’s descendants was too large for them. So the Simeonites
received an inheritance within Judah’s portion.
Joshua 19:10 The third lot came up for the clans
of the tribe of Zebulun: The border of their inheritance stretched
as far as Sarid.
Joshua 19:11 It went up westward to Maralah,
reached Dabbesheth, and met the brook east of Jokneam.
Joshua 19:12 From Sarid it turned eastward along
the border of Chisloth-tabor and went on to Daberath and up to
Japhia.
Joshua 19:13 From there it crossed eastward to
Gath-hepher and to Eth-kazin; it extended to Rimmon and curved
around toward Neah.
Joshua 19:14 Then the border circled around the
north side of Neah to Hannathon and ended at the Valley of
Iphtah-el.
Joshua 19:15 It also included Kattath, Nahalal,
Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem. There were twelve cities, along
with their villages.
Joshua 19:16 This was the inheritance of the
clans of the tribe of Zebulun, including these cities and their
villages.
Joshua 19:17 The fourth lot came out for the
clans of the tribe of Issachar:
Joshua 19:18 Their territory included Jezreel,
Chesulloth, Shunem,
Joshua 19:19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,
Joshua 19:20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,
Joshua 19:21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, and
Beth-pazzez.
Joshua 19:22 The border reached Tabor,
Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh, and ended at the Jordan. There were
sixteen cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 19:23 This was the inheritance of the
clans of the tribe of Issachar, including these cities and their
villages.
Joshua 19:24 The fifth lot came out for the
clans of the tribe of Asher:
Joshua 19:25 Their territory included Helkath,
Hali, Beten, Achshaph,
Joshua 19:26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On
the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath,
Joshua 19:27 then turned eastward toward
Beth-dagon, touched Zebulun and the Valley of Iphtah-el, and went
north to Beth-emek and Neiel, passing Cabul on the left.
Joshua 19:28 It went on to Ebron, Rehob, Hammon,
and Kanah, as far as Greater Sidon.
Joshua 19:29 The border then turned back toward
Ramah as far as the fortified city of Tyre, turned toward Hosah,
and came out at the Sea in the region of Achzib,
Joshua 19:30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob. There were
twenty-two cities, along with their villages.
Joshua 19:31 This was the inheritance of the
clans of the tribe of Asher, including these cities and their
villages.
Joshua 19:32 The sixth lot came out for the
clans of the tribe of Naphtali:
Joshua 19:33 Their border started at Heleph and
the great tree of Zaanannim, passing Adami-nekeb and Jabneel as
far as Lakkum and ending at the Jordan.
Joshua 19:34 Then the border turned westward to
Aznoth-tabor and ran from there to Hukkok, touching Zebulun on the
south side, Asher on the west, and Judah at the Jordan on the
east.
Joshua 19:35 The fortified cities were Ziddim,
Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,
Joshua 19:36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,
Joshua 19:37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor,
Joshua 19:38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath,
and Beth-shemesh. There were nineteen cities, along with their
villages.
Joshua 19:39 This was the inheritance of the
clans of the tribe of Naphtali, including these cities and their
villages.
Joshua 19:40 The seventh lot came out for the
clans of the tribe of Dan:
Joshua 19:41 The territory of their inheritance
included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,
Joshua 19:42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,
Joshua 19:43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,
Joshua 19:44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,
Joshua 19:45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,
Joshua 19:46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, including
the territory across from Joppa.
Joshua 19:47 (Later, when the territory of the
Danites was lost to them, they went up and fought against Leshem,
captured it, and put it to the sword. So they took possession of
Leshem, settled there, and renamed it after their father Dan.)
Joshua 19:48 This was the inheritance of the
clans of the tribe of Dan, including these cities and their
villages.
Joshua 19:49 When they had finished distributing
the land into its territories, the Israelites gave Joshua son of
Nun an inheritance among them,
Joshua 19:50 as the LORD had commanded. They
gave him the city of Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim,
as he requested. He rebuilt the city and settled in it.
Joshua 19:51 These are the inheritances that
Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the
families distributed by lot to the tribes of Israel at Shiloh
before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they
finished dividing up the land.
Joshua 20:1 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
Joshua 20:2 “Tell the Israelites to designate
the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses,
Joshua 20:3 so that anyone who kills another
unintentionally or accidentally may flee there. These will be your
refuge from the avenger of blood.
Joshua 20:4 When someone flees to one of these
cities, stands at the entrance of the city gate, and states his
case before its elders, they are to bring him into the city and
give him a place to live among them.
Joshua 20:5 Now if the avenger of blood pursues
him, they must not surrender the manslayer into his hand, because
that man killed his neighbor accidentally without prior malice.
Joshua 20:6 He is to stay in that city until he
stands trial before the assembly and until the death of the high
priest serving at that time. Then the manslayer may return to his
own home in the city from which he fled.”
Joshua 20:7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee
in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of
Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of
Judah.
Joshua 20:8 And beyond the Jordan, east of
Jericho, they designated Bezer on the wilderness plateau from the
tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan
in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
Joshua 20:9 These are the cities appointed for
all the Israelites and foreigners among them, so that anyone who
kills a person unintentionally may flee there and not die by the
hand of the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the
assembly.
Joshua 21:1 Now the family heads of the Levites
approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of
the other tribes of Israel
Joshua 21:2 at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and
said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given
cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our
livestock.”
Joshua 21:3 So by the command of the LORD, the
Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands
out of their own inheritance:
Joshua 21:4 The first lot came out for the
Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the
priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah,
Simeon, and Benjamin.
Joshua 21:5 The remaining descendants of Kohath
received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and
the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Joshua 21:6 The descendants of Gershon received
thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher,
Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
Joshua 21:7 And the descendants of Merari
received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and
Zebulun.
Joshua 21:8 So the Israelites allotted to the
Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the
LORD had commanded through Moses.
Joshua 21:9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon,
they designated these cities by name
Joshua 21:10 to the descendants of Aaron from
the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to
them:
Joshua 21:11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (that
is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill
country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.)
Joshua 21:12 But they had given the fields and
villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his
possession.
Joshua 21:13 So to the descendants of Aaron the
priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands:
Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah,
Joshua 21:14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,
Joshua 21:15 Holon, Debir,
Joshua 21:16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine
cities from these two tribes, together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they
gave them Gibeon, Geba,
Joshua 21:18 Anathoth, and Almon—four cities,
together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:19 In all, thirteen cities, together
with their pasturelands, were given to the priests, the
descendants of Aaron.
Joshua 21:20 The remaining Kohathite clans of
the Levites were allotted these cities: From the tribe of Ephraim
Joshua 21:21 they were given Shechem in the hill
country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer,
Joshua 21:22 Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four
cities, together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:23 From the tribe of Dan they were
given Elteke, Gibbethon,
Joshua 21:24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four
cities, together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:25 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh
they were given Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two cities, together with
their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:26 In all, ten cities, together with
their pasturelands, were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans.
Joshua 21:27 This is what the Levite clans of
the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they
were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer,
and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:28 From the tribe of Issachar they
were given Kishion, Daberath,
Joshua 21:29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four cities,
together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:30 From the tribe of Asher they were
given Mishal, Abdon,
Joshua 21:31 Helkath, and Rehob—four cities,
together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:32 And from the tribe of Naphtali they
were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer),
Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their
pasturelands.
Joshua 21:33 In all, thirteen cities, together
with their pasturelands, were given to the Gershonite clans.
Joshua 21:34 This is what the Merarite clan (the
rest of the Levites) were given: From the tribe of Zebulun they
were given Jokneam, Kartah,
Joshua 21:35 Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities,
together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:36 From the tribe of Reuben they were
given Bezer, Jahaz,
Joshua 21:37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities,
together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:38 And from the tribe of Gad they were
given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer,
Mahanaim,
Joshua 21:39 Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities in
all, together with their pasturelands.
Joshua 21:40 In all, twelve cities were allotted
to the clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans.
Joshua 21:41 For the Levites, then, there were
forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasturelands,
within the territory of the Israelites.
Joshua 21:42 Each of these cities had its own
surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities.
Joshua 21:43 Thus the LORD gave Israel all the
land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession
of it and settled in it.
Joshua 21:44 And the LORD gave them rest on
every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their
enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their
enemies into their hand.
Joshua 21:45 Not one of all the LORD’s good
promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was
fulfilled.
Joshua 22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites,
the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
Joshua 22:2 and told them, “You have done all
that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have
obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you.
Joshua 22:3 All this time you have not deserted
your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given
you by the LORD your God.
Joshua 22:4 And now that the LORD your God has
given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to
your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you
across the Jordan.
Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to observe the
commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave
you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep
His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all
your heart and with all your soul.”
Joshua 22:6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them
on their way, and they went to their homes.
Joshua 22:7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses
had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land
on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua
sent them to their homes he blessed them,
Joshua 22:8 saying, “Return to your homes with
your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver,
gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your
brothers the spoil of your enemies.”
Joshua 22:9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and
the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the
land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they
had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses.
Joshua 22:10 And when they came to Geliloth near
the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and
the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the
Jordan.
Joshua 22:11 Then the Israelites received the
report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe
of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of
Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.”
Joshua 22:12 And when they heard this, the whole
congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against
them.
Joshua 22:13 The Israelites sent Phinehas son of
Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Joshua 22:14 With him they sent ten chiefs—one
family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family
among the clans of Israel.
Joshua 22:15 They went to the Reubenites, the
Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and
said to them,
Joshua 22:16 “This is what the whole
congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this breach of faith you
have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away
from the LORD and building for yourselves an altar, that you might
rebel against the LORD this day?
Joshua 22:17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for
us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even
brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD.
Joshua 22:18 And now, would you turn away from
the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be
angry with the whole congregation of Israel.
Joshua 22:19 If indeed the land of your
inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s
possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take
possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or
against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the
altar of the LORD our God.
Joshua 22:20 Was not Achan son of Zerah
unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing
wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only
Achan who perished because of his sin!’”
Joshua 22:21 Then the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans
of Israel:
Joshua 22:22 “The LORD, the Mighty One, is God!
The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also
know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the
LORD, do not spare us today.
Joshua 22:23 If we have built for ourselves an
altar to turn away from Him and to offer burnt offerings and grain
offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may
the LORD Himself hold us accountable.
Joshua 22:24 But in fact we have done this for
fear that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What
have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
Joshua 22:25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a
border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no
share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop
fearing the LORD.
Joshua 22:26 That is why we said, ‘Let us take
action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt
offerings or sacrifices.
Joshua 22:27 Rather, let it be a witness between
us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the
LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and
peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say
to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD!’
Joshua 22:28 Therefore we said, ‘If they ever
say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the
replica of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for
burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and
you.’
Joshua 22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against
the LORD and turn away from Him today by building an altar for
burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the
altar of the LORD our God, which stands before His tabernacle.”
Joshua 22:30 When Phinehas the priest and the
chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were
with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh
had to say, they were satisfied.
Joshua 22:31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest
said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we
know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed
this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered
the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.”
Joshua 22:32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the
priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the
Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report
regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead.
Joshua 22:33 The Israelites were satisfied with
the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to
war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and
Gadites lived.
Joshua 22:34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named
the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that
the LORD is God.”
Joshua 23:1 A long time after the LORD had given
Israel rest from all the enemies around them, when Joshua was old
and well along in years,
Joshua 23:2 he summoned all Israel, including
its elders, leaders, judges, and officers. “I am old and well
along in years,” he said,
Joshua 23:3 “and you have seen everything that
the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake,
because it was the LORD your God who fought for you.
Joshua 23:4 See, I have allotted as an
inheritance to your tribes these remaining nations, including all
the nations I have already cut off, from the Jordan westward to
the Great Sea.
Joshua 23:5 The LORD your God will push them out
of your way and drive them out before you, so that you can take
possession of their land, as the LORD your God promised you.
Joshua 23:6 Be very strong, then, so that you
can keep and obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of
Moses, not turning aside from it to the right or to the left.
Joshua 23:7 So you are not to associate with
these nations that remain among you. You must not call on the
names of their gods or swear by them, and you must not serve them
or bow down to them.
Joshua 23:8 Instead, you shall hold fast to the
LORD your God, as you have done to this day.
Joshua 23:9 The LORD has driven out great and
powerful nations before you, and to this day no one can stand
against you.
Joshua 23:10 One of you can put a thousand to
flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He
promised.
Joshua 23:11 Therefore watch yourselves
carefully, that you love the LORD your God.
Joshua 23:12 For if you turn away and cling to
the rest of these nations that remain among you, and if you
intermarry and associate with them,
Joshua 23:13 know for sure that the LORD your
God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead,
they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge in your
sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good
land that the LORD your God has given you.
Joshua 23:14 Now behold, today I am going the
way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and soul
that not one of the good promises the LORD your God made to you
has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has
failed.
Joshua 23:15 But just as every good thing the
LORD your God promised you has come to pass, likewise the LORD
will bring upon you the calamity He has threatened, until He has
destroyed you from this good land He has given you.
Joshua 23:16 If you transgress the covenant of
the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other
gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn
against you, and you will quickly perish from this good land He
has given you.”
Joshua 24:1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes
of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and
officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
Joshua 24:2 And Joshua said to all the people,
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your
fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived
beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.
Joshua 24:3 But I took your father Abraham from
beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan,
and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,
Joshua 24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went
down to Egypt.
Joshua 24:5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I
afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and afterward I
brought you out.
Joshua 24:6 When I brought your fathers out of
Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued them with
chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.
Joshua 24:7 So your fathers cried out to the
LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, over whom
He brought the sea and engulfed them. Your very eyes saw what I
did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long
time.
Joshua 24:8 Later, I brought you to the land of
the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you,
but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their
land when I destroyed them before you.
Joshua 24:9 Then Balak son of Zippor, the king
of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son
of Beor to curse you,
Joshua 24:10 but I would not listen to Balaam.
So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his
hand.
Joshua 24:11 After this, you crossed the Jordan
and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as
did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites,
Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.
Joshua 24:12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, and
it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own
sword or bow.
Joshua 24:13 So I gave you a land on which you
did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live
in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not
plant.’
Joshua 24:14 Now, therefore, fear the LORD and
serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers
served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15 But if it is unpleasing in your
sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom
you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the
Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are
living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”
Joshua 24:16 The people replied, “Far be it from
us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!
Joshua 24:17 For the LORD our God brought us and
our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected
us throughout our journey and among all the nations through which
we traveled.
Joshua 24:18 And the LORD drove out before us
all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We
too will serve the LORD, because He is our God!”
Joshua 24:19 But Joshua said to the people, “You
are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a
jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.
Joshua 24:20 If you forsake the LORD and serve
foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and consume
you, even after He has been good to you.”
Joshua 24:21 “No!” replied the people. “We will
serve the LORD!”
Joshua 24:22 Then Joshua told them, “You are
witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the
LORD.” “We are witnesses!” they said.
Joshua 24:23 “Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid
of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD,
the God of Israel.”
Joshua 24:24 So the people said to Joshua, “We
will serve the LORD our God and obey His voice.”
Joshua 24:25 On that day Joshua made a covenant
for the people, and there at Shechem he established for them a
statute and ordinance.
Joshua 24:26 Joshua recorded these things in the
Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up
there under the oak that was near the sanctuary of the LORD.
Joshua 24:27 And Joshua said to all the people,
“You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has
heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a
witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
Joshua 24:28 Then Joshua sent the people away,
each to his own inheritance.
Joshua 24:29 Some time later, Joshua son of Nun,
the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110.
Joshua 24:30 And they buried him in the land of
his inheritance, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim,
north of Mount Gaash.
Joshua 24:31 Israel had served the LORD
throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him
and who had experienced all the works that the LORD had done for
Israel.
Joshua 24:32 And the bones of Joseph, which the
Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in
the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor,
Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an
inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.
Joshua 24:33 Eleazar son of Aaron also died, and
they buried him at Gibeah, which had been given to his son
Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.
JUDGES
Judges 1:1 After the death of Joshua, the
Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up
and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
Judges 1:2 “Judah shall go up,” answered the
LORD. “Indeed, I have delivered the land into their hands.”
Judges 1:3 Then the men of Judah said to their
brothers the Simeonites, “Come up with us to our allotted
territory, and let us fight against the Canaanites. And we
likewise will go with you to your territory.” So the Simeonites
went with them.
Judges 1:4 When Judah attacked, the LORD
delivered the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they
struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.
Judges 1:5 And there they found Adoni-bezek and
fought against him, striking down the Canaanites and Perizzites.
Judges 1:6 As Adoni-bezek fled, they pursued
him, seized him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.
Judges 1:7 Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings
with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps
under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And
they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.
Judges 1:8 Then the men of Judah fought against
Jerusalem and captured it. They put the city to the sword and set
it on fire.
Judges 1:9 Afterward, the men of Judah marched
down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country,
in the Negev, and in the foothills.
Judges 1:10 Judah also marched against the
Canaanites who were living in Hebron (formerly known as
Kiriath-arba), and they struck down Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.
Judges 1:11 From there they marched against the
inhabitants of Debir (formerly known as Kiriath-sepher).
Judges 1:12 And Caleb said, “To the man who
strikes down Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give my
daughter Acsah in marriage.”
Judges 1:13 So Othniel son of Caleb’s younger
brother Kenaz captured the city, and Caleb gave his daughter Acsah
to him in marriage.
Judges 1:14 One day Acsah came to Othniel and
urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her
donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
Judges 1:15 “Give me a blessing,” she answered.
“Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me springs of
water as well.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower
springs.
Judges 1:16 Now the descendants of Moses’
father-in-law, the Kenite, went up with the men of Judah from the
City of Palms to the Wilderness of Judah in the Negev near Arad.
They went to live among the people.
Judges 1:17 Then the men of Judah went with
their brothers the Simeonites, attacked the Canaanites living in
Zephath, and devoted the city to destruction. So it was called
Hormah.
Judges 1:18 And Judah also captured Gaza,
Ashkelon, and Ekron—each with its territory.
Judges 1:19 The LORD was with Judah, and they
took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out
the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
Judges 1:20 Just as Moses had promised, Judah
gave Hebron to Caleb, who drove out the descendants of the three
sons of Anak.
Judges 1:21 The Benjamites, however, failed to
drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. So to this day the
Jebusites live there among the Benjamites.
Judges 1:22 The house of Joseph also attacked
Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
Judges 1:23 They sent spies to Bethel (formerly
known as Luz),
Judges 1:24 and when the spies saw a man coming
out of the city, they said to him, “Please show us how to get into
the city, and we will treat you kindly.”
Judges 1:25 So the man showed them the entrance
to the city, and they put the city to the sword but released that
man and all his family.
Judges 1:26 And the man went to the land of the
Hittites, built a city, and called it Luz, which is its name to
this day.
Judges 1:27 At that time Manasseh failed to
drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam,
Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to
dwell in that land.
Judges 1:28 When Israel became stronger, they
pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove
them out completely.
Judges 1:29 Ephraim also failed to drive out the
Canaanites living in Gezer; so the Canaanites continued to dwell
among them in Gezer.
Judges 1:30 Zebulun failed to drive out the
inhabitants of Kitron and Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among
them and served as forced laborers.
Judges 1:31 Asher failed to drive out the
inhabitants of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, and
Rehob.
Judges 1:32 So the Asherites lived among the
Canaanite inhabitants of the land, because they did not drive them
out.
Judges 1:33 Naphtali failed to drive out the
inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath. So the Naphtalites
also lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, but the
inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath served them as forced
laborers.
Judges 1:34 The Amorites forced the Danites into
the hill country and did not allow them to come down into the
plain.
Judges 1:35 And the Amorites were determined to
dwell in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the house of
Joseph grew in strength, they pressed the Amorites into forced
labor.
Judges 1:36 And the border of the Amorites
extended from the Ascent of Akrabbim to Sela and beyond.
Judges 2:1 Now the angel of the LORD went up
from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and
led you into the land that I had promised to your fathers, and I
said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you,
Judges 2:2 and you are not to make a covenant
with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their
altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have
done?
Judges 2:3 So now I tell you that I will not
drive out these people before you; they will be thorns in your
sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.”
Judges 2:4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken
these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their
voices and wept.
Judges 2:5 So they called that place Bochim and
offered sacrifices there to the LORD.
Judges 2:6 After Joshua had dismissed the
people, the Israelites went out to take possession of the land,
each to his own inheritance.
Judges 2:7 And the people served the LORD
throughout the days of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him,
who had seen all the great works that the LORD had done for
Israel.
Judges 2:8 And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of
the LORD, died at the age of 110.
Judges 2:9 They buried him in the land of his
inheritance, at Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim,
north of Mount Gaash.
Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had also
been gathered to their fathers, another generation rose up who did
not know the LORD or the works that He had done for Israel.
Judges 2:11 And the Israelites did evil in the
sight of the LORD and served the Baals.
Judges 2:12 Thus they forsook the LORD, the God
of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt,
and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them.
They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,
Judges 2:13 for they forsook Him and served Baal
and the Ashtoreths.
Judges 2:14 Then the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of those who
plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all
around, whom they were no longer able to resist.
Judges 2:15 Wherever Israel marched out, the
hand of the LORD was against them to bring calamity, just as He
had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed.
Judges 2:16 Then the LORD raised up judges, who
saved them from the hands of those who plundered them.
Judges 2:17 Israel, however, did not listen to
their judges. Instead, they prostituted themselves with other gods
and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way of their
fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’s commandments;
they did not do as their fathers had done.
Judges 2:18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge
for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the
hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the
LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed
them and afflicted them.
Judges 2:19 But when the judge died, the
Israelites became even more corrupt than their fathers, going
after other gods to serve them and bow down to them. They would
not give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
Judges 2:20 So the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed
the covenant I laid down for their fathers and has not heeded My
voice,
Judges 2:21 I will no longer drive out before
them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.
Judges 2:22 In this way I will test whether
Israel will keep the way of the LORD by walking in it as their
fathers did.”
Judges 2:23 That is why the LORD had left those
nations in place and had not driven them out immediately by
delivering them into the hand of Joshua.
Judges 3:1 These are the nations that the LORD
left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars
in Canaan,
Judges 3:2 if only to teach warfare to the
subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not
known it formerly:
Judges 3:3 the five rulers of the Philistines,
all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in
the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.
Judges 3:4 These nations were left to test the
Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments
of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.
Judges 3:5 Thus the Israelites continued to live
among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites.
Judges 3:6 And they took the daughters of these
people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and
served their gods.
Judges 3:7 So the Israelites did evil in the
sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the
Baals and the Asherahs.
Judges 3:8 Then the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of
Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served
him eight years.
Judges 3:9 But when the Israelites cried out to
the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother
Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.
Judges 3:10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon
him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the
LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of
Othniel, who prevailed against him.
Judges 3:11 So the land had rest for forty
years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Judges 3:12 Once again the Israelites did evil
in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over
Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
Judges 3:13 After enlisting the Ammonites and
Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated
Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.
Judges 3:14 The Israelites served Eglon king of
Moab eighteen years.
Judges 3:15 And again they cried out to the
LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite,
as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of
Moab.
Judges 3:16 Now Ehud had made for himself a
double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh
under his cloak
Judges 3:17 and brought the tribute to Eglon
king of Moab, who was an obese man.
Judges 3:18 After Ehud had finished presenting
the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.
Judges 3:19 But upon reaching the idols near
Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message
for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants
left him.
Judges 3:20 Then Ehud approached him while he
was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a
word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his
seat.
Judges 3:21 And Ehud reached with his left hand,
pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s
belly.
Judges 3:22 Even the handle sank in after the
blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not
withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied.
Judges 3:23 Then Ehud went out through the
porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.
Judges 3:24 After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s
servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He
must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.
Judges 3:25 So they waited until they became
worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the
upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there
was their lord lying dead on the floor.
Judges 3:26 Ehud, however, had escaped while the
servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
Judges 3:27 On arriving in Seirah, he blew the
ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites
came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.
Judges 3:28 “Follow me,” he told them, “for the
LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So
they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading
to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.
Judges 3:29 At that time they struck down about
ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them
escaped.
Judges 3:30 So Moab was subdued under the hand
of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.
Judges 3:31 After Ehud came Shamgar son of
Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred
Philistines with an oxgoad.
Judges 4:1 After Ehud died, the Israelites again
did evil in the sight of the LORD.
Judges 4:2 So the LORD sold them into the hand
of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of
his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
Judges 4:3 Then the Israelites cried out to the
LORD, because Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he had
harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
Judges 4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife
of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Judges 4:5 And she would sit under the Palm of
Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim,
where the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
Judges 4:6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam
from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Surely the LORD, the God
of Israel, is commanding you: ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, taking
with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun.
Judges 4:7 And I will draw out Sisera the
commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the
River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
Judges 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you will go
with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not
go.”
Judges 4:9 “I will certainly go with you,”
Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no
honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a
woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,
Judges 4:10 where he summoned Zebulun and
Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went
with him.
Judges 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away
from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of
Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim,
which was near Kedesh.
Judges 4:12 When Sisera was told that Barak son
of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor,
Judges 4:13 he summoned all nine hundred of his
iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to
the River Kishon.
Judges 4:14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise,
for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your
hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?” So Barak came down from
Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
Judges 4:15 And in front of him the LORD routed
with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army.
Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
Judges 4:16 Then Barak pursued the chariots and
army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and the whole army of Sisera
fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
Judges 4:17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot
to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there
was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the
Kenite.
Judges 4:18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and
said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Do not be
afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a
blanket.
Judges 4:19 Sisera said to her, “Please give me
a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a
container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.
Judges 4:20 “Stand at the entrance to the tent,”
he said, “and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’
say, ‘No.’”
Judges 4:21 But as he lay sleeping from
exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer,
and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple
and into the ground, and he died.
Judges 4:22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of
Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come, and I
will show you the man you are seeking.” So he went in with her,
and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.
Judges 4:23 On that day God subdued Jabin king
of Canaan before the Israelites.
Judges 4:24 And the hand of the Israelites grew
stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until they
destroyed him.
Judges 5:1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of
Abinoam sang this song:
Judges 5:2 “When the princes take the lead in
Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.
Judges 5:3 Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes!
I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God
of Israel.
Judges 5:4 O LORD, when You went out from Seir,
when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the
heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.
Judges 5:5 The mountains quaked before the LORD,
the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
Judges 5:6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers
took the byways.
Judges 5:7 Life in the villages ceased; it ended
in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
Judges 5:8 When they chose new gods, then war
came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty
thousand in Israel.
Judges 5:9 My heart is with the princes of
Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!
Judges 5:10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit
on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
Judges 5:11 the voices of the singers at the
watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of
the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the
people of the LORD went down to the gates:
Judges 5:12 ‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake,
awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your
captives, O son of Abinoam!’
Judges 5:13 Then the survivors came down to the
nobles; the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.
Judges 5:14 Some came from Ephraim, with their
roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The
commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s
staff from Zebulun.
Judges 5:15 The princes of Issachar were with
Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at
his heels. In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
Judges 5:16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds
to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there
was great indecision.
Judges 5:17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast
and remained in his harbors.
Judges 5:18 Zebulun was a people who risked
their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
Judges 5:19 Kings came and fought; then the
kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but
they took no plunder of silver.
Judges 5:20 From the heavens the stars fought;
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
Judges 5:21 The River Kishon swept them away,
the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in
strength!
Judges 5:22 Then the hooves of horses
thundered—the mad galloping of his stallions.
Judges 5:23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the
LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to
help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
Judges 5:24 Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
Judges 5:25 He asked for water, and she gave him
milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
Judges 5:26 She reached for the tent peg, her
right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed
his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.
Judges 5:27 At her feet he collapsed, he fell,
there he lay still; at her feet he collapsed, he fell; where he
collapsed, there he fell dead.
Judges 5:28 Sisera’s mother looked through the
window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his
chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his
chariots?’
Judges 5:29 Her wisest ladies answer; indeed she
keeps telling herself,
Judges 5:30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing
the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed
garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the
neck of the looter?’
Judges 5:31 So may all Your enemies perish, O
LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its
brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.
Judges 6:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the
sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian
for seven years,
Judges 6:2 and the hand of Midian prevailed
against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared
shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.
Judges 6:3 Whenever the Israelites would plant
their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the
east would come up and invade them,
Judges 6:4 encamping against them as far as Gaza
and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no
sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys.
Judges 6:5 For the Midianites came with their
livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and
their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage
it.
Judges 6:6 Israel was greatly impoverished by
Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
Judges 6:7 Now when the Israelites cried out to
the LORD because of Midian,
Judges 6:8 He sent them a prophet, who told
them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought
you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Judges 6:9 I delivered you out of the hands of
Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and
gave you their land.
Judges 6:10 And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD
your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose
land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”
Judges 6:11 Then the angel of the LORD came and
sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the
Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress
to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared
to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Judges 6:13 “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied,
“if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And
where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying,
‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD
has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
Judges 6:14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go
in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian.
Am I not sending you?”
Judges 6:15 “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied,
“how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
Judges 6:16 “Surely I will be with you,” the
LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one
man.”
Judges 6:17 Gideon answered, “If I have found
favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with
me.
Judges 6:18 Please do not depart from this place
until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before
You.” And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”
Judges 6:19 So Gideon went in and prepared a
young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. He placed
the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out
to present to Him under the oak.
Judges 6:20 And the angel of God said to him,
“Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock,
and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.
Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD extended
the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and
the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed
the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD
vanished from his sight.
Judges 6:22 When Gideon realized that it was the
angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the
angel of the LORD face to face!”
Judges 6:23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace be
with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.”
Judges 6:24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD
there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in
Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Judges 6:25 On that very night the LORD said to
Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven
years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the
Asherah pole beside it.
Judges 6:26 Then build a proper altar to the
LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of
the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it
as a burnt offering.”
Judges 6:27 So Gideon took ten of his servants
and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of
his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night
rather than in the daytime.
Judges 6:28 When the men of the city got up in
the morning, there was Baal’s altar torn down, with the Asherah
pole cut down beside it and the second bull offered up on the
newly built altar.
Judges 6:29 “Who did this?” they said to one
another. And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were
told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
Judges 6:30 Then the men of the city said to
Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down
Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
Judges 6:31 But Joash said to all who stood
against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save
him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If
Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has
torn down his altar.”
Judges 6:32 So on that day Gideon was called
Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he
had torn down Baal’s altar.
Judges 6:33 Then all the Midianites, Amalekites,
and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the
Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
Judges 6:34 So the Spirit of the LORD came upon
Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind
him.
Judges 6:35 Calling them to arms, Gideon sent
messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and
Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.
Judges 6:36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are
going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said,
Judges 6:37 then behold, I will place a fleece
of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece
and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to
save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
Judges 6:38 And that is what happened. When
Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung
out the dew—a bowlful of water.
Judges 6:39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be
angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one
more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground
covered with dew.”
Judges 6:40 And that night God did so. Only the
fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.
Judges 7:1 Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that
is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of
Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near
the hill of Moreh.
Judges 7:2 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You
have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands,
lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has
saved me.’
Judges 7:3 Now, therefore, proclaim in the
hearing of the people: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn
back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of them
turned back, but ten thousand remained.
Judges 7:4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There
are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will
sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with
you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’
he shall not go.”
Judges 7:5 So Gideon brought the people down to
the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the
water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to
drink.”
Judges 7:6 And the number of those who lapped
the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men;
all the others knelt to drink.
Judges 7:7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With
the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and
deliver the Midianites into your hand. But all the others are to
go home.”
Judges 7:8 So Gideon sent the rest of the
Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred men, who took
charge of the provisions and rams’ horns of the others. And the
camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
Judges 7:9 That night the LORD said to Gideon,
“Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into
your hand.
Judges 7:10 But if you are afraid to do so, then
go down to the camp with your servant Purah
Judges 7:11 and listen to what they are saying.
Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he
went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were
guarding the camp.
Judges 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and
all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a
swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand
on the seashore.
Judges 7:13 And as Gideon arrived, a man was
telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he
said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the
Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent
overturned and collapsed.”
Judges 7:14 His friend replied: “This is nothing
less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has
delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
Judges 7:15 When Gideon heard the dream and its
interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of
Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of
Midian into your hand.”
Judges 7:16 And he divided the three hundred men
into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand
and a large jar in the other, containing a torch.
Judges 7:17 “Watch me and do as I do,” Gideon
said. “When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as I
do.
Judges 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow
our horns, then you are also to blow your horns from all around
the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
Judges 7:19 Gideon and the hundred men with him
reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle
watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns
and broke the jars that were in their hands.
Judges 7:20 The three companies blew their horns
and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands
and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the
LORD and for Gideon!”
Judges 7:21 Each Israelite took his position
around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as
they ran.
Judges 7:22 And when the three hundred rams’
horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one
another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward
Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
Judges 7:23 Then the men of Israel were called
out from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued the
Midianites.
Judges 7:24 Gideon sent messengers throughout
the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the
Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far
as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and
they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.
Judges 7:25 They also captured Oreb and Zeeb,
the two princes of Midian; and they killed Oreb at the rock of
Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. So they pursued the
Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the
other side of the Jordan.
Judges 8:1 Then the men of Ephraim said to
Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us
when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with
him violently.
Judges 8:2 But Gideon answered them, “Now what
have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of
Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
Judges 8:3 God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the
two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do
compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him
subsided.
Judges 8:4 Then Gideon and his three hundred men
came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
Judges 8:5 So Gideon said to the men of Succoth,
“Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I
am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
Judges 8:6 But the leaders of Succoth asked,
“Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession,
that we should give bread to your army?”
Judges 8:7 “Very well,” Gideon replied, “when
the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will
tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”
Judges 8:8 From there he went up to Penuel and
asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same
response as the men of Succoth.
Judges 8:9 So Gideon told the men of Penuel,
“When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
Judges 8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in
Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were
left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty
thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
Judges 8:11 And Gideon went up by way of the
caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their
army, taking them by surprise.
Judges 8:12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon
pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their
entire army.
Judges 8:13 After this, Gideon son of Joash
returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
Judges 8:14 There he captured a young man of
Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the
names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.
Judges 8:15 And Gideon went to the men of
Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you
taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already
in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’”
Judges 8:16 Then he took the elders of the city,
and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined
the men of Succoth.
Judges 8:17 He also pulled down the tower of
Penuel and killed the men of the city.
Judges 8:18 Next, Gideon asked Zebah and
Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like
you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
Judges 8:19 “They were my brothers,” Gideon
replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if
you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
Judges 8:20 So he said to Jether, his firstborn,
“Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword;
he was fearful because he was still a youth.
Judges 8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get
up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.”
So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the
crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
Judges 8:22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon,
“Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us
from the hand of Midian.”
Judges 8:23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule
over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
Judges 8:24 Then he added, “Let me make a
request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his
plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were
Ishmaelites.)
Judges 8:25 “We will give them gladly,” they
replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an
earring from his plunder onto it.
Judges 8:26 The weight of the gold earrings he
had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent
ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of
Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
Judges 8:27 From all this Gideon made an ephod,
which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel
prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a
snare to Gideon and his household.
Judges 8:28 In this way Midian was subdued
before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the
land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,
Judges 8:29 and he—Jerubbaal son of
Joash—returned home and settled down.
Judges 8:30 Gideon had seventy sons of his own,
since he had many wives.
Judges 8:31 His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem,
also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
Judges 8:32 Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a
ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in
Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Judges 8:33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the
Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and
they set up Baal-berith as their god.
Judges 8:34 The Israelites failed to remember
the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all
their enemies on every side.
Judges 8:35 They did not show kindness to the
house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he
had done for Israel.
Judges 9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went
to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all
the clan of his mother,
Judges 9:2 “Please ask all the leaders of
Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of
Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am
your own flesh and blood.”
Judges 9:3 And when his mother’s brothers spoke
all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of
Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they
said, “He is our brother.”
Judges 9:4 So they gave him seventy shekels of
silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired
some worthless and reckless men to follow him.
Judges 9:5 He went to his father’s house in
Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons
of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived,
because he hid himself.
Judges 9:6 Then all the leaders of Shechem and
Beth-millo gathered beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem and
proceeded to make Abimelech their king.
Judges 9:7 When this was reported to Jotham, he
climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried
out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to
you.
Judges 9:8 One day the trees set out to anoint a
king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
Judges 9:9 But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I
stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over
the trees?’
Judges 9:10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘Come and reign over us.’
Judges 9:11 But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I
stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, to hold sway over the
trees?’
Judges 9:12 Then the trees said to the
grapevine, ‘Come and reign over us.’
Judges 9:13 But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I
stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, to hold sway
over the trees?’
Judges 9:14 Finally all the trees said to the
thornbush, ‘Come and reign over us.’
Judges 9:15 But the thornbush replied, ‘If you
really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in
my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and
consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
Judges 9:16 Now if you have acted faithfully and
honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by
Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done to him as he
deserves—
Judges 9:17 for my father fought for you and
risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian,
Judges 9:18 but you have risen up against my
father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single
stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant,
king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother—
Judges 9:19 if you have acted faithfully and
honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then may you
rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you.
Judges 9:20 But if not, may fire come from
Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and
may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and
consume Abimelech.”
Judges 9:21 Then Jotham ran away, escaping to
Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
Judges 9:22 After Abimelech had reigned over
Israel for three years,
Judges 9:23 God sent a spirit of animosity
between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to
treat Abimelech deceitfully,
Judges 9:24 in order that the crime against the
seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be
avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem,
who had helped him murder his brothers.
Judges 9:25 The leaders of Shechem set up an
ambush against Abimelech on the hilltops, and they robbed all who
passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.
Judges 9:26 Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came
with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of
Shechem put their confidence in him.
Judges 9:27 And after they had gone out into the
fields, gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trodden them,
they held a festival and went into the house of their god; and as
they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.
Judges 9:28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is
Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not
the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to
serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve
Abimelech?
Judges 9:29 If only this people were under my
authority, I would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, ‘Muster
your army and come out!’”
Judges 9:30 When Zebul the governor of the city
heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger.
Judges 9:31 So he covertly sent messengers to
Abimelech to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have
come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.
Judges 9:32 Now then, tonight you and the people
with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields.
Judges 9:33 And in the morning at sunrise, get
up and advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out
against you, do to them whatever you are able.”
Judges 9:34 So Abimelech and all his troops set
out by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
Judges 9:35 Now Gaal son of Ebed went out and
stood at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelech and his
men came out from their hiding places.
Judges 9:36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to
Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountains!” But
Zebul replied, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to
you.”
Judges 9:37 Then Gaal spoke up again, “Look,
people are coming down from the center of the land, and one
company is coming by way of the Diviners’ Oak.”
Judges 9:38 “Where is your gloating now?” Zebul
replied. “You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’
Are these not the people you ridiculed? Go out now and fight
them!”
Judges 9:39 So Gaal went out before the leaders
of Shechem and fought against Abimelech,
Judges 9:40 but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal
fled before him. And many Shechemites fell wounded all the way to
the entrance of the gate.
Judges 9:41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and
Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
Judges 9:42 The next day the people of Shechem
went out into the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech.
Judges 9:43 So he took his men, divided them
into three companies, and lay in wait in the fields. When he saw
the people coming out of the city, he rose up against them and
attacked them.
Judges 9:44 Then Abimelech and the companies
with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of
the city gate. The other two companies rushed against all who were
in the fields and struck them down.
Judges 9:45 And all that day Abimelech fought
against the city until he had captured it and killed its people.
Then he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.
Judges 9:46 On hearing of this, all the leaders
in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of
El-berith.
Judges 9:47 And when Abimelech was told that all
the leaders in the tower of Shechem were gathered there,
Judges 9:48 he and all his men went up to Mount
Zalmon. Abimelech took his axe in his hand and cut a branch from
the trees, which he lifted to his shoulder, saying to his men,
“Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”
Judges 9:49 So each man also cut his own branch
and followed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches against the
inner chamber and set it on fire above them, killing everyone in
the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.
Judges 9:50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez,
encamped against it, and captured it.
Judges 9:51 But there was a strong tower inside
the city, and all the men, women, and leaders of the city fled
there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the
tower.
Judges 9:52 When Abimelech came to attack the
tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire.
Judges 9:53 But a woman dropped an upper
millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
Judges 9:54 He quickly called his armor-bearer,
saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A
woman killed him.’” So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword
through him, and he died.
Judges 9:55 And when the Israelites saw that
Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
Judges 9:56 In this way God repaid the
wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his
seventy brothers.
Judges 9:57 And God also brought all the
wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the
curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
Judges 10:1 After the time of Abimelech, a man
of Issachar, Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose up to save
Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
Judges 10:2 Tola judged Israel twenty-three
years, and when he died, he was buried in Shamir.
Judges 10:3 Tola was followed by Jair the
Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years.
Judges 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on
thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead,
which to this day are called Havvoth-jair.
Judges 10:5 When Jair died, he was buried in
Kamon.
Judges 10:6 And again the Israelites did evil in
the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the
gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and
Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
Judges 10:7 So the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines
and Ammonites,
Judges 10:8 who that very year harassed and
oppressed the Israelites, and did so for eighteen years to all the
Israelites on the other side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of
the Amorites.
Judges 10:9 The Ammonites also crossed the
Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim,
and Israel was in deep distress.
Judges 10:10 Then the Israelites cried out to
the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have indeed
forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
Judges 10:11 The LORD replied, “When the
Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,
Judges 10:12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites
oppressed you and you cried out to Me, did I not save you from
their hands?
Judges 10:13 But you have forsaken Me and served
other gods, so I will no longer save you.
Judges 10:14 Go and cry out to the gods you have
chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
Judges 10:15 “We have sinned,” the Israelites
said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver
us today!”
Judges 10:16 So they put away the foreign gods
from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear
the misery of Israel.
Judges 10:17 Then the Ammonites were called to
arms and camped in Gilead, and the Israelites assembled and camped
at Mizpah.
Judges 10:18 And the rulers of Gilead said to
one another, “Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites
will be the head of all who live in Gilead.”
Judges 11:1 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a
mighty man of valor; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead
was his father.
Judges 11:2 And Gilead’s wife bore him sons who
grew up, drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have no
inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of
another woman.”
Judges 11:3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers
and settled in the land of Tob, where worthless men gathered
around him and traveled with him.
Judges 11:4 Some time later, when the Ammonites
fought against Israel
Judges 11:5 and made war with them, the elders
of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob.
Judges 11:6 “Come,” they said, “be our
commander, so that we can fight against the Ammonites.”
Judges 11:7 Jephthah replied to the elders of
Gilead, “Did you not hate me and expel me from my father’s house?
Why then have you come to me now, when you are in distress?”
Judges 11:8 They answered Jephthah, “This is why
we now turn to you, that you may go with us, fight the Ammonites,
and become leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”
Judges 11:9 But Jephthah asked them, “If you
take me back to fight the Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me,
will I really be your leader?”
Judges 11:10 And the elders of Gilead said to
Jephthah, “The LORD is our witness if we do not do as you say.”
Judges 11:11 So Jephthah went with the elders of
Gilead, and the people made him their leader and commander. And
Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at
Mizpah.
Judges 11:12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to
the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me
that you have come to fight against my land?”
Judges 11:13 The king of the Ammonites answered
Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came up out of Egypt, they
seized my land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and all the way to
the Jordan. Now, therefore, restore it peaceably.”
Judges 11:14 Jephthah again sent messengers to
the king of the Ammonites
Judges 11:15 to tell him, “This is what Jephthah
says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or of the
Ammonites.
Judges 11:16 But when Israel came up out of
Egypt, they traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and
came to Kadesh.
Judges 11:17 Then Israel sent messengers to the
king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us pass through your land,’ but
the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to
the king of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel stayed in
Kadesh.
Judges 11:18 Then Israel traveled through the
wilderness and bypassed the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to
the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of
the Arnon. But they did not enter the territory of Moab, since the
Arnon was its border.
Judges 11:19 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon
king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him,
‘Please let us pass through your land into our own place.’
Judges 11:20 But Sihon would not trust Israel to
pass through his territory. So he gathered all his people,
encamped in Jahaz, and fought with Israel.
Judges 11:21 Then the LORD, the God of Israel,
delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, who
defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the
Amorites who inhabited that country,
Judges 11:22 seizing all the land from the Arnon
to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
Judges 11:23 Now since the LORD, the God of
Israel, has driven out the Amorites from before His people Israel,
should you now possess it?
Judges 11:24 Do you not possess whatever your
god Chemosh grants you? So also, we possess whatever the LORD our
God has granted us.
Judges 11:25 Are you now so much better than
Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel
or fight against them?
Judges 11:26 For three hundred years Israel has
lived in Heshbon, Aroer, and their villages, as well as all the
cities along the banks of the Arnon. Why did you not take them
back during that time?
Judges 11:27 I have not sinned against you, but
you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the
Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
Judges 11:28 But the king of the Ammonites paid
no heed to the message Jephthah sent him.
Judges 11:29 Then the Spirit of the LORD came
upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, then
through Mizpah of Gilead. And from there he advanced against the
Ammonites.
Judges 11:30 Jephthah made this vow to the LORD:
“If indeed You will deliver the Ammonites into my hand,
Judges 11:31 then whatever comes out the door of
my house to greet me on my triumphant return from the Ammonites
will belong to the LORD, and I will offer it up as a burnt
offering.”
Judges 11:32 So Jephthah crossed over to the
Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD delivered them into
his hand.
Judges 11:33 With a great blow he devastated
twenty cities from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as
Abel-keramim. So the Ammonites were subdued before the Israelites.
Judges 11:34 And when Jephthah returned home to
Mizpah, there was his daughter coming out to meet him with
tambourines and dancing! She was his only child; he had no son or
daughter besides her.
Judges 11:35 As soon as Jephthah saw her, he
tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought
me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have
given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”
Judges 11:36 “My father,” she replied, “you have
given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the
LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.”
Judges 11:37 She also said to her father, “Let
me do this one thing: Let me wander for two months through the
mountains with my friends and mourn my virginity.”
Judges 11:38 “Go,” he said. And he sent her away
for two months. So she left with her friends and mourned her
virginity upon the mountains.
Judges 11:39 After two months, she returned to
her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she had never
had relations with a man. So it has become a custom in Israel
Judges 11:40 that each year the young women of
Israel go out for four days to lament the daughter of Jephthah the
Gileadite.
Judges 12:1 Then the men of Ephraim assembled
and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have
you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go
with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!”
Judges 12:2 But Jephthah replied, “My people and
I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called,
you did not save me out of their hands.
Judges 12:3 When I saw that you would not save
me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the
LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to
fight against me?”
Judges 12:4 Jephthah then gathered all the men
of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck
them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are
fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and
Manasseh.”
Judges 12:5 The Gileadites captured the fords of
the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from
Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask
him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,”
Judges 12:6 they told him, “Please say
Shibboleth.” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not
pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the
fords of the Jordan. So at that time 42,000 Ephraimites were
killed.
Judges 12:7 Jephthah judged Israel six years,
and when he died, he was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
Judges 12:8 After Jephthah, Ibzan of Bethlehem
judged Israel.
Judges 12:9 He had thirty sons, as well as
thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage to men outside his clan;
and for his sons he brought back thirty wives from elsewhere.
Ibzan judged Israel seven years.
Judges 12:10 Then Ibzan died, and he was buried
in Bethlehem.
Judges 12:11 After Ibzan, Elon the Zebulunite
judged Israel ten years.
Judges 12:12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died, and
he was buried in Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
Judges 12:13 After Elon, Abdon son of Hillel,
from Pirathon, judged Israel.
Judges 12:14 He had forty sons and thirty
grandsons, who rode on seventy donkeys. And he judged Israel eight
years.
Judges 12:15 Then Abdon son of Hillel, from
Pirathon, died, and he was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim, in the
hill country of the Amalekites.
Judges 13:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the
sight of the LORD, so He delivered them into the hand of the
Philistines for forty years.
Judges 13:2 Now there was a man from Zorah named
Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and
had no children.
Judges 13:3 The angel of the LORD appeared to
the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and
have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
Judges 13:4 Now please be careful not to drink
wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
Judges 13:5 For behold, you will conceive and
give birth to a son. And no razor shall come over his head,
because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he
will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the
Philistines.”
Judges 13:6 So the woman went and told her
husband, “A man of God came to me. His appearance was like the
angel of God, exceedingly awesome. I did not ask him where he came
from, and he did not tell me his name.
Judges 13:7 But he said to me, ‘Behold, you will
conceive and give birth to a son. Now, therefore, do not drink
wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the
boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb until the day of his
death.’”
Judges 13:8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD,
“Please, O Lord, let the man of God You sent us come to us again
to teach us how to raise the boy who is to be born.”
Judges 13:9 And God listened to the voice of
Manoah, and the angel of God returned to the woman as she was
sitting in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
Judges 13:10 The woman ran quickly to tell her
husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has
reappeared!”
Judges 13:11 So Manoah got up and followed his
wife. When he came to the man, he asked, “Are you the man who
spoke to my wife?” “I am,” he said.
Judges 13:12 Then Manoah asked, “When your words
come to pass, what will be the boy’s rule of life and mission?”
Judges 13:13 So the angel of the LORD answered
Manoah, “Your wife is to do everything I told her.
Judges 13:14 She must not eat anything that
comes from the vine, nor drink any wine or strong drink, nor eat
anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”
Judges 13:15 “Please stay here,” Manoah said to
the angel of the LORD, “and we will prepare a young goat for you.”
Judges 13:16 And the angel of the LORD replied,
“Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a
burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know
that it was the angel of the LORD.
Judges 13:17 Then Manoah said to the angel of
the LORD, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your
word comes to pass?”
Judges 13:18 “Why do you ask my name,” said the
angel of the LORD, “since it is beyond comprehension?”
Judges 13:19 Then Manoah took a young goat and a
grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as
Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.
Judges 13:20 When the flame went up from the
altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame.
When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the
ground.
Judges 13:21 And when the angel of the LORD did
not appear again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it
had been the angel of the LORD.
Judges 13:22 “We are going to die,” he said to
his wife, “for we have seen God!”
Judges 13:23 But his wife replied, “If the LORD
had intended to kill us, He would not have accepted the burnt
offering and the grain offering from our hands, nor would He have
shown us all these things or spoken to us this way.”
Judges 13:24 So the woman gave birth to a son
and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
Judges 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to
stir him at Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Judges 14:1 One day Samson went down to Timnah,
where he saw a young Philistine woman.
Judges 14:2 So he returned and told his father
and mother, “I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah.
Now get her for me as a wife.”
Judges 14:3 But his father and mother replied,
“Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of
our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a
wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is
pleasing to my eyes.”
Judges 14:4 (Now his father and mother did not
know this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to move
against the Philistines; for at that time the Philistines were
ruling over Israel.)
Judges 14:5 Then Samson went down to Timnah with
his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah.
Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him,
Judges 14:6 and the Spirit of the LORD came
powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare
hands as one would tear a young goat. But he did not tell his
father or mother what he had done.
Judges 14:7 Then Samson continued on his way
down and spoke to the woman, because she was pleasing to his eyes.
Judges 14:8 When Samson returned later to take
her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and in it was a
swarm of bees, along with their honey.
Judges 14:9 So he scooped some honey into his
hands and ate it as he went along. And when he returned to his
father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he
did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s
carcass.
Judges 14:10 Then his father went to visit the
woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as was customary for the
bridegroom.
Judges 14:11 And when the Philistines saw him,
they selected thirty men to accompany him.
Judges 14:12 “Let me tell you a riddle,” Samson
said to them. “If you can solve it for me within the seven days of
the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets
of clothes.
Judges 14:13 But if you cannot solve it, you
must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes.”
“Tell us your riddle,” they replied. “Let us hear it.”
Judges 14:14 So he said to them: “Out of the
eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something
sweet.” For three days they were unable to explain the riddle.
Judges 14:15 So on the fourth day they said to
Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband to explain the riddle to us,
or we will burn you and your father’s household to death. Did you
invite us here to rob us?”
Judges 14:16 Then Samson’s wife came to him,
weeping, and said, “You hate me! You do not really love me! You
have posed to my people a riddle, but have not explained it to
me.” “Look,” he said, “I have not even explained it to my father
or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”
Judges 14:17 She wept the whole seven days of
the feast, and finally on the seventh day, because she had pressed
him so much, he told her the answer. And in turn she explained the
riddle to her people.
Judges 14:18 Before sunset on the seventh day,
the men of the city said to Samson: “What is sweeter than honey?
And what is stronger than a lion?” So he said to them: “If you had
not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!”
Judges 14:19 Then the Spirit of the LORD came
mightily upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, killed thirty of
their men, took their apparel, and gave their clothes to those who
had solved the riddle. And burning with anger, Samson returned to
his father’s house,
Judges 14:20 and his wife was given to one of
the men who had accompanied him.
Judges 15:1 Later on, at the time of the wheat
harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I
want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would
not let him enter.
Judges 15:2 “I was sure that you thoroughly
hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who
accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than
she? Please take her instead.”
Judges 15:3 Samson said to them, “This time I
will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.”
Judges 15:4 Then Samson went out and caught
three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes
tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails.
Judges 15:5 Then he lit the torches and released
the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up
the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the
vineyards and olive groves.
Judges 15:6 “Who did this?” the Philistines
demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they
were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the
Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.
Judges 15:7 And Samson told them, “Because you
have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon
you.”
Judges 15:8 And he struck them ruthlessly with a
great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the
rock of Etam.
Judges 15:9 Then the Philistines went up, camped
in Judah, and deployed themselves near the town of Lehi.
Judges 15:10 “Why have you attacked us?” said
the men of Judah. The Philistines replied, “We have come to arrest
Samson and pay him back for what he has done to us.”
Judges 15:11 In response, three thousand men of
Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson,
“Do you not realize that the Philistines rule over us? What have
you done to us?” “I have done to them what they did to me,” he
replied.
Judges 15:12 But they said to him, “We have come
down to arrest you and hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson
replied, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”
Judges 15:13 “No,” they answered, “we will not
kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to
them.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from
the rock.
Judges 15:14 When Samson arrived in Lehi, the
Philistines came out shouting against him. And the Spirit of the
LORD came mightily upon him. The ropes on his arms became like
burnt flax, and the bonds broke loose from his hands.
Judges 15:15 He found the fresh jawbone of a
donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and struck down a
thousand men.
Judges 15:16 Then Samson said: “With the jawbone
of a donkey I have piled them into heaps. With the jawbone of a
donkey I have slain a thousand men.”
Judges 15:17 And when Samson had finished
speaking, he cast the jawbone from his hand; and he named that
place Ramath-lehi.
Judges 15:18 And being very thirsty, Samson
cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great
deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and
fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”
Judges 15:19 So God opened up the hollow place
in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength
returned, and he was revived. That is why he named it En-hakkore,
and it remains in Lehi to this day.
Judges 15:20 And Samson judged Israel for twenty
years in the days of the Philistines.
Judges 16:1 One day Samson went to Gaza, where
he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.
Judges 16:2 When the Gazites heard that Samson
was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all
night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night,
saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”
Judges 16:3 But Samson lay there only until
midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate
and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put
them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain
overlooking Hebron.
Judges 16:4 Some time later, Samson fell in love
with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Judges 16:5 The lords of the Philistines went to
her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great
strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue
him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of
silver.”
Judges 16:6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please
tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied
up and subdued.”
Judges 16:7 Samson told her, “If they tie me up
with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I will
become as weak as any other man.”
Judges 16:8 So the lords of the Philistines
brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and
she tied him up with them.
Judges 16:9 While the men were hidden in her
room, she called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” But he
snapped the bowstrings like a strand of yarn seared by a flame. So
the source of his strength remained unknown.
Judges 16:10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You
have mocked me and lied to me! Now please tell me how you can be
tied up.”
Judges 16:11 He replied, “If they tie me up with
new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as any
other man.”
Judges 16:12 So Delilah took new ropes, tied him
up with them, and called out, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”
But while the men were hidden in her room, he snapped the ropes
off his arms like they were threads.
Judges 16:13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You
have mocked me and lied to me all along! Tell me how you can be
tied up.” He told her, “If you weave the seven braids of my head
into the web of a loom and tighten it with a pin, I will become as
weak as any other man.”
Judges 16:14 So while he slept, Delilah took the
seven braids of his hair and wove them into the web. Then she
tightened it with a pin and called to him, “Samson, the
Philistines are here!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out
the pin with the loom and the web.
Judges 16:15 “How can you say, ‘I love you,’”
she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time
you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your
great strength!”
Judges 16:16 Finally, after she had pressed him
daily with her words and pleaded until he was sick to death,
Judges 16:17 Samson told her all that was in his
heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite
to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will
leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
Judges 16:18 When Delilah realized that he had
revealed to her all that was in his heart, she sent this message
to the lords of the Philistines: “Come up once more, for he has
revealed to me all that is in his heart.” Then the lords of the
Philistines came to her, bringing the money in their hands.
Judges 16:19 And having lulled him to sleep on
her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his
head. In this way she began to subdue him, and his strength left
him.
Judges 16:20 Then she called out, “Samson, the
Philistines are here!” When Samson awoke from his sleep, he
thought, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.”
But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.
Judges 16:21 Then the Philistines seized him,
gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, where he was
bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in the
prison.
Judges 16:22 However, the hair of his head began
to grow back after it had been shaved.
Judges 16:23 Now the lords of the Philistines
gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon.
They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy
into our hands.”
Judges 16:24 And when the people saw him, they
praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands
our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.”
Judges 16:25 And while their hearts were merry,
they said, “Call for Samson to entertain us.” So they called
Samson out of the prison to entertain them. And they stationed him
between the pillars.
Judges 16:26 Samson said to the servant who held
his hand, “Lead me where I can feel the pillars supporting the
temple, so I can lean against them.”
Judges 16:27 Now the temple was full of men and
women; all the lords of the Philistines were there, and about
three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson
entertain them.
Judges 16:28 Then Samson called out to the LORD:
“O Lord GOD, please remember me. Strengthen me, O God, just once
more, so that with one vengeful blow I may pay back the
Philistines for my two eyes.”
Judges 16:29 And Samson reached out for the two
central pillars supporting the temple. Bracing himself against
them with his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the
other,
Judges 16:30 Samson said, “Let me die with the
Philistines.” Then he pushed with all his might, and the temple
fell on the lords and all the people in it. So in his death he
killed more than he had killed in his life.
Judges 16:31 Then Samson’s brothers and his
father’s family came down, carried him back, and buried him
between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. And he
had judged Israel twenty years.
Judges 17:1 Now a man named Micah from the hill
country of Ephraim
Judges 17:2 said to his mother, “The eleven
hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which
I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took
it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”
Judges 17:3 And when he had returned the eleven
hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly
dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a
graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to
you.”
Judges 17:4 So he returned the silver to his
mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them
to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten
idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.
Judges 17:5 Now this man Micah had a shrine, and
he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his
sons as his priest.
Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in
Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:7 And there was a young Levite from
Bethlehem in Judah who had been residing within the clan of Judah.
Judges 17:8 This man left the city of Bethlehem
in Judah to settle where he could find a place. And as he
traveled, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of Ephraim.
Judges 17:9 “Where are you from?” Micah asked
him. “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,” he replied, “and I
am on my way to settle wherever I can find a place.”
Judges 17:10 “Stay with me,” Micah said to him,
“and be my father and priest, and I will give you ten shekels of
silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your provisions.” So the
Levite went in
Judges 17:11 and agreed to stay with him, and
the young man became like a son to Micah.
Judges 17:12 Micah ordained the Levite, and the
young man became his priest and lived in his house.
Judges 17:13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that
the LORD will be good to me, because a Levite has become my
priest.”
Judges 18:1 In those days there was no king in
Israel, and the tribe of the Danites was looking for territory to
occupy. For up to that time they had not come into an inheritance
among the tribes of Israel.
Judges 18:2 So the Danites sent out five men
from their clans, men of valor from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out
the land and explore it. “Go and explore the land,” they told
them. The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the
house of Micah, where they spent the night.
Judges 18:3 And while they were near Micah’s
house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they went
over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in
this place? Why are you here?”
Judges 18:4 “Micah has done this and that for
me,” he replied, “and he has hired me to be his priest.”
Judges 18:5 Then they said to him, “Please
inquire of God to determine whether we will have a successful
journey.”
Judges 18:6 And the priest told them, “Go in
peace. The LORD is watching over your journey.”
Judges 18:7 So the five men departed and came to
Laish, where they saw that the people were living securely, like
the Sidonians, tranquil and unsuspecting. There was nothing
lacking in the land and no oppressive ruler. And they were far
away from the Sidonians and had no alliance with anyone.
Judges 18:8 When the men returned to Zorah and
Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, “What did you find?”
Judges 18:9 They answered, “Come on, let us go
up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good.
Why would you fail to act? Do not hesitate to go there and take
possession of the land!
Judges 18:10 When you enter, you will come to an
unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it
into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”
Judges 18:11 So six hundred Danites departed
from Zorah and Eshtaol, armed with weapons of war.
Judges 18:12 They went up and camped at
Kiriath-jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of
Kiriath-jearim is called Mahaneh-dan to this day.
Judges 18:13 And from there they traveled to the
hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah’s house.
Judges 18:14 Then the five men who had gone to
spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know
that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven
image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
Judges 18:15 So they turned aside there and went
to the home of the young Levite, the house of Micah, and greeted
him.
Judges 18:16 The six hundred Danites stood at
the entrance of the gate, armed with their weapons of war.
Judges 18:17 And the five men who had gone to
spy out the land went inside and took the graven image, the ephod,
the household idols, and the molten idol, while the priest stood
at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred armed men.
Judges 18:18 When they entered Micah’s house and
took the graven image, the ephod, the household idols, and the
molten idol, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”
Judges 18:19 “Be quiet,” they told him. “Put
your hand over your mouth and come with us and be a father and a
priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest for the house of
one person or a priest for a tribe and family in Israel?”
Judges 18:20 So the priest was glad and took the
ephod, the household idols, and the graven image, and went with
the people.
Judges 18:21 Putting their small children, their
livestock, and their possessions in front of them, they turned and
departed.
Judges 18:22 After they were some distance from
Micah’s house, the men in the houses near Micah’s house mobilized
and overtook the Danites.
Judges 18:23 When they called out after them,
the Danites turned to face them and said to Micah, “What is the
matter with you that you have called out such a company?”
Judges 18:24 He replied, “You took the gods I
had made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How
can you say to me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”
Judges 18:25 The Danites said to him, “Do not
raise your voice against us, or angry men will attack you, and you
and your family will lose your lives.”
Judges 18:26 So the Danites went on their way,
and Micah turned to go back home, because he saw that they were
too strong for him.
Judges 18:27 After they had taken Micah’s idols
and his priest, they went to Laish, to a tranquil and unsuspecting
people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the
city.
Judges 18:28 There was no one to deliver them,
because the city was far from Sidon and had no alliance with
anyone; it was in a valley near Beth-rehob. And the Danites
rebuilt the city and lived there.
Judges 18:29 They named it Dan, after their
forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city was
formerly named Laish.
Judges 18:30 The Danites set up idols for
themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his
sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the
captivity of the land.
Judges 18:31 So they set up for themselves
Micah’s graven image, and it was there the whole time the house of
God was in Shiloh.
Judges 19:1 Now in those days, when there was no
king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of
Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
Judges 19:2 But she was unfaithful to him and
left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah.
After she had been there four months,
Judges 19:3 her husband got up and went after
her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant
and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s
house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
Judges 19:4 His father-in-law, the girl’s
father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days,
eating, drinking, and lodging there.
Judges 19:5 On the fourth day, they got up early
in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said
to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and
then you can go.”
Judges 19:6 So they sat down and the two of them
ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man,
“Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.”
Judges 19:7 The man got up to depart, but his
father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
Judges 19:8 On the fifth day, he got up early in
the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh
your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of
them ate.
Judges 19:9 When the man got up to depart with
his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s
father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please
spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night
here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early
tomorrow for your journey home.”
Judges 19:10 But the man was unwilling to spend
the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus
(that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his
concubine.
Judges 19:11 When they were near Jebus and the
day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let
us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”
Judges 19:12 But his master replied, “We will
not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no
Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.”
Judges 19:13 He continued, “Come, let us try to
reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
Judges 19:14 So they continued on their journey,
and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.
Judges 19:15 They stopped to go in and lodge in
Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no
one would take them into his home for the night.
Judges 19:16 That evening an old man from the
hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of
that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field.
Judges 19:17 When he looked up and saw the
traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you
going, and where have you come from?”
Judges 19:18 The Levite replied, “We are
traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of
Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I
am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into
his home,
Judges 19:19 even though there is both straw and
feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the
maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your
servants, lack.”
Judges 19:20 “Peace to you,” said the old man.
“Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in
the square.”
Judges 19:21 So he brought him to his house and
fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
Judges 19:22 While they were enjoying
themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the
house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned
the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can
have relations with him!”
Judges 19:23 The owner of the house went out and
said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After
all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage.
Judges 19:24 Look, let me bring out my virgin
daughter and the man’s concubine, and you can use them and do with
them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.”
Judges 19:25 But the men would not listen to
him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to
them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and
at dawn they let her go.
Judges 19:26 Early that morning, the woman went
back to the house where her master was staying, collapsed at the
doorway, and lay there until it was light.
Judges 19:27 In the morning, when her master got
up and opened the doors of the house to go out on his journey,
there was his concubine, collapsed in the doorway of the house,
with her hands on the threshold.
Judges 19:28 “Get up,” he told her. “Let us go.”
But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and
set out for home.
Judges 19:29 When he reached his house, he
picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by
limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of
Israel.
Judges 19:30 And everyone who saw it said,
“Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the
Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it
over, take counsel, and speak up!”
Judges 20:1 Then all the Israelites from Dan to
Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the
congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.
Judges 20:2 The leaders of all the people and
all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of
God’s people: 400,000 men on foot, armed with swords.
Judges 20:3 (Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that
the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked,
“Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”
Judges 20:4 So the Levite, the husband of the
murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in
Benjamin to spend the night.
Judges 20:5 And during the night, the men of
Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended
to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died.
Judges 20:6 Then I took my concubine, cut her
into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s
inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act
in Israel.
Judges 20:7 Behold, all you Israelites, give
your advice and verdict here and now.”
Judges 20:8 Then all the people stood as one man
and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.
Judges 20:9 Now this is what we will do to
Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.
Judges 20:10 We will take ten men out of every
hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every
thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply
provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to
punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”
Judges 20:11 So all the men of Israel gathered
as one man, united against the city.
Judges 20:12 And the tribes of Israel sent men
throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness
that has occurred among you?
Judges 20:13 Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah
so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But
the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow
Israelites.
Judges 20:14 And from their cities they came
together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.
Judges 20:15 On that day the Benjamites
mobilized 26,000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the
700 select men of Gibeah.
Judges 20:16 Among all these soldiers there were
700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a
hair without missing.
Judges 20:17 The Israelites, apart from
Benjamin, mobilized 400,000 swordsmen, each one an experienced
warrior.
Judges 20:18 The Israelites set out, went up to
Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight
against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
Judges 20:19 The next morning the Israelites set
out and camped near Gibeah.
Judges 20:20 And the men of Israel went out to
fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at
Gibeah.
Judges 20:21 And the Benjamites came out of
Gibeah and cut down 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.
Judges 20:22 But the Israelite army took courage
and again took their battle positions in the same place where they
had arrayed themselves on the first day.
Judges 20:23 They went up and wept before the
LORD until evening, inquiring of Him, “Should we again draw near
for battle against our brothers the Benjamites?” And the LORD
answered, “Go up against them.”
Judges 20:24 On the second day the Israelites
advanced against the Benjamites.
Judges 20:25 That same day the Benjamites came
out against them from Gibeah and cut down another 18,000
Israelites, all of them armed with swords.
Judges 20:26 Then the Israelites, all the
people, went up to Bethel, where they sat weeping before the LORD.
That day they fasted until evening and presented burnt offerings
and peace offerings to the LORD.
Judges 20:27 And the Israelites inquired of the
LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there,
Judges 20:28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, the
son of Aaron, served before it.) The Israelites asked, “Should we
again go out to battle against our brothers the Benjamites, or
should we stop?” The LORD answered, “Fight, for tomorrow I will
deliver them into your hand.”
Judges 20:29 So Israel set up an ambush around
Gibeah.
Judges 20:30 On the third day the Israelites
went up against the Benjamites and arrayed themselves against
Gibeah as they had done before.
Judges 20:31 The Benjamites came out against
them and were drawn away from the city. They began to attack the
people as before, killing about thirty men of Israel in the fields
and on the roads, one of which led up to Bethel and the other to
Gibeah.
Judges 20:32 “We are defeating them as before,”
said the Benjamites. But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and
draw them away from the city onto the roads.”
Judges 20:33 So all the men of Israel got up
from their places and arrayed themselves at Baal-tamar, and the
Israelites in ambush charged from their positions west of Gibeah.
Judges 20:34 Then 10,000 select men from all
Israel made a frontal assault against Gibeah, and the battle was
fierce. But the Benjamites did not realize that disaster was upon
them.
Judges 20:35 The LORD defeated Benjamin in the
presence of Israel, and on that day the Israelites slaughtered
25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.
Judges 20:36 Then the Benjamites realized they
had been defeated. Now the men of Israel had retreated before
Benjamin because they were relying on the ambush they had set
against Gibeah.
Judges 20:37 The men in ambush rushed suddenly
against Gibeah; they advanced and put the whole city to the sword.
Judges 20:38 The men of Israel had arranged a
signal with the men in ambush: When they sent up a great cloud of
smoke from the city,
Judges 20:39 the men of Israel would turn in the
battle. When the Benjamites had begun to strike them down, killing
about thirty men of Israel, they said, “They are defeated before
us as in the first battle.”
Judges 20:40 But when the column of smoke began
to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw
the whole city going up in smoke.
Judges 20:41 Then the men of Israel turned back
on them, and the men of Benjamin were terrified when they realized
that disaster had come upon them.
Judges 20:42 So they fled before the men of
Israel toward the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and
the men coming out of the cities struck them down there.
Judges 20:43 They surrounded the Benjamites,
pursued them, and easily overtook them in the vicinity of Gibeah
on the east.
Judges 20:44 And 18,000 Benjamites fell, all men
of valor.
Judges 20:45 Then the Benjamites turned and fled
toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and Israel cut down
5,000 men on the roads. And they overtook them at Gidom and struck
down 2,000 more.
Judges 20:46 That day 25,000 Benjamite swordsmen
fell, all men of valor.
Judges 20:47 But 600 men turned and fled into
the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four
months.
Judges 20:48 And the men of Israel turned back
against the other Benjamites and put to the sword all the cities,
including the animals and everything else they found. And they
burned down all the cities in their path.
Judges 21:1 Now the men of Israel had sworn an
oath at Mizpah, saying, “Not one of us will give his daughter in
marriage to a Benjamite.”
Judges 21:2 So the people came to Bethel and sat
there before God until evening, lifting up their voices and
weeping bitterly.
Judges 21:3 “Why, O LORD God of Israel,” they
cried out, “has this happened in Israel? Today in Israel one tribe
is missing!”
Judges 21:4 The next day the people got up
early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and
peace offerings.
Judges 21:5 The Israelites asked, “Who among all
the tribes of Israel did not come to the assembly before the
LORD?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to
come up before the LORD at Mizpah would surely be put to death.
Judges 21:6 And the Israelites grieved for their
brothers, the Benjamites, and said, “Today a tribe is cut off from
Israel.
Judges 21:7 What should we do about wives for
the survivors, since we have sworn by the LORD not to give them
our daughters in marriage?”
Judges 21:8 So they asked, “Which one of the
tribes of Israel failed to come up before the LORD at Mizpah?”
And, in fact, no one from Jabesh-gilead had come to the camp for
the assembly.
Judges 21:9 For when the people were counted,
none of the residents of Jabesh-gilead were there.
Judges 21:10 So the congregation sent 12,000 of
their most valiant men and commanded them: “Go and put to the
sword those living in Jabesh-gilead, including women and children.
Judges 21:11 This is what you are to do: Devote
to destruction every male, as well as every female who has had
relations with a man.”
Judges 21:12 So they found among the inhabitants
of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young women who had not had
relations with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh
in the land of Canaan.
Judges 21:13 Then the whole congregation sent a
message of peace to the Benjamites who were at the rock of Rimmon.
Judges 21:14 And at that time the Benjamites
returned and were given the women who were spared from
Jabesh-gilead. But there were not enough women for all of them.
Judges 21:15 The people grieved for Benjamin,
because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel.
Judges 21:16 Then the elders of the congregation
said, “What should we do about wives for those who remain, since
the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?”
Judges 21:17 They added, “There must be heirs
for the survivors of Benjamin, so that a tribe of Israel will not
be wiped out.
Judges 21:18 But we cannot give them our
daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he
who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”
Judges 21:19 “But look,” they said, “there is a
yearly feast to the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel east
of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of
Lebonah.”
Judges 21:20 So they commanded the Benjamites:
“Go, hide in the vineyards
Judges 21:21 and watch. When you see the
daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, each of you
is to come out of the vineyards, catch for himself a wife from the
daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
Judges 21:22 When their fathers or brothers come
to us to complain, we will tell them, ‘Do us a favor by helping
them, since we did not get wives for each of them in the war.
Since you did not actually give them your daughters, you have no
guilt.’”
Judges 21:23 The Benjamites did as instructed
and carried away the number of women they needed from the dancers
they caught. They went back to their own inheritance, rebuilt
their cities, and settled in them.
Judges 21:24 And at that time, each of the
Israelites returned from there to his own tribe and clan, each to
his own inheritance.
Judges 21:25 In those days there was no king in
Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
RUTH
Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges ruled,
there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem
in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the land
of Moab.
Ruth 1:2 The man’s name was Elimelech, his
wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon
and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah, and
they entered the land of Moab and settled there.
Ruth 1:3 Then Naomi’s husband Elimelech died,
and she was left with her two sons,
Ruth 1:4 who took Moabite women as their wives,
one named Orpah and the other named Ruth. And after they had lived
in Moab about ten years,
Ruth 1:5 both Mahlon and Chilion also died, and
Naomi was left without her two sons and without her husband.
Ruth 1:6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD
had attended to His people by providing them with food, she and
her daughters-in-law prepared to leave the land of Moab.
Ruth 1:7 Accompanied by her two
daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and
set out on the road leading back to the land of Judah.
Ruth 1:8 Then Naomi said to her two
daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you to your mother’s home. May
the LORD show you loving devotion, as you have shown to your dead
and to me.
Ruth 1:9 May the LORD enable each of you to find
rest in the home of your new husband.” And she kissed them as they
wept aloud
Ruth 1:10 and said, “Surely we will return with
you to your people.”
Ruth 1:11 But Naomi replied, “Return home, my
daughters. Why would you go with me? Are there still sons in my
womb to become your husbands?
Ruth 1:12 Return home, my daughters. Go on, for
I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was
hope for me to have a husband tonight and to bear sons,
Ruth 1:13 would you wait for them to grow up?
Would you refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, it
grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has
gone out against me.”
Ruth 1:14 Again they wept aloud, and Orpah
kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
Ruth 1:15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your
sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her
back home.”
Ruth 1:16 But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to
leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I
will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be
my people, and your God will be my God.
Ruth 1:17 Where you die, I will die, and there I
will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if
anything but death separates you and me.”
Ruth 1:18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was
determined to go with her, she stopped trying to persuade her.
Ruth 1:19 So Naomi and Ruth traveled until they
came to Bethlehem. When they entered Bethlehem, the whole city was
stirred because of them, and the women of the city exclaimed, “Can
this be Naomi?”
Ruth 1:20 “Do not call me Naomi,” she replied.
“Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with
me.
Ruth 1:21 I went away full, but the LORD has
brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? After all, the LORD has
testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me.”
Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned from the land of
Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess. And they arrived
in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.
Ruth 2:1 Now Naomi had a relative on her
husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan
of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz.
Ruth 2:2 And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi,
“Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after
someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,”
Naomi replied.
Ruth 2:3 So Ruth departed and went out into the
field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come
to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan
of Elimelech.
Ruth 2:4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem
and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD
bless you,” they replied.
Ruth 2:5 And Boaz asked the foreman of his
harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”
Ruth 2:6 The foreman answered, “She is the
Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.
Ruth 2:7 She has said, ‘Please let me glean and
gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out
and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a
short time in the shelter.”
Ruth 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my
daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away
from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls.
Ruth 2:9 Let your eyes be on the field they are
harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have
ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty,
go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”
Ruth 2:10 At this, she fell on her face, bowing
low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor
in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a
foreigner?”
Ruth 2:11 Boaz replied, “I have been made fully
aware of all you have done for your mother-in-law since the death
of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land
of your birth, and how you came to a people you did not know
before.
Ruth 2:12 May the LORD repay your work, and may
you receive a rich reward from the LORD, the God of Israel, under
whose wings you have taken refuge.”
Ruth 2:13 “My lord,” she said, “may I continue
to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken
kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your
servant girls.”
Ruth 2:14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come
over here; have some bread and dip it into the vinegar sauce.” So
she sat down beside the harvesters, and he offered her roasted
grain, and she ate and was satisfied and had some left over.
Ruth 2:15 When Ruth got up to glean, Boaz
ordered his young men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, do
not insult her.
Ruth 2:16 Rather, pull out for her some stalks
from the bundles and leave them for her to gather. Do not rebuke
her.”
Ruth 2:17 So Ruth gathered grain in the field
until evening. And when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was
about an ephah of barley.
Ruth 2:18 She picked up the grain and went into
the town, where her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And
she brought out what she had saved from her meal and gave it to
Naomi.
Ruth 2:19 Then her mother-in-law asked her,
“Where did you glean today, and where did you work? Blessed be the
man who noticed you.” So she told her mother-in-law where she had
worked. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she
said.
Ruth 2:20 Then Naomi said to her
daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, who has not
withdrawn His kindness from the living or the dead.” Naomi
continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our
kinsman-redeemers.”
Ruth 2:21 Then Ruth the Moabitess said, “He also
told me, ‘Stay with my young men until they have finished
gathering all my harvest.’”
Ruth 2:22 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law
Ruth, “My daughter, it is good for you to work with his young
women, so that nothing will happen to you in another field.”
Ruth 2:23 So Ruth stayed close to the servant
girls of Boaz to glean grain until the barley and wheat harvests
were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.
Ruth 3:1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said
to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you,
that it may be well with you?
Ruth 3:2 Now is not Boaz, with whose servant
girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight
he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
Ruth 3:3 Therefore wash yourself, put on
perfume, and wear your best clothes. Go down to the threshing
floor, but do not let the man know you are there until he has
finished eating and drinking.
Ruth 3:4 When he lies down, note the place where
he lies. Then go in and uncover his feet, and lie down, and he
will explain to you what you should do.”
Ruth 3:5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth
answered.
Ruth 3:6 So she went down to the threshing floor
and did everything her mother-in-law had instructed her to do.
Ruth 3:7 After Boaz had finished eating and
drinking and was in good spirits, he went to lie down at the end
of the heap of grain. Then Ruth went in secretly, uncovered his
feet, and lay down.
Ruth 3:8 At midnight, Boaz was startled, turned
over, and there lying at his feet was a woman!
Ruth 3:9 “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your
servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment
over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”
Ruth 3:10 Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless
you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before,
because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or
poor.
Ruth 3:11 And now do not be afraid, my daughter.
I will do for you whatever you request, since all my fellow
townspeople know that you are a woman of noble character.
Ruth 3:12 Yes, it is true that I am a
kinsman-redeemer, but there is a redeemer nearer than I.
Ruth 3:13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning,
if he wants to redeem you, good. Let him redeem you. But if he
does not want to redeem you, as surely as the LORD lives, I will.
Now lie here until morning.”
Ruth 3:14 So she lay down at his feet until
morning, but she got up before anyone else could recognize her.
Then Boaz said, “Do not let it be known that a woman came to the
threshing floor.”
Ruth 3:15 And he told her, “Bring the shawl you
are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he shoveled six
measures of barley into her shawl. Then he went into the city.
Ruth 3:16 When Ruth returned to her
mother-in-law, Naomi asked her, “How did it go, my daughter?” Then
Ruth told her all that Boaz had done for her.
Ruth 3:17 And she said, “He gave me these six
measures of barley, for he said, ‘Do not go back to your
mother-in-law empty-handed.’”
Ruth 3:18 “Wait, my daughter,” said Naomi,
“until you find out how things go, for he will not rest unless he
has resolved the matter today.”
Ruth 4:1 Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and
sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken
came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit
down.” So he went over and sat down.
Ruth 4:2 Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the
city and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.
Ruth 4:3 And he said to the kinsman-redeemer,
“Naomi, who has returned from the land of Moab, is selling the
piece of land that belonged to our brother Elimelech.
Ruth 4:4 I thought I should inform you that you
may buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the
presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do
so. But if you will not redeem it, tell me so I may know, because
there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.” “I
will redeem it,” he replied.
Ruth 4:5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the
land from Naomi and also from Ruth the Moabitess, you must also
acquire the widow of the deceased in order to raise up the name of
the deceased on his inheritance.”
Ruth 4:6 The kinsman-redeemer replied, “I cannot
redeem it myself, or I would jeopardize my own inheritance. Take
my right of redemption, because I cannot redeem it.”
Ruth 4:7 Now in former times in Israel,
concerning the redemption or exchange of property, to make any
matter legally binding a man would remove his sandal and give it
to the other party, and this was a confirmation in Israel.
Ruth 4:8 So the kinsman-redeemer removed his
sandal and said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.”
Ruth 4:9 At this, Boaz said to the elders and
all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from
Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon.
Ruth 4:10 Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the
Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the
deceased through his inheritance, so that his name will not
disappear from among his brothers or from the gate of his home.
You are witnesses today.”
Ruth 4:11 “We are witnesses,” said the elders
and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman
entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the
house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in
Bethlehem.
Ruth 4:12 And may your house become like the
house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring
the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
Ruth 4:13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his
wife. And when he had relations with her, the LORD enabled her to
conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
Ruth 4:14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed
be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a
kinsman-redeemer. May his name become famous in Israel.
Ruth 4:15 He will renew your life and sustain
you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and
is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
Ruth 4:16 And Naomi took the child, placed him
on her lap, and became a nurse to him.
Ruth 4:17 The neighbor women said, “A son has
been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed. He became the father
of Jesse, the father of David.
Ruth 4:18 Now these are the generations of
Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
Ruth 4:19 Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was
the father of Amminadab,
Ruth 4:20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon was the father of Salmon,
Ruth 4:21 Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz
was the father of Obed,
Ruth 4:22 Obed was the father of Jesse, and
Jesse was the father of David.
1 SAMUEL
1 Samuel 1:1 Now there was a man named Elkanah
who was from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. He
was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son
of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
1 Samuel 1:2 He had two wives, one named Hannah
and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had
none.
1 Samuel 1:3 Year after year Elkanah would go up
from his city to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Hosts at
Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to
the LORD.
1 Samuel 1:4 And whenever the day came for
Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his
wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
1 Samuel 1:5 But to Hannah he would give a
double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed
her womb.
1 Samuel 1:6 Because the LORD had closed
Hannah’s womb, her rival would provoke her and taunt her
viciously.
1 Samuel 1:7 And this went on year after year.
Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival
taunted her until she wept and would not eat.
1 Samuel 1:8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her
husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so
grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
1 Samuel 1:9 So after they had finished eating
and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was
sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD.
1 Samuel 1:10 In her bitter distress, Hannah
prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.
1 Samuel 1:11 And she made a vow, pleading, “O
LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your
maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but
giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the
days of his life, and no razor shall ever come over his head.”
1 Samuel 1:12 As Hannah kept on praying before
the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.
1 Samuel 1:13 Hannah was praying in her heart,
and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. So
Eli thought she was drunk
1 Samuel 1:14 and said to her, “How long will
you be drunk? Put away your wine!”
1 Samuel 1:15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I
am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong
drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
1 Samuel 1:16 Do not take your servant for a
wicked woman; for all this time I have been praying out of the
depth of my anguish and grief.”
1 Samuel 1:17 “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and
may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.”
1 Samuel 1:18 “May your maidservant find favor
with you,” said Hannah. Then she went on her way, and she began
eating again, and her face was no longer downcast.
1 Samuel 1:19 The next morning Elkanah and
Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then
returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife
Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.
1 Samuel 1:20 So in the course of time, Hannah
conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying,
“Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
1 Samuel 1:21 Then Elkanah and all his house
went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill
his vow,
1 Samuel 1:22 but Hannah did not go. “After the
boy is weaned,” she said to her husband, “I will take him to
appear before the LORD and to stay there permanently.”
1 Samuel 1:23 “Do what you think is best,” her
husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him.
Only may the LORD confirm His word.” So Hannah stayed and nursed
her son until she had weaned him.
1 Samuel 1:24 Once she had weaned him, Hannah
took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah
of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she
brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh.
1 Samuel 1:25 And when they had slaughtered the
bull, they brought the boy to Eli.
1 Samuel 1:26 “Please, my lord,” said Hannah,
“as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here
beside you praying to the LORD.
1 Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this boy, and since
the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him,
1 Samuel 1:28 I now dedicate the boy to the
LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So
they worshiped the LORD there.
1 Samuel 2:1 At that time Hannah prayed: “My
heart rejoices in the LORD in whom my horn is exalted. My mouth
speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
1 Samuel 2:2 There is no one holy like the LORD.
Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our
God.
1 Samuel 2:3 Do not boast so proudly, or let
arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows,
and by Him actions are weighed.
1 Samuel 2:4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble are equipped with strength.
1 Samuel 2:5 The well-fed hire themselves out
for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives
birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
1 Samuel 2:6 The LORD brings death and gives
life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
He humbles and He exalts.
1 Samuel 2:8 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes
and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the
earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
1 Samuel 2:9 He guards the steps of His faithful
ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength
shall no man prevail.
1 Samuel 2:10 Those who oppose the LORD will be
shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will
judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He
will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
1 Samuel 2:11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah,
but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
1 Samuel 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked
men; they had no regard for the LORD
1 Samuel 2:13 or for the custom of the priests
with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of
the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the
meat was boiling
1 Samuel 2:14 and plunge it into the pan or
kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for
himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they
treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
1 Samuel 2:15 Even before the fat was burned,
the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was
sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will
not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
1 Samuel 2:16 And if any man said to him, “The
fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,”
the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If
you refuse, I will take it by force!”
1 Samuel 2:17 Thus the sin of these young men
was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the
LORD’s offering with contempt.
1 Samuel 2:18 Now Samuel was ministering before
the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
1 Samuel 2:19 Each year his mother would make
him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her
husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
1 Samuel 2:20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and
his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in
place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go
home.
1 Samuel 2:21 So the LORD attended to Hannah,
and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters.
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
1 Samuel 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard
about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they
were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting.
1 Samuel 2:23 “Why are you doing these things?”
Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all
these people.
1 Samuel 2:24 No, my sons; it is not a good
report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
1 Samuel 2:25 If a man sins against another man,
God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who
can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father,
since the LORD intended to put them to death.
1 Samuel 2:26 And the boy Samuel continued to
grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
1 Samuel 2:27 Then a man of God came to Eli and
told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal
Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under
Pharaoh’s house?
1 Samuel 2:28 And out of all the tribes of
Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices
on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence.
I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the
Israelites made by fire.
1 Samuel 2:29 Why then do you kick at My
sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling
place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening
yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people
Israel.’
1 Samuel 2:30 Therefore, the LORD, the God of
Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house
of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD
declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me,
but those who despise Me will be disdained.
1 Samuel 2:31 Behold, the days are coming when I
will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s
house, so that no older man will be left in your house.
1 Samuel 2:32 You will see distress in My
dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your
house will ever again reach old age.
1 Samuel 2:33 And every one of you that I do not
cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will
grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.
1 Samuel 2:34 And this sign shall come to you
concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die
on the same day.
1 Samuel 2:35 Then I will raise up for Myself a
faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And
I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My
anointed one for all time.
1 Samuel 2:36 And everyone left in your house
will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of
bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so
that I can eat a piece of bread.”’”
1 Samuel 3:1 And the boy Samuel ministered to
the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was
rare and visions were scarce.
1 Samuel 3:2 And at that time Eli, whose
eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his
room.
1 Samuel 3:3 Before the lamp of God had gone
out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the
ark of God was located.
1 Samuel 3:4 Then the LORD called to Samuel, and
he answered, “Here I am.”
1 Samuel 3:5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am,
for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back
and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
1 Samuel 3:6 Once again the LORD called,
“Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for
you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go
back and lie down.”
1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the
LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to
him.
1 Samuel 3:8 Once again, for the third time, the
LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I
am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the
LORD who was calling the boy.
1 Samuel 3:9 “Go and lie down,” he said to
Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant
is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
1 Samuel 3:10 Then the LORD came and stood
there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered,
“Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
1 Samuel 3:11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I
am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who
hear it will tingle.
1 Samuel 3:12 On that day I will carry out
against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from
beginning to end.
1 Samuel 3:13 I told him that I would judge his
house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons
blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.
1 Samuel 3:14 Therefore I have sworn to the
house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned
for by sacrifice or offering.’”
1 Samuel 3:15 Samuel lay down until the morning;
then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid
to tell Eli the vision,
1 Samuel 3:16 but Eli called to him and said,
“Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Samuel.
1 Samuel 3:17 “What was the message He gave
you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and
ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
1 Samuel 3:18 So Samuel told him everything and
did not hide a thing from him. “He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let
Him do what is good in His eyes.”
1 Samuel 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was
with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
1 Samuel 3:20 So all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.
1 Samuel 3:21 And the LORD continued to appear
at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His
word.
1 Samuel 4:1 Thus the word of Samuel came to all
Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in
battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at
Aphek.
1 Samuel 4:2 The Philistines arrayed themselves
against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by
the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the
battlefield.
1 Samuel 4:3 When the troops returned to the
camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat
on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the
covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to
save us from the hand of our enemies.”
1 Samuel 4:4 So the people sent men to Shiloh,
and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of
Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons
of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the
covenant of God.
1 Samuel 4:5 When the ark of the covenant of the
LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great
shout that it shook the ground.
1 Samuel 4:6 On hearing the noise of the shout,
the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of
the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had
entered the camp,
1 Samuel 4:7 the Philistines were afraid. “The
gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing
like this has happened before.
1 Samuel 4:8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from
the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the
Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
1 Samuel 4:9 Take courage and be men, O
Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they
served you. Now be men and fight!”
1 Samuel 4:10 So the Philistines fought, and
Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter
was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
1 Samuel 4:11 The ark of God was captured, and
Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
1 Samuel 4:12 That same day a Benjamite ran from
the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and
dirt on his head.
1 Samuel 4:13 When he arrived, there was Eli,
sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his
heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city
to give a report, the whole city cried out.
1 Samuel 4:14 Eli heard the outcry and asked,
“Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.
1 Samuel 4:15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years
old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.
1 Samuel 4:16 “I have just come from the
battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What
happened, my son?” Eli asked.
1 Samuel 4:17 The messenger answered, “Israel
has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great
slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas,
are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
1 Samuel 4:18 As soon as the ark of God was
mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and
being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had
judged Israel forty years.
1 Samuel 4:19 Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the
wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she
heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her
father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for
her labor pains overtook her.
1 Samuel 4:20 As she was dying, the women
attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth
to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed.
1 Samuel 4:21 And she named the boy Ichabod,
saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of
God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had
been killed.
1 Samuel 4:22 “The glory has departed from
Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”
1 Samuel 5:1 After the Philistines had captured
the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod,
1 Samuel 5:2 carried it into the temple of
Dagon, and set it beside his statue.
1 Samuel 5:3 When the people of Ashdod got up
early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before
the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and returned him to his
place.
1 Samuel 5:4 But when they got up early the next
morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face before the ark of the
LORD, with his head and his hands broken off and lying on the
threshold. Only the torso remained.
1 Samuel 5:5 That is why, to this day, the
priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod
do not step on the threshold.
1 Samuel 5:6 Now the hand of the LORD was heavy
on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity, ravaging them and
afflicting them with tumors.
1 Samuel 5:7 And when the men of Ashdod saw what
was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not
stay here with us, because His hand is heavy upon us and upon our
god Dagon.”
1 Samuel 5:8 So they called together all the
rulers of the Philistines and asked, “What shall we do with the
ark of the God of Israel?” “It must be moved to Gath,” they
replied. So they carried away the ark of the God of Israel.
1 Samuel 5:9 But after they had moved the ark to
Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into
great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and
old, with an outbreak of tumors.
1 Samuel 5:10 So they sent the ark of God to
Ekron, but as it arrived, the Ekronites cried out, “They have
brought us the ark of the God of Israel in order to kill us and
our people!”
1 Samuel 5:11 Then the Ekronites assembled all
the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the
God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not
kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the
city; the hand of God was heavy upon it.
1 Samuel 5:12 Those who did not die were
afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to
heaven.
1 Samuel 6:1 When the ark of the LORD had been
in the land of the Philistines seven months,
1 Samuel 6:2 the Philistines summoned the
priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of
the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”
1 Samuel 6:3 They replied, “If you return the
ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all
means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be
healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted
from you.”
1 Samuel 6:4 “What guilt offering should we send
back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five
gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the
Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your
rulers.
1 Samuel 6:5 Make images of your tumors and of
the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of
Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods
and your land.
1 Samuel 6:6 Why harden your hearts as the
Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did
they not send the people on their way as they departed?
1 Samuel 6:7 Now, therefore, prepare one new
cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows
to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.
1 Samuel 6:8 Take the ark of the LORD, set it on
the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are
sending Him as a guilt offering. Then send the ark on its way,
1 Samuel 6:9 but keep watching it. If it goes up
the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who
has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we
will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it
happened by chance.”
1 Samuel 6:10 So the men did as instructed. They
took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their
calves.
1 Samuel 6:11 Then they put the ark of the LORD
on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the
images of the tumors.
1 Samuel 6:12 And the cows headed straight up
the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and
lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left.
The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border
of Beth-shemesh.
1 Samuel 6:13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh
were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and
saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.
1 Samuel 6:14 The cart came to the field of
Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The
people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt
offering to the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:15 And the Levites took down the ark
of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they
placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh
offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:16 And when the five rulers of the
Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
1 Samuel 6:17 As a guilt offering to the LORD,
the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city:
Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
1 Samuel 6:18 The number of gold rats also
corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the
five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And
the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to
this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
1 Samuel 6:19 But God struck down some of the
people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the
LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because
the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
1 Samuel 6:20 The men of Beth-shemesh asked,
“Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom
should the ark go up from here?”
1 Samuel 6:21 So they sent messengers to the
people of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned
the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up with you.”
1 Samuel 7:1 Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came
for the ark of the LORD and took it into Abinadab’s house on the
hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the
LORD.
1 Samuel 7:2 And from that day a long time
passed, twenty years in all, as the ark remained at
Kiriath-jearim. And all the house of Israel mourned and sought
after the LORD.
1 Samuel 7:3 Then Samuel said to all the house
of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts,
then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you,
prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will
deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 7:4 So the Israelites put away the
Baals and Ashtoreths and served only the LORD.
1 Samuel 7:5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all
Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”
1 Samuel 7:6 When they had gathered at Mizpah,
they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day
they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the
LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
1 Samuel 7:7 When the Philistines heard that the
Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward
Israel. And when the Israelites learned of this, they feared the
Philistines
1 Samuel 7:8 and said to Samuel, “Do not stop
crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from
the hand of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 7:9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb
and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out
to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.
1 Samuel 7:10 As the Philistines drew near to
fight against Israel, Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering.
But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and
threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.
1 Samuel 7:11 Then the men of Israel charged out
of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down all the
way to an area below Beth-car.
1 Samuel 7:12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and
set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying,
“Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
1 Samuel 7:13 So the Philistines were subdued,
and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of
the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
1 Samuel 7:14 The cities from Ekron to Gath,
which the Philistines had taken, were restored to Israel, who also
delivered the surrounding territory from the hand of the
Philistines. And there was peace between the Israelites and the
Amorites.
1 Samuel 7:15 So Samuel judged Israel all the
days of his life.
1 Samuel 7:16 Every year he would go on a
circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all
these places.
1 Samuel 7:17 Then he would return to Ramah
because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built
an altar to the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed
his sons as judges over Israel.
1 Samuel 8:2 The name of his firstborn son was
Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in
Beersheba.
1 Samuel 8:3 But his sons did not walk in his
ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes
and perverting justice.
1 Samuel 8:4 So all the elders of Israel
gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
1 Samuel 8:5 “Look,” they said, “you are old,
and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to
judge us like all the other nations.”
1 Samuel 8:6 But when they said, “Give us a king
to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel;
so he prayed to the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said to Samuel,
“Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you.
For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as
their king.
1 Samuel 8:8 Just as they have done from the day
I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and
serving other gods, so they are doing to you.
1 Samuel 8:9 Now listen to them, but you must
solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will
reign over them.”
1 Samuel 8:10 So Samuel spoke all the words of
the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.
1 Samuel 8:11 He said, “This will be the manner
of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and
appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of
his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:12 He will appoint some for himself
as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his
ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to
equip his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:13 And he will take your daughters to
be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
1 Samuel 8:14 He will take the best of your
fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his
servants.
1 Samuel 8:15 He will take a tenth of your grain
and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants.
1 Samuel 8:16 And he will take your menservants
and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to
his own use.
1 Samuel 8:17 He will take a tenth of your
flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.
1 Samuel 8:18 When that day comes, you will beg
for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not
answer you on that day.”
1 Samuel 8:19 Nevertheless, the people refused
to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over
us.
1 Samuel 8:20 Then we will be like all the other
nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to
fight our battles.”
1 Samuel 8:21 Samuel listened to all the words
of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:22 “Listen to their voice,” the LORD
said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the
men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”
1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a Benjamite, a
powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror,
the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.
1 Samuel 9:2 And he had a son named Saul, choice
and handsome, without equal among the Israelites—a head taller
than any of the people.
1 Samuel 9:3 One day the donkeys of Saul’s
father Kish wandered off, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one
of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”
1 Samuel 9:4 So Saul passed through the hill
country of Ephraim and then through the land of Shalishah, but did
not find the donkeys. He and the servant went through the region
of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they went through the
land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them.
1 Samuel 9:5 When they reached the land of Zuph,
Saul said to his servant, “Come, let us go back, or my father will
stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
1 Samuel 9:6 “Look,” said the servant, “in this
city there is a man of God who is highly respected; everything he
says surely comes to pass. Let us go there now. Perhaps he will
tell us which way to go.”
1 Samuel 9:7 “If we do go,” Saul replied, “what
can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there
is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
1 Samuel 9:8 The servant answered him again.
“Look,” he said, “I have here in my hand a quarter shekel of
silver. I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our
way.”
1 Samuel 9:9 (Formerly in Israel, a man on his
way to inquire of God would say, “Come, let us go to the seer.”
For the prophet of today was formerly called the seer.)
1 Samuel 9:10 “Good,” said Saul to his servant.
“Come, let us go.” So they set out for the city where the man of
God was.
1 Samuel 9:11 And as they were climbing the hill
to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water
and asked, “Is the seer here?”
1 Samuel 9:12 “Yes, he is ahead of you,” they
answered. “Hurry now, for today he has come to the city because
the people have a sacrifice on the high place.
1 Samuel 9:13 As soon as you enter the city, you
will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The
people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the
sacrifice; after that, the guests will eat. Go up at once; you
will find him.”
1 Samuel 9:14 So Saul and his servant went up
toward the city, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel
coming toward them on his way up to the high place.
1 Samuel 9:15 Now on the day before Saul’s
arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,
1 Samuel 9:16 “At this time tomorrow I will send
you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him
leader over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of
the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their
cry has come to Me.”
1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD
told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule over My
people.”
1 Samuel 9:18 Saul approached Samuel in the
gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s
house is?”
1 Samuel 9:19 “I am the seer,” Samuel replied.
“Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me
today. And when I send you off in the morning, I will tell you all
that is in your heart.
1 Samuel 9:20 As for the donkeys you lost three
days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. And
upon whom is all the desire of Israel, if not upon you and all
your father’s house?”
1 Samuel 9:21 Saul replied, “Am I not a
Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan
the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such
a thing to me?”
1 Samuel 9:22 Then Samuel took Saul and his
servant, brought them into the hall, and seated them in the place
of honor among those who were invited—about thirty in all.
1 Samuel 9:23 And Samuel said to the cook,
“Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.”
1 Samuel 9:24 So the cook picked up the leg and
what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said,
“Here is what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat, for it
has been kept for you for this occasion, from the time I said, ‘I
have invited the people.’” So Saul dined with Samuel that day.
1 Samuel 9:25 And after they had come down from
the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof
of his house.
1 Samuel 9:26 They got up early in the morning,
and just before dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get
ready, and I will send you on your way!” So Saul arose, and both
he and Samuel went outside together.
1 Samuel 9:27 As they were going down to the
edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on
ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I will reveal to you
the word of God.” So the servant went on.
1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil,
poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD
anointed you ruler over His inheritance?
1 Samuel 10:2 When you leave me today, you will
find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin.
They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and
now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started
worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
1 Samuel 10:3 Then you will go on from there
until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at
Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats,
another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a
skin of wine.
1 Samuel 10:4 They will greet you and give you
two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
1 Samuel 10:5 After that you will come to Gibeah
of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the
city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high
place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they
will be prophesying.
1 Samuel 10:6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will
rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be
transformed into a different person.
1 Samuel 10:7 When these signs have come, do as
the occasion demands, for God is with you.
1 Samuel 10:8 And you shall go before me to
Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and
to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you
and show you what you are to do.”
1 Samuel 10:9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel,
God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day.
1 Samuel 10:10 When Saul and his servant arrived
at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God
rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.
1 Samuel 10:11 All those who had formerly known
Saul and saw him prophesying with the prophets asked one another,
“What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the
prophets?”
1 Samuel 10:12 Then a man who lived there
replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a
proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
1 Samuel 10:13 And when Saul had finished
prophesying, he went up to the high place.
1 Samuel 10:14 Now Saul’s uncle asked him and
his servant, “Where did you go?” “To look for the donkeys,” Saul
replied. “When we saw they were not to be found, we went to
Samuel.”
1 Samuel 10:15 “Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked,
“what did Samuel say to you?”
1 Samuel 10:16 And Saul replied, “He assured us
that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle
what Samuel had said about the kingship.
1 Samuel 10:17 After this, Samuel summoned the
people to the LORD at Mizpah
1 Samuel 10:18 and said to the Israelites, “This
is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up
out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians
and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
1 Samuel 10:19 But today you have rejected your
God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you
have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present
yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
1 Samuel 10:20 Thus Samuel had all the tribes of
Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.
1 Samuel 10:21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin
come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected.
Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for
him, they could not find him.
1 Samuel 10:22 So again they inquired of the
LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD replied, “Behold,
he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
1 Samuel 10:23 So they ran and brought Saul, and
when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of
the others.
1 Samuel 10:24 Samuel said to all the people,
“Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him
among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the
king!”
1 Samuel 10:25 Then Samuel explained to the
people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll and laid
it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each
to his own home.
1 Samuel 10:26 Saul also went to his home in
Gibeah, and the men of valor whose hearts God had touched went
with him.
1 Samuel 10:27 But some worthless men said, “How
can this man save us?” So they despised him and brought him no
gifts; but Saul remained silent about it.
1 Samuel 11:1 Soon Nahash the Ammonite came up
and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to
him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”
1 Samuel 11:2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied,
“I will make a treaty with you on one condition, that I may put
out everyone’s right eye and bring reproach upon all Israel.”
1 Samuel 11:3 “Hold off for seven days,” replied
the elders of Jabesh, “and let us send messengers throughout
Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.”
1 Samuel 11:4 When the messengers came to Gibeah
of Saul and relayed these words in the hearing of the people, they
all wept aloud.
1 Samuel 11:5 Just then Saul was returning from
the field, behind his oxen. “What troubles the people?” asked
Saul. “Why are they weeping?” And they relayed to him the words of
the men from Jabesh.
1 Samuel 11:6 When Saul heard their words, the
Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he burned with great anger.
1 Samuel 11:7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them
into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of
Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of
anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror
of the LORD fell upon the people, and they turned out as one man.
1 Samuel 11:8 And when Saul numbered them at
Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men of Judah.
1 Samuel 11:9 So they said to the messengers who
had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be
yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the
messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.
1 Samuel 11:10 Then the men of Jabesh said to
Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do with us
whatever seems good to you.”
1 Samuel 11:11 The next day Saul organized the
troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they
invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the
hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that
no two of them were left together.
1 Samuel 11:12 Then the people said to Samuel,
“Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here
so we can kill them!”
1 Samuel 11:13 But Saul ordered, “No one shall
be put to death this day, for today the LORD has worked salvation
in Israel.”
1 Samuel 11:14 Then Samuel said to the people,
“Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”
1 Samuel 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal
and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they
sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the
Israelites rejoiced greatly.
1 Samuel 12:1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I
have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I
have set over you a king.
1 Samuel 12:2 Now here is the king walking
before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you.
I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
1 Samuel 12:3 Here I am. Bear witness against me
before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I
taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I
accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore
it to you.”
1 Samuel 12:4 “You have not wronged us or
oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the
hand of man.”
1 Samuel 12:5 Samuel said to them, “The LORD is
a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that
you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they
replied.
1 Samuel 12:6 Then Samuel said to the people,
“The LORD is the One who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who
brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
1 Samuel 12:7 Now present yourselves, so that I
may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He
has done for you and your fathers.
1 Samuel 12:8 When Jacob went to Egypt, your
fathers cried out to the LORD, and He sent them Moses and Aaron,
who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this
place.
1 Samuel 12:9 But they forgot the LORD their
God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera the commander of the
army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king
of Moab, who fought against them.
1 Samuel 12:10 Then they cried out to the LORD
and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and
served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of
our enemies, that we may serve You.’
1 Samuel 12:11 So the LORD sent Jerubbaal,
Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands
of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.
1 Samuel 12:12 But when you saw that Nahash king
of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we
must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God
was your king.
1 Samuel 12:13 Now here is the king you have
chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king
over you.
1 Samuel 12:14 If you fear the LORD and serve
Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the
command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over
you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well.
1 Samuel 12:15 But if you disobey the LORD and
rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be
against you as it was against your fathers.
1 Samuel 12:16 Now, therefore, stand and see
this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes.
1 Samuel 12:17 Is it not the wheat harvest
today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that
you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the
sight of the LORD by asking for a king.”
1 Samuel 12:18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and
on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the
people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
1 Samuel 12:19 They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray
to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die!
For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
1 Samuel 12:20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel
replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not
turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all
your heart.
1 Samuel 12:21 Do not turn aside after worthless
things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty.
1 Samuel 12:22 Indeed, for the sake of His great
name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased
to make you His own.
1 Samuel 12:23 As for me, far be it from me that
I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I
will continue to teach you the good and right way.
1 Samuel 12:24 Above all, fear the LORD and
serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great
things He has done for you.
1 Samuel 12:25 But if you persist in doing evil,
both you and your king will be swept away.”
1 Samuel 13:1 Saul was thirty years old when he
became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
1 Samuel 13:2 He chose for himself three
thousand men of Israel: Two thousand were with Saul at Michmash
and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with
Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the troops he sent
away, each to his own home.
1 Samuel 13:3 Then Jonathan attacked the
Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So
Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the
Hebrews hear!”
1 Samuel 13:4 And all Israel heard the news:
“Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel
has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were
summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
1 Samuel 13:5 Now the Philistines assembled to
fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand
horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They
went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
1 Samuel 13:6 Seeing that they were in danger
because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in
caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.
1 Samuel 13:7 Some Hebrews even crossed the
Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, remained at
Gilgal, and all his troops were quaking in fear.
1 Samuel 13:8 And Saul waited seven days for the
time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and
the troops began to desert Saul.
1 Samuel 13:9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt
offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered up the burnt
offering.
1 Samuel 13:10 Just as he finished offering the
burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
1 Samuel 13:11 “What have you done?” Samuel
asked. And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were
deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and
the Philistines were gathering at Michmash,
1 Samuel 13:12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines
will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of
the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
1 Samuel 13:13 “You have acted foolishly,”
Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your
God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your
kingdom over Israel for all time.
1 Samuel 13:14 But now your kingdom will not
endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and
appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the
command of the LORD.”
1 Samuel 13:15 Then Samuel set out from Gilgal
and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. And Saul numbered the troops
who were with him, about six hundred men.
1 Samuel 13:16 Now Saul and Jonathan his son and
the troops with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the
Philistines camped at Michmash.
1 Samuel 13:17 And raiders went out of the
Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in
the land of Shual,
1 Samuel 13:18 another toward Beth-horon, and
the third down the border road overlooking the Valley of Zeboim
facing the wilderness.
1 Samuel 13:19 And no blacksmith could be found
in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The
Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.”
1 Samuel 13:20 Instead, all the Israelites would
go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks,
axes, and sickles.
1 Samuel 13:21 The charge was a pim for
sharpening a plowshare or mattock, a third of a shekel for
sharpening a pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for
repointing an oxgoad.
1 Samuel 13:22 So on the day of battle not a
sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul
and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.
1 Samuel 13:23 And a garrison of the Philistines
had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
1 Samuel 14:1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said
to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to
the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But Jonathan did not
tell his father.
1 Samuel 14:2 Meanwhile, Saul was staying under
the pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. And the
troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men,
1 Samuel 14:3 including Ahijah, who was wearing
an ephod. He was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of
Phinehas, the son of Eli the priest of the LORD in Shiloh. But the
troops did not know that Jonathan had left.
1 Samuel 14:4 Now there were cliffs on both
sides of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the
Philistine outpost. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh.
1 Samuel 14:5 One cliff stood to the north
toward Michmash, and the other to the south toward Geba.
1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man
bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of
these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf.
Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by
few.”
1 Samuel 14:7 His armor-bearer replied, “Do all
that is in your heart. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
1 Samuel 14:8 “Very well,” said Jonathan, “we
will cross over toward these men and show ourselves to them.
1 Samuel 14:9 If they say, ‘Wait until we come
to you,’ then we will stay where we are and will not go up to
them.
1 Samuel 14:10 But if they say, ‘Come on up,’
then we will go up, because this will be our sign that the LORD
has delivered them into our hands.”
1 Samuel 14:11 So the two of them showed
themselves to the outpost of the Philistines, who exclaimed,
“Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they were
hiding!”
1 Samuel 14:12 So the men of the outpost called
out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come on up, and we will
teach you a lesson!” “Follow me,” Jonathan told his armor-bearer,
“for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
1 Samuel 14:13 So Jonathan climbed up on his
hands and feet, with his armor-bearer behind him. And the
Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed
and finished them off.
1 Samuel 14:14 In that first assault, Jonathan
and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men over half an
acre of land.
1 Samuel 14:15 Then terror struck the
Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people.
Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed,
the earth quaked and panic spread from God.
1 Samuel 14:16 Now when Saul’s watchmen at
Gibeah in Benjamin looked and saw the troops melting away and
scattering in every direction,
1 Samuel 14:17 Saul said to the troops who were
with him, “Call the roll and see who has left us.” And when they
had called the roll, they saw that Jonathan and his armor-bearer
were not there.
1 Samuel 14:18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring
the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.)
1 Samuel 14:19 While Saul was talking to the
priest, the commotion in the Philistine camp continued to
increase. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
1 Samuel 14:20 Then Saul and all his troops
assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the
Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword
against his neighbor.
1 Samuel 14:21 And the Hebrews who had
previously gone up into the surrounding camps of the Philistines
now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
1 Samuel 14:22 When all the Israelites who had
been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the
Philistines were fleeing, they also joined Saul and Jonathan in
the battle.
1 Samuel 14:23 So the LORD saved Israel that
day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth-aven.
1 Samuel 14:24 Now the men of Israel were in
distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath,
saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening,
before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the
troops tasted any food.
1 Samuel 14:25 Then all the troops entered the
forest, and there was honey on the ground.
1 Samuel 14:26 And when they entered the forest
and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his
mouth, because they feared the oath.
1 Samuel 14:27 Jonathan, however, had not heard
that his father had charged the people with the oath. So he
reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the
honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened.
1 Samuel 14:28 Then one of the soldiers told
him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying,
‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people
are faint.”
1 Samuel 14:29 “My father has brought trouble to
the land,” Jonathan replied. “Just look at how my eyes have
brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
1 Samuel 14:30 How much better it would have
been if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they
took from their enemies! Would not the slaughter of the
Philistines have been much greater?”
1 Samuel 14:31 That day, after the Israelites
had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the
people were very faint.
1 Samuel 14:32 So they rushed greedily to the
plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them
on the ground and ate meat with the blood still in it.
1 Samuel 14:33 Then someone reported to Saul:
“Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with
the blood still in it.” “You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll
a large stone over here at once.”
1 Samuel 14:34 Then he said, “Go among the
troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep,
slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against the
LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’” So that night
everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there.
1 Samuel 14:35 Then Saul built an altar to the
LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.
1 Samuel 14:36 And Saul said, “Let us go down
after the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn,
leaving no man alive!” “Do what seems good to you,” the troops
replied. But the priest said, “We must consult God here.”
1 Samuel 14:37 So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I
go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of
Israel?” But God did not answer him that day.
1 Samuel 14:38 Therefore Saul said, “Come here,
all you leaders of the troops, and let us investigate how this sin
has occurred today.
1 Samuel 14:39 As surely as the LORD who saves
Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan, he must die!” But not
one of the troops said a word.
1 Samuel 14:40 Then Saul said to all Israel,
“You stand on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will stand on
the other side.” “Do what seems good to you,” the troops replied.
1 Samuel 14:41 So Saul said to the LORD, the God
of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If
the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim; but if
the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.” And
Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the people were cleared of
the charge.
1 Samuel 14:42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot
between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected.
1 Samuel 14:43 “Tell me what you have done,”
Saul commanded him. So Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little
honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I
must die?”
1 Samuel 14:44 And Saul declared, “May God
punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely
die!”
1 Samuel 14:45 But the people said to Saul,
“Must Jonathan die—he who accomplished such a great deliverance
for Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his
head will fall to the ground, for with God’s help he has
accomplished this today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he
did not die.
1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul gave up his pursuit of
the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their own land.
1 Samuel 14:47 After Saul had assumed the
kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every
side—the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the kings of
Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he routed them.
1 Samuel 14:48 He fought valiantly and defeated
the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of its
plunderers.
1 Samuel 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were
Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named
Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter).
1 Samuel 14:50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam
daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was
Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner.
1 Samuel 14:51 Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s
father Ner were sons of Abiel.
1 Samuel 14:52 And the war with the Philistines
was fierce for all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any
strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.
1 Samuel 15:1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “The
LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now
therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:2 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when
they ambushed them on their way up from Egypt.
1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and attack the Amalekites
and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare
them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen
and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
1 Samuel 15:4 So Saul summoned the troops and
numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of
Judah.
1 Samuel 15:5 Saul came to the city of Amalek
and lay in wait in the valley.
1 Samuel 15:6 And he warned the Kenites, “Since
you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of
Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will
sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the
Amalekites.
1 Samuel 15:7 Then Saul struck down the
Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of
Egypt.
1 Samuel 15:8 He captured Agag king of Amalek
alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
1 Samuel 15:9 Saul and his troops spared Agag,
along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and
lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to
destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was
despised and worthless.
1 Samuel 15:10 Then the word of the LORD came to
Samuel, saying,
1 Samuel 15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul
king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried
out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to
the LORD all that night.
1 Samuel 15:12 Early in the morning Samuel got
up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel,
and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned
and gone down to Gilgal.”
1 Samuel 15:13 When Samuel reached him, Saul
said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the
LORD’s instructions.”
1 Samuel 15:14 But Samuel replied, “Then what is
this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
1 Samuel 15:15 Saul answered, “The troops
brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best sheep and
cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but the rest we devoted
to destruction.”
1 Samuel 15:16 “Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me
tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul
replied.
1 Samuel 15:17 And Samuel said, “Although you
were once small in your own eyes, have you not become the head of
the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel
1 Samuel 15:18 and sent you on a mission,
saying, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekites. Fight
against them until you have wiped them out.’
1 Samuel 15:19 So why did you not obey the LORD?
Why did you rush upon the plunder and do evil in the sight of the
LORD?”
1 Samuel 15:20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul
replied. “I went on the mission that the LORD gave me. I brought
back Agag king of Amalek and devoted the Amalekites to
destruction.
1 Samuel 15:21 The troops took sheep and cattle
from the plunder, the best of the things devoted to destruction,
in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
1 Samuel 15:22 But Samuel declared: “Does the
LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in
obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than
sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of
divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected
you as king.”
1 Samuel 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have
sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your
instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
1 Samuel 15:25 Now therefore, please forgive my
sin and return with me so I can worship the LORD.”
1 Samuel 15:26 “I will not return with you,”
Samuel replied. “For you have rejected the word of the LORD, and
He has rejected you as king over Israel.”
1 Samuel 15:27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul
grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore.
1 Samuel 15:28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD
has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to
your neighbor who is better than you.
1 Samuel 15:29 Moreover, the Glory of Israel
does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He
should change His mind.”
1 Samuel 15:30 “I have sinned,” Saul replied.
“Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before
Israel. Come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your
God.”
1 Samuel 15:31 So Samuel went back with Saul,
and Saul worshiped the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag
king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he
thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
1 Samuel 15:33 But Samuel declared: “As your
sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless
among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD at
Gilgal.
1 Samuel 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, but
Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.
1 Samuel 15:35 And to the day of his death,
Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the
LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel 16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How
long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as
king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you
to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king
for Myself.”
1 Samuel 16:2 “How can I go?” Samuel asked.
“Saul will hear of it and kill me!” The LORD answered, “Take a
heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
1 Samuel 16:3 Then invite Jesse to the
sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do. You are to
anoint for Me the one I indicate.”
1 Samuel 16:4 So Samuel did what the LORD had
said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him,
they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”
1 Samuel 16:5 “In peace,” he replied. “I have
come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with
me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and
invited them to the sacrifice.
1 Samuel 16:6 When they arrived, Samuel saw
Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.”
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do
not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him;
the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward
appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and
presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this
one either.”
1 Samuel 16:9 Next Jesse presented Shammah, but
Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
1 Samuel 16:10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons
pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not chosen
any of these.”
1 Samuel 16:11 And Samuel asked him, “Are these
all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse
replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel
replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”
1 Samuel 16:12 So Jesse sent for his youngest
son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a
handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for
he is the one.”
1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil
and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit
of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel
set out and went to Ramah.
1 Samuel 16:14 After the Spirit of the LORD had
departed from Saul, a spirit of distress from the LORD began to
torment him.
1 Samuel 16:15 Saul’s servants said to him,
“Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you.
1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord command your
servants here to seek out someone who can skillfully play the
harp. Whenever the spirit of distress from God is upon you, he is
to play it, and you will be well.”
1 Samuel 16:17 And Saul commanded his servants,
“Find me someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”
1 Samuel 16:18 One of the servants answered, “I
have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the
harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and
handsome, and the LORD is with him.”
1 Samuel 16:19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse
and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
1 Samuel 16:20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded
with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat, and sent them to
Saul with his son David.
1 Samuel 16:21 When David came to Saul and
entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became
his armor-bearer.
1 Samuel 16:22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse,
saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with
him.”
1 Samuel 16:23 And whenever the spirit from God
came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul
would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from
him.
1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their
forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh
and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
1 Samuel 17:2 Saul and the men of Israel
assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves
for battle against the Philistines.
1 Samuel 17:3 The Philistines stood on one hill
and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
1 Samuel 17:4 Then a champion named Goliath, who
was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six
cubits and a span in height,
1 Samuel 17:5 and he had a bronze helmet on his
head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand
shekels,
1 Samuel 17:6 and he had armor of bronze on his
legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
1 Samuel 17:7 The shaft of his spear was like a
weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In
addition, his shield bearer went before him.
1 Samuel 17:8 And Goliath stood and shouted to
the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for
battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?
Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
1 Samuel 17:9 If he is able to fight me and kill
me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him
and kill him, then you shall be our servants and labor for us.”
1 Samuel 17:10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy
the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
1 Samuel 17:11 On hearing the words of the
Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly
afraid.
1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of a man
named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight
sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in
years.
1 Samuel 17:13 The three older sons of Jesse had
followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was
Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
1 Samuel 17:14 And David was the youngest. The
three oldest had followed Saul,
1 Samuel 17:15 but David went back and forth
from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
1 Samuel 17:16 For forty days the Philistine
came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
1 Samuel 17:17 One day Jesse said to his son
David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of
bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
1 Samuel 17:18 Take also these ten portions of
cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of
your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.
1 Samuel 17:19 They are with Saul and all the
men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the
Philistines.”
1 Samuel 17:20 So David got up early in the
morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as
Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was
marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry.
1 Samuel 17:21 And Israel and the Philistines
arrayed in formation against each other.
1 Samuel 17:22 Then David left his supplies in
the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he
arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
1 Samuel 17:23 And as he was speaking with them,
suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath,
came forward from the Philistines and shouted his usual words,
which David also heard.
1 Samuel 17:24 When all the men of Israel saw
Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.
1 Samuel 17:25 Now the men of Israel had been
saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel?
To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he
will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s
house from taxation in Israel.”
1 Samuel 17:26 David asked the men who were
standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this
Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the
living God?”
1 Samuel 17:27 The people told him about the
offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills
him.”
1 Samuel 17:28 Now when David’s oldest brother
Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against
David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did
you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and
wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
1 Samuel 17:29 “What have I done now?” said
David. “Was it not just a question?”
1 Samuel 17:30 Then he turned from him toward
another and asked about the offer, and those people answered him
just as the first ones had answered.
1 Samuel 17:31 Now David’s words were overheard
and reported to Saul, who called for him.
1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, “Let no
man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will
go and fight him!”
1 Samuel 17:33 But Saul replied, “You cannot go
out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and
he has been a warrior from his youth.”
1 Samuel 17:34 David replied, “Your servant has
been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear
came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
1 Samuel 17:35 I went after it, struck it down,
and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me,
I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
1 Samuel 17:36 Your servant has killed lions and
bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for
he has defied the armies of the living God.”
1 Samuel 17:37 David added, “The LORD, who
delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver
me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may
the LORD be with you.”
1 Samuel 17:38 Then Saul clothed David in his
own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in
armor.
1 Samuel 17:39 David strapped his sword over the
tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I
cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to
them.” So David took them off.
1 Samuel 17:40 And David took his staff in his
hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in
the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he
approached the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:41 Now the Philistine came closer
and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.
1 Samuel 17:42 When the Philistine looked and
saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and
handsome.
1 Samuel 17:43 “Am I a dog,” he said to David,
“that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David
by his gods.
1 Samuel 17:44 “Come here,” he called to David,
“and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts
of the field!”
1 Samuel 17:45 But David said to the Philistine,
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come
against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the
armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1 Samuel 17:46 This day the LORD will deliver
you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your
head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of
the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will
know that there is a God in Israel.
1 Samuel 17:47 And all those assembled here will
know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the
battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:48 As the Philistine started forward
to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet
him.
1 Samuel 17:49 Then David reached into his bag,
took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the
forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown
on the ground.
1 Samuel 17:50 Thus David prevailed over the
Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand
he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
1 Samuel 17:51 David ran and stood over him. He
grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and
killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword. When the
Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
1 Samuel 17:52 Then the men of Israel and Judah
charged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the
entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the
Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
1 Samuel 17:53 When the Israelites returned from
their pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
1 Samuel 17:54 David took the head of the
Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s
weapons in his own tent.
1 Samuel 17:55 As Saul had watched David going
out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of
the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you
live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”
1 Samuel 17:56 “Find out whose son this young
man is!” said the king.
1 Samuel 17:57 So when David returned from
killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner
took him and brought him before Saul.
1 Samuel 17:58 “Whose son are you, young man?”
asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,”
David replied.
1 Samuel 18:1 After David had finished speaking
with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and
Jonathan loved him as himself.
1 Samuel 18:2 And from that day Saul kept David
with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.
1 Samuel 18:3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with
David because he loved him as himself.
1 Samuel 18:4 And Jonathan removed the robe he
was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword,
his bow, and his belt.
1 Samuel 18:5 So David marched out and prospered
in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men
of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and
of Saul’s officers as well.
1 Samuel 18:6 As the troops were returning home
after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all
the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing,
with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments.
1 Samuel 18:7 And as the women danced, they sang
out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of
thousands.”
1 Samuel 18:8 And Saul was furious and resented
this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he
said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the
kingdom?”
1 Samuel 18:9 And from that day forward Saul
kept a jealous eye on David.
1 Samuel 18:10 The next day a spirit of distress
sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house
while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a
spear,
1 Samuel 18:11 and he hurled it, thinking, “I
will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
1 Samuel 18:12 So Saul was afraid of David,
because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.
1 Samuel 18:13 Therefore Saul sent David away
and gave him command of a thousand men. David led the troops out
to battle and back,
1 Samuel 18:14 and he continued to prosper in
all his ways, because the LORD was with him.
1 Samuel 18:15 When Saul saw that David was very
successful, he was afraid of him.
1 Samuel 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved
David, because he was leading them out to battle and back.
1 Samuel 18:17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is
my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only
be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was
thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of
the Philistines be against him.”
1 Samuel 18:18 And David said to Saul, “Who am
I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I
should become the son-in-law of the king?”
1 Samuel 18:19 So when it was time to give
Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to
Adriel of Meholah.
1 Samuel 18:20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved
David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:21 “I will give her to David,” Saul
thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the
Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a
second time now you can be my son-in-law.”
1 Samuel 18:22 Then Saul ordered his servants,
“Speak to David privately and tell him, ‘Behold, the king is
pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore,
become his son-in-law.’”
1 Samuel 18:23 But when Saul’s servants relayed
these words to David, he replied, “Does it seem trivial in your
sight to be the son-in-law of the king? I am a poor man and
lightly esteemed.”
1 Samuel 18:24 And the servants told Saul what
David had said.
1 Samuel 18:25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The
king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as
revenge on his enemies.’” But Saul intended to cause David’s death
at the hands of the Philistines.
1 Samuel 18:26 When the servants reported these
terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law.
Before the wedding day arrived,
1 Samuel 18:27 David and his men went out and
killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and
presented them as payment in full to become the king’s son-in-law.
Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage.
1 Samuel 18:28 When Saul realized that the LORD
was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,
1 Samuel 18:29 he grew even more afraid of
David. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.
1 Samuel 18:30 Every time the Philistine
commanders came out for battle, David was more successful than all
of Saul’s officers, so that his name was highly esteemed.
1 Samuel 19:1 Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan
and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly
in David,
1 Samuel 19:2 so he warned David, saying, “My
father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning;
find a secret place and hide there.
1 Samuel 19:3 I will go out and stand beside my
father in the field where you are, so I can ask about you. And if
I find out anything, I will tell you.”
1 Samuel 19:4 Then Jonathan spoke well of David
to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin
against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact,
his actions have been highly beneficial to you.
1 Samuel 19:5 He took his life in his hands when
he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great
salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would
you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?”
1 Samuel 19:6 Saul listened to the voice of
Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David
will not be put to death.”
1 Samuel 19:7 So Jonathan summoned David and
told him all these things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul to
serve him as he had before.
1 Samuel 19:8 When war broke out again, David
went out and fought the Philistines and struck them with such a
mighty blow that they fled before him.
1 Samuel 19:9 But as Saul was sitting in his
house with his spear in his hand, a spirit of distress from the
LORD came upon him. While David was playing the harp,
1 Samuel 19:10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall
with his spear. But the spear struck the wall and David eluded
him, ran away, and escaped that night.
1 Samuel 19:11 Then Saul sent messengers to
David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But
David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life
tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
1 Samuel 19:12 So Michal lowered David from the
window, and he ran away and escaped.
1 Samuel 19:13 Then Michal took a household idol
and laid it in the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and
covered it with a garment.
1 Samuel 19:14 When Saul sent the messengers to
seize David, Michal said, “He is ill.”
1 Samuel 19:15 But Saul sent the messengers back
to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I
can kill him.”
1 Samuel 19:16 And when the messengers entered,
there was the idol in the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair on its
head.
1 Samuel 19:17 And Saul said to Michal, “Why did
you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away and he has
escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I
will kill you!’”
1 Samuel 19:18 So David ran away and escaped.
And he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done
to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.
1 Samuel 19:19 When Saul was told that David was
at Naioth in Ramah,
1 Samuel 19:20 he sent messengers to capture
him. But when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, with
Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came upon them, and Saul’s
messengers also began to prophesy.
1 Samuel 19:21 When this was reported to Saul,
he sent more messengers, but they began to prophesy as well. So
Saul tried again and sent messengers a third time, and even they
began to prophesy.
1 Samuel 19:22 Finally, Saul himself left for
Ramah and came to the large cistern at Secu, where he asked,
“Where are Samuel and David?” “At Naioth in Ramah,” he was told.
1 Samuel 19:23 So Saul went to Naioth in Ramah.
But the Spirit of God came upon even Saul, and he walked along
prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
1 Samuel 19:24 Then Saul stripped off his robes
and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked
all that day and night. That is why it is said, “Is Saul also
among the prophets?”
1 Samuel 20:1 Then David fled from Naioth in
Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is
my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants
to take my life?”
1 Samuel 20:2 “Far from it!” Jonathan replied.
“You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small,
without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This
cannot be true!”
1 Samuel 20:3 But David again vowed, “Your
father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and
he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be
grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live,
there is but a step between me and death.”
1 Samuel 20:4 Then Jonathan said to David,
“Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
1 Samuel 20:5 So David told him, “Look, tomorrow
is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead,
let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now.
1 Samuel 20:6 If your father misses me at all,
tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to
Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for
his whole clan.’
1 Samuel 20:7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your
servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil
intentions.
1 Samuel 20:8 Therefore deal faithfully with
your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you
before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me
yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”
1 Samuel 20:9 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I
ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you,
would I not tell you?”
1 Samuel 20:10 Then David asked Jonathan, “Who
will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
1 Samuel 20:11 “Come,” he replied, “let us go
out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,
1 Samuel 20:12 and Jonathan said, “By the LORD,
the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time
tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I
not send for you and tell you?
1 Samuel 20:13 But if my father intends to bring
evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if
I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD
be with you, just as He has been with my father.
1 Samuel 20:14 And as long as I live, treat me
with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,
1 Samuel 20:15 and do not ever cut off your
loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off
every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
1 Samuel 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with
the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies
accountable.”
1 Samuel 20:17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm
his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved
himself.
1 Samuel 20:18 Then Jonathan said to David,
“Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed if your seat is
empty.
1 Samuel 20:19 When you have stayed three days,
hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and
remain beside the stone Ezel.
1 Samuel 20:20 I will shoot three arrows to the
side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.
1 Samuel 20:21 Then I will send a boy and say,
‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the
arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as
surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no
danger.
1 Samuel 20:22 But if I say to the young man,
‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD
has sent you away.
1 Samuel 20:23 And as for the matter you and I
have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”
1 Samuel 20:24 So David hid in the field, and
when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.
1 Samuel 20:25 He sat in his usual place by the
wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was
empty.
1 Samuel 20:26 Saul said nothing that day
because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him
ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”
1 Samuel 20:27 But on the day after the New
Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul
asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the
meal either yesterday or today?”
1 Samuel 20:28 Jonathan answered, “David
urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,
1 Samuel 20:29 saying, ‘Please let me go,
because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my
brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in
your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he
did not come to the king’s table.”
1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul’s anger burned against
Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and
rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of
Jesse to your own shame and to the disgrace of the mother who bore
you?
1 Samuel 20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse
lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingship shall be
established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must
surely die!”
1 Samuel 20:32 “Why must he be put to death?”
Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
1 Samuel 20:33 Then Saul hurled his spear at
Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was
determined to kill David.
1 Samuel 20:34 Jonathan got up from the table in
fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the
month, for he was grieved by his father’s shameful treatment of
David.
1 Samuel 20:35 In the morning Jonathan went out
to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was
with him.
1 Samuel 20:36 He said to the boy, “Run and find
the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow
beyond him.
1 Samuel 20:37 When the boy reached the place
where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t
the arrow beyond you?”
1 Samuel 20:38 Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry!
Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and
returned to his master.
1 Samuel 20:39 But the boy did not know
anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.
1 Samuel 20:40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment
to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
1 Samuel 20:41 When the young man had gone,
David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and
bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept
together—though David wept more.
1 Samuel 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, “Go
in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD,
saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between
your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and
departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.
1 Samuel 21:1 Then David came to Nob, to
Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled
and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
1 Samuel 21:2 “The king has given me a mission,”
David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission or
charge. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain
place.
1 Samuel 21:3 Now then, what do you have on
hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
1 Samuel 21:4 “There is no common bread on
hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated
bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from
women.”
1 Samuel 21:5 David answered, “Women have indeed
been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the equipment
of the young men is holy, as it is even on common missions, and
all the more at this time.”
1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the
consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of
the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and
replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
1 Samuel 21:7 Now one of Saul’s servants was
there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg
the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
1 Samuel 21:8 Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is
there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought
neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s
business was urgent.”
1 Samuel 21:9 The priest replied, “The sword of
Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is
here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you
may take it. For there is no other but this one.” And David said,
“There is none like it; give it to me.”
1 Samuel 21:10 That day David fled from Saul and
went to Achish king of Gath.
1 Samuel 21:11 But the servants of Achish said
to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not
sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his
thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
1 Samuel 21:12 Now David took these words to
heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
1 Samuel 21:13 So he changed his behavior before
them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors
of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
1 Samuel 21:14 Then Achish said to his servants,
“Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought
him to me?
1 Samuel 21:15 Am I in need of madmen, that you
have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come
into my house?”
1 Samuel 22:1 So David left Gath and took refuge
in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his
father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
1 Samuel 22:2 And all who were distressed or
indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their
leader. About four hundred men were with him.
1 Samuel 22:3 From there David went to Mizpeh of
Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and
mother stay with you until I learn what God will do for me.”
1 Samuel 22:4 So he left them in the care of the
king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in
the stronghold.
1 Samuel 22:5 Then the prophet Gad said to
David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land
of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
1 Samuel 22:6 Soon Saul learned that David and
his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah,
sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with his
spear in hand and all his servants standing around him.
1 Samuel 22:7 Then Saul said to his servants,
“Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you
fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or
hundreds?
1 Samuel 22:8 Is that why all of you have
conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had
made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has shown
concern for me or revealed to me that my son has stirred up my own
servant to lie in wait against me, as is the case today.”
1 Samuel 22:9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had
stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son
of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
1 Samuel 22:10 Ahimelech inquired of the LORD
for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of
Goliath the Philistine.”
1 Samuel 22:11 Then the king sent messengers to
summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and his father’s
whole family, who were priests at Nob. And all of them came to the
king.
1 Samuel 22:12 “Listen now, son of Ahitub,” said
Saul. “Here I am, my lord,” he replied.
1 Samuel 22:13 And Saul asked him, “Why have you
and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and
a sword and inquired of God for him so that he could rise up
against me to lie in wait, as he is doing today.”
1 Samuel 22:14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Who
among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s
son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard who is honored in your
house?
1 Samuel 22:15 Was that day the first time I
inquired of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king
accuse your servant or any of my father’s household, for your
servant knew nothing of this whole affair—not in part or in
whole.”
1 Samuel 22:16 But the king replied, “You will
surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”
1 Samuel 22:17 Then the king ordered the guards
at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they
too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did
not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to
strike the priests of the LORD.
1 Samuel 22:18 So the king ordered Doeg, “You
turn and strike down the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned and
struck down the priests himself. On that day he killed eighty-five
men who wore the linen ephod.
1 Samuel 22:19 He also put to the sword Nob, the
city of the priests, with its men and women, children and infants,
oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
1 Samuel 22:20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech
son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to
David.
1 Samuel 22:21 And Abiathar told David that Saul
had killed the priests of the LORD.
1 Samuel 22:22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I
knew that Doeg the Edomite was there that day, and that he was
sure to tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the lives of
everyone in your father’s house.
1 Samuel 22:23 Stay with me; do not be afraid,
for he who seeks your life is seeking mine as well. You will be
safe with me.”
1 Samuel 23:1 Now it was reported to David,
“Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the
threshing floors.”
1 Samuel 23:2 So David inquired of the LORD,
“Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to
David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
1 Samuel 23:3 But David’s men said to him,
“Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to
Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
1 Samuel 23:4 Once again, David inquired of the
LORD, and the LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will
deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
1 Samuel 23:5 Then David and his men went to
Keilah, fought against the Philistines, and carried off their
livestock, striking them with a mighty blow. So David saved the
people of Keilah.
1 Samuel 23:6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had
brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
1 Samuel 23:7 When Saul was told that David had
gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for
he has trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”
1 Samuel 23:8 Then Saul summoned all his troops
to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.
1 Samuel 23:9 When David learned that Saul was
plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring
the ephod.”
1 Samuel 23:10 And David said, “O LORD, God of
Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah
and destroy the city on my account.
1 Samuel 23:11 Will the citizens of Keilah
surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant
has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He
will,” said the LORD.
1 Samuel 23:12 So David asked, “Will the
citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
“They will,” said the LORD.
1 Samuel 23:13 Then David and his men, about six
hundred strong, set out and departed from Keilah, moving from
place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from
Keilah, he declined to go forth.
1 Samuel 23:14 And David stayed in the
wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness
of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God would not
deliver David into his hand.
1 Samuel 23:15 While David was in Horesh in the
Wilderness of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his
life.
1 Samuel 23:16 And Saul’s son Jonathan came to
David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,
1 Samuel 23:17 saying, “Do not be afraid, for my
father Saul will never lay a hand on you. And you will be king
over Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father
Saul knows this is true.”
1 Samuel 23:18 So the two of them made a
covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while
Jonathan went home.
1 Samuel 23:19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul
at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the
strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?
1 Samuel 23:20 Now, O king, come down whenever
your soul desires, and we will be responsible for delivering him
into your hand.”
1 Samuel 23:21 “May you be blessed by the LORD,”
replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
1 Samuel 23:22 Please go and prepare further.
Investigate and watch carefully where he goes and who has seen him
there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning.
1 Samuel 23:23 Observe and find out all the
places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I
will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out
among all the clans of Judah.”
1 Samuel 23:24 So they set out and went to Ziph
ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of
Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon,
1 Samuel 23:25 and Saul and his men went to seek
him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and
stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of this, he
pursued David there.
1 Samuel 23:26 Saul was proceeding along one
side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side.
Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were
closing in on David and his men to capture them.
1 Samuel 23:27 Then a messenger came to Saul,
saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”
1 Samuel 23:28 So Saul broke off his pursuit of
David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why that place is
called Sela-hammahlekoth.
1 Samuel 23:29 And David went up from there and
lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.
1 Samuel 24:1 After Saul had returned from
pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness
of En-gedi.”
1 Samuel 24:2 So Saul took three thousand chosen
men from all Israel and went to look for David and his men in the
region of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
1 Samuel 24:3 Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds
along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve
himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the
cave.
1 Samuel 24:4 So David’s men said to him, “This
is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will
deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you
wish.’” Then David crept up secretly and cut off a corner of
Saul’s robe.
1 Samuel 24:5 Afterward, David’s conscience was
stricken because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
1 Samuel 24:6 So he said to his men, “The LORD
forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s
anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the
LORD’s anointed.”
1 Samuel 24:7 With these words David restrained
his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul
left the cave and went on his way.
1 Samuel 24:8 After that, David got up, went out
of the cave, and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul
looked behind him, David bowed facedown in reverence
1 Samuel 24:9 and said to Saul, “Why do you
listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm
you’?
1 Samuel 24:10 Behold, this day you have seen
with your own eyes that the LORD delivered you into my hand in the
cave. I was told to kill you, but I spared you and said, ‘I will
not lift my hand against my lord, since he is the LORD’s
anointed.’
1 Samuel 24:11 See, my father, look at the
corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not
kill you. See and know that there is no evil or rebellion in my
hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting
me down to take my life.
1 Samuel 24:12 May the LORD judge between you
and me, and may the LORD take vengeance on you, but my hand will
never be against you.
1 Samuel 24:13 As the old proverb says,
‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be
against you.
1 Samuel 24:14 Against whom has the king of
Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
1 Samuel 24:15 May the LORD be our judge and
decide between you and me. May He take notice and plead my case
and deliver me from your hand.”
1 Samuel 24:16 When David had finished saying
these things, Saul called back, “Is that your voice, David my
son?” Then Saul wept aloud
1 Samuel 24:17 and said to David, “You are more
righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, though I
have rewarded you with evil.
1 Samuel 24:18 And you have shown this day how
well you have dealt with me; for when the LORD delivered me into
your hand, you did not kill me.
1 Samuel 24:19 When a man finds his enemy, does
he let him go away unharmed? May the LORD reward you with good for
what you have done for me this day.
1 Samuel 24:20 Now I know for sure that you will
be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in
your hands.
1 Samuel 24:21 So now, swear to me by the LORD
that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from
my father’s house.”
1 Samuel 24:22 So David gave his oath to Saul.
Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the
stronghold.
1 Samuel 25:1 When Samuel died, all Israel
gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in
Ramah. Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of
Paran.
1 Samuel 25:2 Now there was a man in Maon whose
business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand
goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:3 His name was Nabal, and his wife’s
name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but
her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
1 Samuel 25:4 While David was in the wilderness,
he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.
1 Samuel 25:5 So David sent ten young men and
instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name
1 Samuel 25:6 and say to him, ‘Long life to you,
and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you.
1 Samuel 25:7 Now I hear that it is time for
shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass
them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were
in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:8 Ask your young men, and they will
tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have
come on the day of a feast. Please give whatever you can afford to
your servants and to your son David.’”
1 Samuel 25:9 When David’s young men arrived,
they relayed all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then
they waited.
1 Samuel 25:10 But Nabal asked them, “Who is
David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are
breaking away from their masters.
1 Samuel 25:11 Why should I take my bread and
water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give
them to these men whose origin I do not know?”
1 Samuel 25:12 So David’s men turned around and
went back, and they relayed to him all these words.
1 Samuel 25:13 And David said to his men, “Strap
on your swords!” So David and all his men put on their swords, and
about four hundred men followed David, while two hundred stayed
with the supplies.
1 Samuel 25:14 Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young
men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers
from the wilderness to greet our master, but he scolded them.
1 Samuel 25:15 Yet these men were very good to
us. When we were in the field, we were not harassed, and nothing
of ours went missing the whole time we lived among them.
1 Samuel 25:16 They were a wall around us, both
day and night, the whole time we were herding our sheep near them.
1 Samuel 25:17 Now consider carefully what you
must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his
household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to
him!”
1 Samuel 25:18 Then Abigail hurried and took two
hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep,
five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and
two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys
1 Samuel 25:19 and said to her young men, “Go
ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her
husband Nabal.
1 Samuel 25:20 As Abigail came riding her donkey
into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming down
toward her, and she met them.
1 Samuel 25:21 Now David had just finished
saying, “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in
the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet
he has paid me back evil for good.
1 Samuel 25:22 May God punish David, and ever so
severely, if I let one of Nabal’s men survive until morning.”
1 Samuel 25:23 When Abigail saw David, she
quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him.
1 Samuel 25:24 She fell at his feet and said,
“My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your
servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant.
1 Samuel 25:25 My lord should pay no attention
to this scoundrel Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name
means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not
see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
1 Samuel 25:26 Now, my lord, as surely as the
LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from
coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May
your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.
1 Samuel 25:27 Now let this gift your servant
has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you.
1 Samuel 25:28 Please forgive your servant’s
offense, for the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for my
lord, because he fights the LORD’s battles. May no evil be found
in you as long as you live.
1 Samuel 25:29 And should someone pursue you and
seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by
the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling
away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.
1 Samuel 25:30 When the LORD has done for my
lord all the good He promised, and when He has appointed you ruler
over Israel,
1 Samuel 25:31 then my lord will have no remorse
or guilt of conscience over needless bloodshed and revenge. And
when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, may you remember your
maidservant.”
1 Samuel 25:32 Then David said to Abigail,
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me
this day!
1 Samuel 25:33 Blessed is your discernment, and
blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from
avenging myself by my own hand.
1 Samuel 25:34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD,
the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from harming you,
if you had not come quickly to meet me, then surely no male
belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by morning light.”
1 Samuel 25:35 Then David accepted from her hand
what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go home in peace.
See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request.”
1 Samuel 25:36 When Abigail returned to Nabal,
there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high
spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning
light.
1 Samuel 25:37 In the morning when Nabal was
sober, his wife told him about these events, and his heart failed
within him and he became like a stone.
1 Samuel 25:38 About ten days later, the LORD
struck Nabal dead.
1 Samuel 25:39 On hearing that Nabal was dead,
David said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against
the reproach of Nabal and has restrained His servant from evil.
For the LORD has brought the wickedness of Nabal down upon his own
head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking for her in
marriage.
1 Samuel 25:40 When his servants came to Abigail
at Carmel, they said, “David has sent us to take you as his wife.”
1 Samuel 25:41 She arose, then bowed facedown
and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve and to wash
the feet of my lord’s servants.”
1 Samuel 25:42 So Abigail hurried and got on a
donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s
messengers and became his wife.
1 Samuel 25:43 David had also married Ahinoam of
Jezreel. So she and Abigail were both his wives.
1 Samuel 25:44 But Saul had given his daughter
Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
1 Samuel 26:1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at
Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah,
opposite Jeshimon?”
1 Samuel 26:2 So Saul, accompanied by three
thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph
to search for David there.
1 Samuel 26:3 Saul camped beside the road at the
hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon, but David was living in the
wilderness. When he realized that Saul had followed him there,
1 Samuel 26:4 David sent out spies to verify
that Saul had arrived.
1 Samuel 26:5 Then David set out and went to the
place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner
son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying
inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around
him.
1 Samuel 26:6 And David asked Ahimelech the
Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go
down with me to Saul in the camp?” “I will go with you,” answered
Abishai.
1 Samuel 26:7 That night David and Abishai came
to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle
of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And
Abner and the troops were lying around him.
1 Samuel 26:8 Abishai said to David, “Today God
has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please
let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one
stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!”
1 Samuel 26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not
destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed
and be guiltless?”
1 Samuel 26:10 David added, “As surely as the
LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day
will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.
1 Samuel 26:11 But the LORD forbid that I should
stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the
spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”
1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and water
jug by Saul’s head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew
about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep,
because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.
1 Samuel 26:13 Then David crossed to the other
side and stood atop the mountain at a distance; there was a wide
gulf between them.
1 Samuel 26:14 And David shouted to the troops
and to Abner son of Ner, “Will you not answer me, Abner?” “Who
calls to the king?” Abner replied.
1 Samuel 26:15 So David said to Abner, “You are
a man, aren’t you? And who in Israel is your equal? Why then did
you not protect your lord the king when one of the people came to
destroy him?
1 Samuel 26:16 This thing you have done is not
good. As surely as the LORD lives, all of you deserve to die,
since you did not protect your lord, the LORD’s anointed. Now look
around. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were by his
head?”
1 Samuel 26:17 Then Saul recognized David’s
voice and asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” “It is my
voice, my lord and king,” David said.
1 Samuel 26:18 And he continued, “Why is my lord
pursuing his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand?
1 Samuel 26:19 Now please, may my lord the king
hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up
against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done
it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they
have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD,
saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
1 Samuel 26:20 So do not let my blood fall to
the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of
Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts a
partridge in the mountains.”
1 Samuel 26:21 Then Saul replied, “I have
sinned. Come back, David my son. I will never harm you again,
because today you considered my life precious. I have played the
fool and have committed a grave error!”
1 Samuel 26:22 “Here is the king’s spear,” David
answered. “Let one of the young men come over and get it.
1 Samuel 26:23 May the LORD repay every man for
his righteousness and faithfulness. For the LORD delivered you
into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against
the LORD’s anointed.
1 Samuel 26:24 As surely as I valued your life
today, so may the LORD value my life and rescue me from all
trouble.”
1 Samuel 26:25 Saul said to him, “May you be
blessed, David my son. You will accomplish great things and will
surely prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.
1 Samuel 27:1 David, however, said to himself,
“One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul.
There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the
Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel,
and I will slip out of his hand.”
1 Samuel 27:2 So David set out with his six
hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
1 Samuel 27:3 David and his men settled in Gath
with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his
two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of
Nabal.
1 Samuel 27:4 And when Saul learned that David
had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
1 Samuel 27:5 Then David said to Achish, “If I
have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one
of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your
servant live in the royal city with you?”
1 Samuel 27:6 That day Achish gave him Ziklag,
and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.
1 Samuel 27:7 And the time that David lived in
Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.
1 Samuel 27:8 Now David and his men went up and
raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From
ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to
Shur and Egypt.)
1 Samuel 27:9 Whenever David attacked a
territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the
flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he would
return to Achish,
1 Samuel 27:10 who would ask him, “What have you
raided today?” And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or
“The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”
1 Samuel 27:11 David did not leave a man or
woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they
will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’” And this was
David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
1 Samuel 27:12 So Achish trusted David,
thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people
Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
1 Samuel 28:1 Now in those days the Philistines
gathered their forces for warfare against Israel. So Achish said
to David, “You must understand that you and your men are to go out
to battle with me.”
1 Samuel 28:2 David replied, “Then you will come
to know what your servant can do.” “Very well,” said Achish. “I
will make you my bodyguard for life.”
1 Samuel 28:3 Now by this time Samuel had died,
and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his
own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the
land.
1 Samuel 28:4 The Philistines came together and
camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at
Gilboa.
1 Samuel 28:5 When Saul saw the Philistine army,
he was afraid and trembled violently.
1 Samuel 28:6 He inquired of the LORD, but the
LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
1 Samuel 28:7 Then Saul said to his servants,
“Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”
“There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied.
1 Samuel 28:8 So Saul disguised himself by
putting on different clothes, and he set out with two of his men.
They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit
for me. Bring up for me the one I name.”
1 Samuel 28:9 But the woman replied, “Surely you
know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums and
spiritists in the land. Why have you set a trap to get me killed?”
1 Samuel 28:10 Then Saul swore to her by the
LORD: “As surely as the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon
you for this.”
1 Samuel 28:11 “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
the woman asked. “Bring up Samuel,” he replied.
1 Samuel 28:12 But when the woman saw Samuel,
she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have you
deceived me? You are Saul!”
1 Samuel 28:13 “Do not be afraid,” the king
replied. “What do you see?” “I see a god coming up out of the
earth,” the woman answered.
1 Samuel 28:14 “What does he look like?” asked
Saul. “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a
robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in
reverence.
1 Samuel 28:15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why
have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply
distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against
me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me,
either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell
me what to do.”
1 Samuel 28:16 “Why do you consult me,” asked
Samuel, “since the LORD has turned away from you and become your
enemy?
1 Samuel 28:17 He has done exactly what He spoke
through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hand and
given it to your neighbor David.
1 Samuel 28:18 Because you did not obey the LORD
or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done
this to you today.
1 Samuel 28:19 Moreover, the LORD will deliver
Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you
and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army
of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 28:20 Immediately Saul fell flat on the
ground, terrified by the words of Samuel. And his strength was
gone, because he had not eaten anything all that day and night.
1 Samuel 28:21 When the woman came to Saul and
saw how distraught he was, she said to him, “Look, your
maidservant has obeyed your voice. I took my life in my hands and
did as you told me.
1 Samuel 28:22 Now please listen to your servant
and let me set a morsel of bread before you so you may eat and
have the strength to go on your way.”
1 Samuel 28:23 Saul refused, saying, “I will not
eat.” But his servants joined the woman in urging him, and he
heeded their voice. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
1 Samuel 28:24 The woman had a fattened calf at
her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour,
kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread.
1 Samuel 28:25 She served it to Saul and his
servants, and they ate. And that night they got up and left.
1 Samuel 29:1 Now the Philistines brought all
their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring
in Jezreel.
1 Samuel 29:2 As the Philistine leaders marched
out their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men
marched behind them with Achish.
1 Samuel 29:3 Then the commanders of the
Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is
this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been
with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected
until today I have found no fault in him.”
1 Samuel 29:4 But the commanders of the
Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man
back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not
go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during
the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master
than with the heads of our men?
1 Samuel 29:5 Is this not the David about whom
they sing in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and
David his tens of thousands’?”
1 Samuel 29:6 So Achish summoned David and told
him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright in my
sight, and it seems right that you should march in and out with me
in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you
came to me until this day. But you have no favor in the sight of
the leaders.
1 Samuel 29:7 Therefore turn back now and go in
peace, so that you will not do anything to displease the leaders
of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 29:8 “But what have I done?” David
replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I
came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight
against the enemies of my lord the king?”
1 Samuel 29:9 Achish replied, “I know that you
are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders
of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with
us.’
1 Samuel 29:10 Now then, get up early in the
morning, along with your master’s servants who came with you, and
go as soon as it is light.”
1 Samuel 29:11 So David and his men got up early
in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the
Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1 Samuel 30:1 On the third day David and his men
arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev,
attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.
1 Samuel 30:2 They had taken captive the women
and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed
anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.
1 Samuel 30:3 When David and his men came to the
city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and
daughters taken captive.
1 Samuel 30:4 So David and the troops with him
lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to
weep.
1 Samuel 30:5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of
Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken
captive.
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed
because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every
man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength
in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:7 Then David said to Abiathar the
priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar
brought it to him,
1 Samuel 30:8 and David inquired of the LORD:
“Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue
them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and
rescue the captives.”
1 Samuel 30:9 So David and his six hundred men
went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
1 Samuel 30:10 because two hundred men were too
exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men
continued in pursuit.
1 Samuel 30:11 Now his men found an Egyptian in
the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to
drink and food to eat—
1 Samuel 30:12 a piece of a fig cake and two
clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had
any food or water for three days and three nights.
1 Samuel 30:13 Then David asked him, “To whom do
you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he
replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three
days ago when I fell ill.
1 Samuel 30:14 We raided the Negev of the
Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and
we burned down Ziklag.”
1 Samuel 30:15 “Will you lead me to these
raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God
that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my
master, and I will lead you to them.”
1 Samuel 30:16 So he led David down, and there
were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating,
drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had
taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
1 Samuel 30:17 And David struck them down from
twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped,
except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.
1 Samuel 30:18 So David recovered everything the
Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
1 Samuel 30:19 Nothing was missing, young or
old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had
taken. David brought everything back.
1 Samuel 30:20 And he recovered all the flocks
and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock,
calling out, “This is David’s plunder!”
1 Samuel 30:21 When David came to the two
hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the
Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him.
As David approached the men, he greeted them,
1 Samuel 30:22 but all the wicked and worthless
men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did
not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we
recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take
them and go.”
1 Samuel 30:23 But David said, “My brothers, you
must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected
us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us.
1 Samuel 30:24 Who will listen to your proposal?
The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of
the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”
1 Samuel 30:25 And so it has been from that day
forward. David established this statute as an ordinance for Israel
to this very day.
1 Samuel 30:26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he
sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah,
saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s
enemies.”
1 Samuel 30:27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel,
Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;
1 Samuel 30:28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and
Eshtemoa;
1 Samuel 30:29 to those in Racal and in the
cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;
1 Samuel 30:30 to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan,
and Athach;
1 Samuel 30:31 and to those in Hebron and in all
the places where David and his men had roamed.
1 Samuel 31:1 Now the Philistines fought against
Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell
slain on Mount Gilboa.
1 Samuel 31:2 The Philistines followed hard
after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan,
Abinadab, and Malchishua.
1 Samuel 31:3 When the battle intensified
against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
1 Samuel 31:4 Then Saul said to his
armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these
uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul
took his own sword and fell on it.
1 Samuel 31:5 When his armor-bearer saw that
Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
1 Samuel 31:6 So Saul, his three sons, his
armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
1 Samuel 31:7 When the Israelites along the
valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army
of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they
abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and
occupied their cities.
1 Samuel 31:8 The next day, when the Philistines
came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen
on Mount Gilboa.
1 Samuel 31:9 They cut off Saul’s head, stripped
off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the
Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and
among their people.
1 Samuel 31:10 They put his armor in the temple
of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
1 Samuel 31:11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead
heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
1 Samuel 31:12 all their men of valor set out,
journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons
from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they
burned the bodies there.
1 Samuel 31:13 Then they took their bones and
buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted
seven days.
2 SAMUEL
2 Samuel 1:1 After the death of Saul, David
returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag
two days.
2 Samuel 1:2 On the third day a man with torn
clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he
came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.
2 Samuel 1:3 “Where have you come from?” David
asked. “I have escaped from the Israelite camp,” he replied.
2 Samuel 1:4 “What was the outcome?” David
asked. “Please tell me.” “The troops fled from the battle,” he
replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son
Jonathan are also dead.”
2 Samuel 1:5 Then David asked the young man who
had brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son
Jonathan are dead?”
2 Samuel 1:6 “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,”
he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the
chariots and the cavalry closing in on him.
2 Samuel 1:7 When he turned around and saw me,
he called out and I answered, ‘Here I am!’
2 Samuel 1:8 ‘Who are you?’ he asked. So I told
him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
2 Samuel 1:9 Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me
and kill me, for agony has seized me, but my life still lingers.’
2 Samuel 1:10 So I stood over him and killed
him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive.
And I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on
his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
2 Samuel 1:11 Then David took hold of his own
clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the
same.
2 Samuel 1:12 They mourned and wept and fasted
until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of
the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the
sword.
2 Samuel 1:13 And David inquired of the young
man who had brought him the report, “Where are you from?” “I am
the son of a foreigner,” he answered. “I am an Amalekite.”
2 Samuel 1:14 So David asked him, “Why were you
not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
2 Samuel 1:15 Then David summoned one of the
young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him
down, and he died.
2 Samuel 1:16 For David had said to the
Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth
has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s
anointed.’”
2 Samuel 1:17 Then David took up this lament for
Saul and his son Jonathan,
2 Samuel 1:18 and he ordered that the sons of
Judah be taught the Song of the Bow. It is written in the Book of
Jashar:
2 Samuel 1:19 “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain
on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!
2 Samuel 1:20 Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it
not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the
Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
2 Samuel 1:21 O mountains of Gilboa, may you
have no dew or rain, no fields yielding offerings of grain. For
there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, no
longer anointed with oil.
2 Samuel 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from
the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not retreat, and
the sword of Saul did not return empty.
2 Samuel 1:23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and
delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter
than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
2 Samuel 1:24 O daughters of Israel, weep for
Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and luxury, who decked your
garments with ornaments of gold.
2 Samuel 1:25 How the mighty have fallen in the
thick of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
2 Samuel 1:26 I grieve for you, Jonathan, my
brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was
extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
2 Samuel 1:27 How the mighty have fallen and the
weapons of war have perished!”
2 Samuel 2:1 Some time later, David inquired of
the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” “Go up,”
the LORD answered. Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To
Hebron,” replied the LORD.
2 Samuel 2:2 So David went there with his two
wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of
Carmel.
2 Samuel 2:3 David also took the men who were
with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns
near Hebron.
2 Samuel 2:4 Then the men of Judah came to
Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of
Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who
buried Saul.”
2 Samuel 2:5 So David sent messengers to the men
of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you
showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.
2 Samuel 2:6 Now may the LORD show you loving
devotion and faithfulness, and I will also show you the same favor
because you have done this.
2 Samuel 2:7 Now then, be strong and courageous,
for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed
me as their king.”
2 Samuel 2:8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the
commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, moved him
to Mahanaim,
2 Samuel 2:9 and made him king over Gilead,
Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel.
2 Samuel 2:10 Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty
years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for
two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.
2 Samuel 2:11 And the length of time that David
was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six
months.
2 Samuel 2:12 One day Abner son of Ner and the
servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul marched out from Mahanaim to
Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:13 So Joab son of Zeruiah, along with
the servants of David, marched out and met them by the pool of
Gibeon. And the two camps took up positions on opposite sides of
the pool.
2 Samuel 2:14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let us
have the young men get up and compete before us.” “Let them get
up,” Joab replied.
2 Samuel 2:15 So they got up and were counted
off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve
for David.
2 Samuel 2:16 Then each man grabbed his opponent
by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and
they all fell together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is
called Helkath-hazzurim.
2 Samuel 2:17 The battle that day was intense,
and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of
David.
2 Samuel 2:18 The three sons of Zeruiah were
there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was fleet of foot
like a wild gazelle,
2 Samuel 2:19 and he chased Abner, not turning
to the right or to the left in his pursuit.
2 Samuel 2:20 And Abner glanced back and said,
“Is that you, Asahel?” “It is,” Asahel replied.
2 Samuel 2:21 So Abner told him, “Turn to your
right or to your left, seize one of the young men, and take his
equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
2 Samuel 2:22 Once again, Abner warned Asahel,
“Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could
I show my face to your brother Joab?”
2 Samuel 2:23 But Asahel refused to turn away;
so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into his stomach, and it
came out his back, and he fell dead on the spot. And every man
paused when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
2 Samuel 2:24 But Joab and Abishai pursued
Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah
opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
2 Samuel 2:25 The Benjamites rallied to Abner,
formed a single unit, and took their stand atop a hill.
2 Samuel 2:26 Then Abner called out to Joab:
“Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will
only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to
stop pursuing their brothers?”
2 Samuel 2:27 “As surely as God lives,” Joab
replied, “if you had not spoken up, the troops would have
continued pursuing their brothers until morning.”
2 Samuel 2:28 So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and
all the troops stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued
to fight.
2 Samuel 2:29 And all that night Abner and his
men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, marched
all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.
2 Samuel 2:30 When Joab returned from pursuing
Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen
of David’s servants were missing,
2 Samuel 2:31 but they had struck down 360
Benjamites who were with Abner.
2 Samuel 2:32 Later, they took Asahel and buried
him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men
marched all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.
2 Samuel 3:1 Now the war between the house of
Saul and the house of David was protracted. And David grew
stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and
weaker.
2 Samuel 3:2 And sons were born to David in
Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;
2 Samuel 3:3 his second was Chileab, by Abigail
the widow of Nabal of Carmel; his third was Absalom, the son of
Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;
2 Samuel 3:4 his fourth was Adonijah, the son of
Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;
2 Samuel 3:5 and his sixth was Ithream, by
David’s wife Eglah. These sons were born to David in Hebron.
2 Samuel 3:6 During the war between the house of
Saul and the house of David, Abner had continued to strengthen his
position in the house of Saul.
2 Samuel 3:7 Meanwhile, Saul had a concubine
named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth questioned
Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”
2 Samuel 3:8 Abner was furious over
Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I the head of a dog that belongs to
Judah?” he asked. “All this time I have been loyal to the house of
your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends. I have not
delivered you into the hand of David, but now you accuse me of
wrongdoing with this woman!
2 Samuel 3:9 May God punish Abner, and ever so
severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him:
2 Samuel 3:10 to transfer the kingdom from the
house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and
Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
2 Samuel 3:11 And for fear of Abner, Ish-bosheth
did not dare to say another word to him.
2 Samuel 3:12 Then Abner sent messengers in his
place to say to David, “To whom does the land belong? Make your
covenant with me, and surely my hand will be with you to bring all
Israel over to you.”
2 Samuel 3:13 “Good,” replied David, “I will
make a covenant with you. But there is one thing I require of you:
Do not appear before me unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal
when you come to see me.”
2 Samuel 3:14 Then David sent messengers to say
to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, “Give me back my wife, Michal, whom I
betrothed to myself for a hundred Philistine foreskins.”
2 Samuel 3:15 So Ish-bosheth sent and took
Michal from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.
2 Samuel 3:16 Her husband followed her, weeping
all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he
returned home.
2 Samuel 3:17 Now Abner conferred with the
elders of Israel and said, “In the past you sought David as your
king.
2 Samuel 3:18 Now take action, because the LORD
has said to David, ‘Through My servant David I will save My people
Israel from the hands of the Philistines and of all their
enemies.’”
2 Samuel 3:19 Abner also spoke to the Benjamites
and went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good to Israel
and to the whole house of Benjamin.
2 Samuel 3:20 When Abner and twenty of his men
came to David at Hebron, David held a feast for them.
2 Samuel 3:21 Then Abner said to David, “Let me
go at once, and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that
they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all
that your heart desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in
peace.
2 Samuel 3:22 Just then David’s soldiers and
Joab returned from a raid, bringing with them a great plunder. But
Abner was not with David in Hebron because David had sent him on
his way in peace.
2 Samuel 3:23 When Joab and all his troops
arrived, he was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king,
who sent him on his way in peace.”
2 Samuel 3:24 So Joab went to the king and said,
“What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss
him? Now he is getting away!
2 Samuel 3:25 Surely you realize that Abner son
of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all
that you are doing.”
2 Samuel 3:26 As soon as Joab had left David, he
sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of
Sirah; but David was unaware of it.
2 Samuel 3:27 When Abner returned to Hebron,
Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him
privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner
died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
2 Samuel 3:28 Afterward, David heard about this
and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD
concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.
2 Samuel 3:29 May it whirl over the heads of
Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab
never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one
who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”
2 Samuel 3:30 (Joab and his brother Abishai
murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the
battle at Gibeon.)
2 Samuel 3:31 Then David ordered Joab and all
the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and
mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the
funeral bier.
2 Samuel 3:32 When they buried Abner in Hebron,
the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb, and all the people wept.
2 Samuel 3:33 And the king sang this lament for
Abner: “Should Abner die the death of a fool?
2 Samuel 3:34 Your hands were not bound, your
feet were not fettered. As a man falls before the wicked, so also
you fell.” And all the people wept over him even more.
2 Samuel 3:35 Then all the people came and urged
David to eat something while it was still day, but David took an
oath, saying, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if I taste
bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
2 Samuel 3:36 All the people took note and were
pleased. In fact, everything the king did pleased them.
2 Samuel 3:37 So on that day all the troops and
all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the murder
of Abner son of Ner.
2 Samuel 3:38 Then the king said to his
servants, “Do you not realize that a great prince has fallen today
in Israel?
2 Samuel 3:39 And I am weak this day, though
anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too
fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his
evil!”
2 Samuel 4:1 Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul
heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all
Israel was dismayed.
2 Samuel 4:2 Saul’s son had two men who were
leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other
Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of
Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,
2 Samuel 4:3 because the Beerothites fled to
Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day.
2 Samuel 4:4 And Jonathan son of Saul had a son
who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report
about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up
and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became
lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 4:5 Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of
Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of
Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his
midday nap.
2 Samuel 4:6 They entered the interior of the
house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the
stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
2 Samuel 4:7 They had entered the house while
Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed, and having stabbed and killed
him, they beheaded him, took his head, and traveled all night by
way of the Arabah.
2 Samuel 4:8 They brought the head of
Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the
head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life.
Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against
Saul and his offspring.”
2 Samuel 4:9 But David answered Rechab and his
brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as
the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
2 Samuel 4:10 when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul
is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him
and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!
2 Samuel 4:11 How much more, when wicked men
kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I
not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the
earth!”
2 Samuel 4:12 So David commanded his young men,
and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and
feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took
the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
2 Samuel 5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came
to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and
blood.
2 Samuel 5:2 Even in times past, while Saul was
king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them
back. And to you the LORD said, ‘You will shepherd My people
Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
2 Samuel 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to
the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant
before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
2 Samuel 5:4 David was thirty years old when he
became king, and he reigned forty years.
2 Samuel 5:5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah
seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned
thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
2 Samuel 5:6 Now the king and his men marched to
Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. The
Jebusites said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the
blind and lame can repel you.” For they thought, “David cannot get
in here.”
2 Samuel 5:7 Nevertheless, David captured the
fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
2 Samuel 5:8 On that day he said, “Whoever
attacks the Jebusites must use the water shaft to reach the lame
and blind who are despised by David.” That is why it is said, “The
blind and the lame will never enter the palace.”
2 Samuel 5:9 So David took up residence in the
fortress and called it the City of David. He built it up all the
way around, from the supporting terraces inward.
2 Samuel 5:10 And David became greater and
greater, for the LORD God of Hosts was with him.
2 Samuel 5:11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys
to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and
they built a palace for David.
2 Samuel 5:12 And David realized that the LORD
had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his
kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
2 Samuel 5:13 After he had arrived from Hebron,
David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons
and daughters were born to him.
2 Samuel 5:14 These are the names of the
children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,
Solomon,
2 Samuel 5:15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
2 Samuel 5:16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that
David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went in search
of him; but David learned of this and went down to the stronghold.
2 Samuel 5:18 Now the Philistines had come and
spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
2 Samuel 5:19 So David inquired of the LORD,
“Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them
into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will surely deliver
the Philistines into your hand.”
2 Samuel 5:20 So David went to Baal-perazim,
where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting
flood, the LORD has burst out against my enemies before me.” So he
called that place Baal-perazim.
2 Samuel 5:21 There the Philistines abandoned
their idols, and David and his men carried them away.
2 Samuel 5:22 Once again the Philistines came up
and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
2 Samuel 5:23 So David inquired of the LORD, who
answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them
and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
2 Samuel 5:24 As soon as you hear the sound of
marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because
this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike
the camp of the Philistines.”
2 Samuel 5:25 So David did as the LORD had
commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from
Gibeon to Gezer.
2 Samuel 6:1 David again assembled the chosen
men of Israel, thirty thousand in all.
2 Samuel 6:2 And he and all his troops set out
for Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is
called by the Name—the name of the LORD of Hosts, who is enthroned
between the cherubim that are on it.
2 Samuel 6:3 They set the ark of God on a new
cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the
hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new
cart,
2 Samuel 6:4 bringing with it the ark of God.
And Ahio was walking in front of the ark.
2 Samuel 6:5 David and all the house of Israel
were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood
instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums,
and cymbals.
2 Samuel 6:6 When they came to the threshing
floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God,
because the oxen had stumbled.
2 Samuel 6:7 And the anger of the LORD burned
against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his
irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God.
2 Samuel 6:8 Then David became angry because the
LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place
Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
2 Samuel 6:9 That day David feared the LORD and
asked, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?”
2 Samuel 6:10 So he was unwilling to move the
ark of the LORD to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to
the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
2 Samuel 6:11 Thus the ark of the LORD remained
in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the
LORD blessed him and all his household.
2 Samuel 6:12 Now it was reported to King David,
“The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs
to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark
of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of
David with rejoicing.
2 Samuel 6:13 When those carrying the ark of the
LORD had advanced six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened
calf.
2 Samuel 6:14 And David, wearing a linen ephod,
danced with all his might before the LORD,
2 Samuel 6:15 while he and all the house of
Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the
sounding of the ram’s horn.
2 Samuel 6:16 As the ark of the LORD was
entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down
from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the
LORD, and she despised him in her heart.
2 Samuel 6:17 So they brought the ark of the
LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had
pitched for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings before the LORD.
2 Samuel 6:18 When David had finished
sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed
the people in the name of the LORD of Hosts.
2 Samuel 6:19 Then he distributed to every man
and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date
cake, and a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each for his
own home.
2 Samuel 6:20 As soon as David returned home to
bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet
him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she
said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the
maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.”
2 Samuel 6:21 But David said to Michal, “I was
dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his
house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I
will celebrate before the LORD,
2 Samuel 6:22 and I will humiliate and humble
myself even more than this. Yet I will be honored by the
maidservants of whom you have spoken.”
2 Samuel 6:23 And Michal the daughter of Saul
had no children to the day of her death.
2 Samuel 7:1 After the king had settled into his
palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around
him,
2 Samuel 7:2 he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God
remains in a tent.”
2 Samuel 7:3 And Nathan replied to the king, “Go
and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
2 Samuel 7:4 But that night the word of the LORD
came to Nathan, saying,
2 Samuel 7:5 “Go and tell My servant David that
this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build for Me a
house to dwell in?
2 Samuel 7:6 For I have not dwelt in a house
from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt until this
day, but I have moved about with a tent as My dwelling.
2 Samuel 7:7 In all My journeys with all the
Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to
shepherd My people Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of
cedar?’
2 Samuel 7:8 Now then, you are to tell My
servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you
from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over
My people Israel.
2 Samuel 7:9 I have been with you wherever you
have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.
Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
2 Samuel 7:10 And I will provide a place for My
people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a
place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the
sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning
2 Samuel 7:11 and have done since the day I
appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from
all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will
establish a house for you.
2 Samuel 7:12 And when your days are fulfilled
and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant
after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish
his kingdom.
2 Samuel 7:13 He will build a house for My Name,
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his Father, and he will
be My son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with the rod
of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
2 Samuel 7:15 But My loving devotion will never
be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I moved out of
your way.
2 Samuel 7:16 Your house and kingdom will endure
forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”
2 Samuel 7:17 So Nathan relayed to David all the
words of this entire vision.
2 Samuel 7:18 Then King David went in, sat
before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my
house, that You have brought me this far?
2 Samuel 7:19 And as if this was a small thing
in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of
the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord
GOD?
2 Samuel 7:20 What more can David say to You?
For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD.
2 Samuel 7:21 For the sake of Your word and
according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great
thing and revealed it to Your servant.
2 Samuel 7:22 How great You are, O Lord GOD! For
there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to
everything we have heard with our own ears.
2 Samuel 7:23 And who is like Your people
Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a
people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed
great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods
from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from
Egypt.
2 Samuel 7:24 For You have established Your
people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have
become their God.
2 Samuel 7:25 And now, O LORD God, confirm
forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his
house. Do as You have promised,
2 Samuel 7:26 so that Your name will be
magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over
Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established
before You.
2 Samuel 7:27 For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God
of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I
will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the
courage to offer this prayer to You.
2 Samuel 7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, You are God!
Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your
servant.
2 Samuel 7:29 Now therefore, may it please You
to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever
before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your
blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
2 Samuel 8:1 Some time later, David defeated the
Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from the hand of
the Philistines.
2 Samuel 8:2 David also defeated the Moabites,
made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a
cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death,
and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became
subject to David and brought him tribute.
2 Samuel 8:3 David also defeated Hadadezer son
of Rehob, king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore his
dominion along the Euphrates River.
2 Samuel 8:4 David captured from him a thousand
chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot
soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept
for the chariots.
2 Samuel 8:5 When the Arameans of Damascus came
to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two
thousand men.
2 Samuel 8:6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of
Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought him
tribute. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
2 Samuel 8:7 And David took the gold shields
that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to
Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 8:8 And from Betah and Berothai, cities
of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.
2 Samuel 8:9 When King Toi of Hamath heard that
David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,
2 Samuel 8:10 he sent his son Joram to greet
King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who
had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of
silver and gold and bronze,
2 Samuel 8:11 and King David dedicated these to
the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all
the nations he had subdued—
2 Samuel 8:12 from Edom and Moab, from the
Ammonites and Philistines and Amalekites, and from the spoil of
Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
2 Samuel 8:13 And David made a name for himself
when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in
the Valley of Salt.
2 Samuel 8:14 He placed garrisons throughout
Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made
David victorious wherever he went.
2 Samuel 8:15 Thus David reigned over all Israel
and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:
2 Samuel 8:16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the
army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
2 Samuel 8:17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech
son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was the scribe;
2 Samuel 8:18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over
the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priestly
leaders.
2 Samuel 9:1 Then David asked, “Is there anyone
left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for the
sake of Jonathan?”
2 Samuel 9:2 And there was a servant of Saul’s
family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king
inquired, “Are you Ziba?” “I am your servant,” he replied.
2 Samuel 9:3 So the king asked, “Is there anyone
left of Saul’s family to whom I can show the kindness of God?”
Ziba answered, “There is still Jonathan’s son, who is lame in both
feet.”
2 Samuel 9:4 “Where is he?” replied the king.
And Ziba said, “Indeed, he is in Lo-debar at the house of Machir
son of Ammiel.”
2 Samuel 9:5 So King David had him brought from
the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.
2 Samuel 9:6 And when Mephibosheth son of
Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in
reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,”
he replied.
2 Samuel 9:7 “Do not be afraid,” said David,
“for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father
Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather
Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
2 Samuel 9:8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said,
“What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog
like me?”
2 Samuel 9:9 Then the king summoned Saul’s
servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s
grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
2 Samuel 9:10 You and your sons and servants are
to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your
master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your
master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had
fifteen sons and twenty servants.
2 Samuel 9:11 And Ziba said to the king, “Your
servant will do all that my lord the king has commanded.” So
Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s own sons.
2 Samuel 9:12 And Mephibosheth had a young son
named Mica, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants
of Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:13 So Mephibosheth lived in
Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was
lame in both feet.
2 Samuel 10:1 Some time later, the king of the
Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son Hanun.
2 Samuel 10:2 And David said, “I will show
kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed
kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console
Hanun concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of
the Ammonites,
2 Samuel 10:3 the princes of the Ammonites said
to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters,
do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has
not David instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it
out, and overthrow it?”
2 Samuel 10:4 So Hanun took David’s servants,
shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the
hips, and sent them away.
2 Samuel 10:5 When this was reported to David,
he sent messengers to meet the men, since they had been thoroughly
humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards
have grown back, and then return.”
2 Samuel 10:6 When the Ammonites realized that
they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand
Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a
thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from
Tob.
2 Samuel 10:7 On hearing this, David sent Joab
and the entire army of mighty men.
2 Samuel 10:8 The Ammonites marched out and
arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance of the city gate,
while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and
Maacah were by themselves in the open country.
2 Samuel 10:9 When Joab saw the battle lines
before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of
Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans.
2 Samuel 10:10 And he placed the rest of the
forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them
against the Ammonites.
2 Samuel 10:11 “If the Arameans are too strong
for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the
Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.
2 Samuel 10:12 Be strong and let us fight
bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD
do what is good in His sight.”
2 Samuel 10:13 So Joab and his troops advanced
to fight the Arameans, who fled before him.
2 Samuel 10:14 When the Ammonites saw that the
Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai, and they entered
the city. So Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and
came to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 10:15 When the Arameans saw that they
had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped.
2 Samuel 10:16 Hadadezer sent messengers to
bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, and they came to
Helam with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
2 Samuel 10:17 When this was reported to David,
he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam.
Then the Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought
against him.
2 Samuel 10:18 But the Arameans fled before
Israel, and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty
thousand foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander
of their army, who died there.
2 Samuel 10:19 When all the kings who were
subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel,
they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the
Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.
2 Samuel 11:1 In the spring, at the time when
kings march out to war, David sent out Joab and his servants with
the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and
besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 11:2 One evening David got up from his
bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the
roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
2 Samuel 11:3 So David sent and inquired about
the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of
Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
2 Samuel 11:4 Then David sent messengers to get
her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had
just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned
home.
2 Samuel 11:5 And the woman conceived and sent
word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
2 Samuel 11:6 At this, David sent orders to
Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David.
2 Samuel 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David
asked how Joab and the troops were doing with the war.
2 Samuel 11:8 Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to
your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a
gift from the king followed him.
2 Samuel 11:9 But Uriah slept at the door of the
palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his
house.
2 Samuel 11:10 And David was told, “Uriah did
not go home.” “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey?” David
asked Uriah. “Why didn’t you go home?”
2 Samuel 11:11 Uriah answered, “The ark and
Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his
soldiers are camped in the open field. How can I go to my house to
eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live, and
as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing!”
2 Samuel 11:12 “Stay here one more day,” David
said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah
stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
2 Samuel 11:13 Then David invited Uriah to eat
and drink with him, and he got Uriah drunk. And in the evening
Uriah went out to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants,
but he did not go home.
2 Samuel 11:14 The next morning David wrote a
letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
2 Samuel 11:15 In the letter he wrote: “Put
Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him,
so that he may be struck down and killed.”
2 Samuel 11:16 So as Joab besieged the city, he
assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy
soldiers.
2 Samuel 11:17 And when the men of the city came
out and fought against Joab, some of David’s servants fell, and
Uriah the Hittite also died.
2 Samuel 11:18 Joab sent to David a full account
of the battle
2 Samuel 11:19 and instructed the messenger,
“When you have finished giving the king all the details of the
battle,
2 Samuel 11:20 if the king’s anger flares, he
may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Did
you not realize they would shoot from atop the wall?
2 Samuel 11:21 Who was the one to strike
Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an
upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez?
Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If so, then you are to say,
‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’”
2 Samuel 11:22 So the messenger set out and
reported to David all that Joab had sent him to say.
2 Samuel 11:23 The messenger said to David, “The
men overpowered us and came out against us in the field, but we
drove them back to the entrance of the gate.
2 Samuel 11:24 Then the archers shot at your
servants from the wall, and some of the king’s servants were
killed. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.”
2 Samuel 11:25 Then David told the messenger,
“Say this to Joab: ‘Do not let this matter upset you, for the
sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack
against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him with these
words.”
2 Samuel 11:26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her
husband was dead, she mourned for him.
2 Samuel 11:27 And when the time of mourning was
over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife
and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in
the sight of the LORD.
2 Samuel 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to
David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a
certain city, one rich and the other poor.
2 Samuel 12:2 The rich man had a great number of
sheep and cattle,
2 Samuel 12:3 but the poor man had nothing
except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it
grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank
from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him.
2 Samuel 12:4 Now a traveler came to the rich
man, who refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to
prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the
poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.”
2 Samuel 12:5 David burned with anger against
the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man
who did this deserves to die!
2 Samuel 12:6 Because he has done this thing and
has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”
2 Samuel 12:7 Then Nathan said to David, “You
are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I
anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand
of Saul.
2 Samuel 12:8 I gave your master’s house to you
and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of
Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given
you even more.
2 Samuel 12:9 Why then have you despised the
command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the
Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own, for you have
slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.
2 Samuel 12:10 Now, therefore, the sword will
never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and
have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
2 Samuel 12:11 This is what the LORD says: ‘I
will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before
your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another,
and he will lie with them in broad daylight.
2 Samuel 12:12 You have acted in secret, but I
will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I
have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,”
Nathan replied. “You will not die.
2 Samuel 12:14 Nevertheless, because by this
deed you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD, the
son born to you will surely die.”
2 Samuel 12:15 After Nathan had gone home, the
LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he
became ill.
2 Samuel 12:16 David pleaded with God for the
boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying
in sackcloth on the ground.
2 Samuel 12:17 The elders of his household stood
beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling
and would not eat anything with them.
2 Samuel 12:18 On the seventh day the child
died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child
was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was alive, we
spoke to him, and he would not listen to us. So how can we tell
him the child is dead? He may even harm himself.”
2 Samuel 12:19 When David saw that his servants
were whispering to one another, he perceived that the child was
dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” “He is dead,”
they replied.
2 Samuel 12:20 Then David got up from the
ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went
into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own
house, and at his request they set food before him, and he ate.
2 Samuel 12:21 “What is this you have done?” his
servants asked. “While the child was alive, you fasted and wept,
but when he died, you got up and ate.”
2 Samuel 12:22 David answered, “While the child
was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may
be gracious to me and let him live.’
2 Samuel 12:23 But now that he is dead, why
should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but
he will not return to me.”
2 Samuel 12:24 Then David comforted his wife
Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth
to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved the child
2 Samuel 12:25 and sent word through Nathan the
prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
2 Samuel 12:26 Meanwhile, Joab fought against
Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal fortress.
2 Samuel 12:27 Then Joab sent messengers to
David to say, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the
water supply of the city.
2 Samuel 12:28 Now, therefore, assemble the rest
of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I
will capture the city, and it will be named after me.”
2 Samuel 12:29 So David assembled all the troops
and went to Rabbah; and he fought against it and captured it.
2 Samuel 12:30 Then he took the crown from the
head of their king. It weighed a talent of gold and was set with
precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took
a great amount of plunder from the city.
2 Samuel 12:31 David brought out the people who
were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes,
and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all
the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to
Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 13:1 After some time, David’s son Amnon
fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son
Absalom.
2 Samuel 13:2 Amnon was sick with frustration
over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed
implausible for him to do anything to her.
2 Samuel 13:3 Now Amnon had a friend named
Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very
shrewd man,
2 Samuel 13:4 so he asked Amnon, “Why are you,
the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you
tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother
Absalom’s sister.”
2 Samuel 13:5 Jonadab told him, “Lie down on
your bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see
you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me
something to eat. Let her prepare it in my sight so I may watch
her and eat it from her hand.’”
2 Samuel 13:6 So Amnon lay down and feigned
illness. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please let my
sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that
I may eat from her hand.”
2 Samuel 13:7 Then David sent word to Tamar at
the palace: “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and
prepare a meal for him.”
2 Samuel 13:8 So Tamar went to the house of her
brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded
it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them.
2 Samuel 13:9 Then she brought the pan and set
it down before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone away!”
said Amnon. And everyone went out.
2 Samuel 13:10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring
the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your hand.”
Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s
bedroom.
2 Samuel 13:11 And when she had brought them to
him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my
sister!”
2 Samuel 13:12 “No, my brother!” she cried. “Do
not humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel.
Do not do this disgraceful thing!
2 Samuel 13:13 Where could I ever take my shame?
And you would be like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to
the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
2 Samuel 13:14 But Amnon refused to listen to
her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.
2 Samuel 13:15 Then Amnon hated Tamar with such
intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously
had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”
2 Samuel 13:16 “No,” she replied, “sending me
away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!”
But he refused to listen to her.
2 Samuel 13:17 Instead, he called to his
attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind
her!”
2 Samuel 13:18 So Amnon’s attendant threw her
out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe
of many colors, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters
wore.
2 Samuel 13:19 And Tamar put ashes on her head
and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away
crying bitterly.
2 Samuel 13:20 Her brother Absalom said to her,
“Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my
sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So
Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother
Absalom.
2 Samuel 13:21 When King David heard all this,
he was furious.
2 Samuel 13:22 And Absalom never said a word to
Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for disgracing
his sister Tamar.
2 Samuel 13:23 Two years later, when Absalom’s
sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the
sons of the king.
2 Samuel 13:24 And he went to the king and said,
“Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his
servants please come with me?”
2 Samuel 13:25 “No, my son,” the king replied,
“we should not all go, or we would be a burden to you.” Although
Absalom urged him, he was not willing to go, but gave him his
blessing.
2 Samuel 13:26 “If not,” said Absalom, “please
let my brother Amnon go with us.” “Why should he go with you?” the
king asked.
2 Samuel 13:27 But Absalom urged him, so the
king sent Amnon and the rest of his sons.
2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had ordered his young
men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I
order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be
afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”
2 Samuel 13:29 So Absalom’s young men did to
Amnon just as Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of the
king got up, and each one fled on his mule.
2 Samuel 13:30 While they were on the way, a
report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the
king; not one of them is left!”
2 Samuel 13:31 Then the king stood up, tore his
clothes, and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by
with their clothes torn.
2 Samuel 13:32 But Jonadab, the son of David’s
brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have
killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact,
Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister
Tamar.
2 Samuel 13:33 So now, my lord the king, do not
take to heart the report that all the sons of the king are dead.
Only Amnon is dead.”
2 Samuel 13:34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When
the young man standing watch looked up, he saw many people coming
down the road west of him, along the side of the hill. And the
watchman went and reported to the king, “I see men coming from the
direction of Horonaim, along the side of the hill.”
2 Samuel 13:35 So Jonadab said to the king,
“Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your
servant said.”
2 Samuel 13:36 And as he finished speaking, the
sons of the king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and all
his servants also wept very bitterly.
2 Samuel 13:37 Now Absalom fled and went to
Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But David mourned for
his son every day.
2 Samuel 13:38 After Absalom had fled and gone
to Geshur, he stayed there three years.
2 Samuel 13:39 And King David longed to go to
Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.
2 Samuel 14:1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived
that the king’s heart longed for Absalom.
2 Samuel 14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a
wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a
mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself
with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long
time.
2 Samuel 14:3 Then go to the king and speak
these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth.
2 Samuel 14:4 When the woman from Tekoa went to
the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”
2 Samuel 14:5 “What troubles you?” the king
asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is
dead.
2 Samuel 14:6 And your maidservant had two sons
who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and
one struck the other and killed him.
2 Samuel 14:7 Now the whole clan has risen up
against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck
down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the
brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So
they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my
husband’s name or posterity on the earth.”
2 Samuel 14:8 “Go home,” the king said to the
woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”
2 Samuel 14:9 But the woman of Tekoa said to the
king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my father’s
house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”
2 Samuel 14:10 “If anyone speaks to you,” said
the king, “bring him to me, and he will not trouble you again!”
2 Samuel 14:11 “Please,” she replied, “may the
king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from
increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!”
“As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son’s
head will fall to the ground.”
2 Samuel 14:12 Then the woman said, “Please, may
your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he
replied.
2 Samuel 14:13 The woman asked, “Why have you
devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king
says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought
back his own banished son?
2 Samuel 14:14 For surely we will die and be
like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered.
Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the
banished one may not be cast out from Him.
2 Samuel 14:15 Now therefore, I have come to
present this matter to my lord the king because the people have
made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king.
Perhaps he will grant the request of his maidservant.
2 Samuel 14:16 For the king will hear and
deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off
both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
2 Samuel 14:17 And now your servant says, ‘May
the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king
is able to discern good and evil, just like the angel of God. May
the LORD your God be with you.’”
2 Samuel 14:18 Then the king said to the woman,
“I am going to ask you something; do not conceal it from me!” “Let
my lord the king speak,” she replied.
2 Samuel 14:19 So the king asked, “Is the hand
of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you
live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the
left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant
Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant
exactly what to say.
2 Samuel 14:20 Joab your servant has done this
to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like
the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in
the land.”
2 Samuel 14:21 Then the king said to Joab, “I
hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
2 Samuel 14:22 Joab fell facedown in homage and
blessed the king. “Today,” said Joab, “your servant knows that he
has found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has
granted his request.”
2 Samuel 14:23 So Joab got up, went to Geshur,
and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 14:24 But the king added, “He may
return to his house, but he must not see my face.” So Absalom
returned to his own house, but he did not see the king.
2 Samuel 14:25 Now there was not a man in all
Israel as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of
his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.
2 Samuel 14:26 And when he cut the hair of his
head—he shaved it every year because his hair got so heavy—he
would weigh it out to be two hundred shekels, according to the
royal standard.
2 Samuel 14:27 Three sons were born to Absalom,
and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
2 Samuel 14:28 Now Absalom lived in Jerusalem
two years without seeing the face of the king.
2 Samuel 14:29 Then he sent for Joab to send him
to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a
second time, but Joab still would not come.
2 Samuel 14:30 Then Absalom said to his
servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley
there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the
field on fire.
2 Samuel 14:31 Then Joab came to Absalom’s house
and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
2 Samuel 14:32 “Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for
you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask:
Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I
were still there.’ So now, let me see the king’s face, and if
there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”
2 Samuel 14:33 So Joab went and told the king,
and David summoned Absalom, who came to him and bowed facedown
before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
2 Samuel 15:1 Some time later, Absalom provided
for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of
him.
2 Samuel 15:2 He would get up early and stand
beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a
grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would
call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied,
“Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”
2 Samuel 15:3 Absalom would say, “Look, your
claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear
you.”
2 Samuel 15:4 And he would add, “If only someone
would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance
or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”
2 Samuel 15:5 Also, when anyone approached to
bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of
him, and kiss him.
2 Samuel 15:6 Absalom did this to all the
Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole
the hearts of the men of Israel.
2 Samuel 15:7 After four years had passed,
Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a
vow I have made to the LORD.
2 Samuel 15:8 For your servant made a vow while
dwelling in Geshur of Aram, saying: ‘If indeed the LORD brings me
back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.’”
2 Samuel 15:9 “Go in peace,” said the king. So
Absalom got up and went to Hebron.
2 Samuel 15:10 Then Absalom sent spies
throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear
the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in
Hebron!’”
2 Samuel 15:11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem
accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went
along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.
2 Samuel 15:12 While Absalom was offering the
sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s
counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy
gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.
2 Samuel 15:13 Then a messenger came to David
and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”
2 Samuel 15:14 And David said to all the
servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will
not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon
overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”
2 Samuel 15:15 The king’s servants replied,
“Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”
2 Samuel 15:16 Then the king set out, and his
entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines
to take care of the palace.
2 Samuel 15:17 So the king set out with all the
people following him. He stopped at the last house,
2 Samuel 15:18 and all his servants marched past
him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites
who had followed him from Gath.
2 Samuel 15:19 Then the king said to Ittai the
Gittite, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with
the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from
your homeland.
2 Samuel 15:20 In fact, you arrived only
yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I
do not know where I am going? Go back and take your brothers with
you. May the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness.”
2 Samuel 15:21 But Ittai answered the king, “As
surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever
my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there
will your servant be!”
2 Samuel 15:22 “March on then,” said David to
Ittai. So Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all
the little ones who were with him.
2 Samuel 15:23 Everyone in the countryside was
weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king
crossed the Kidron Valley, all the people also passed toward the
way of the wilderness.
2 Samuel 15:24 Zadok was also there, and all the
Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And
they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices
until the people had passed out of the city.
2 Samuel 15:25 Then the king said to Zadok,
“Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of
the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His
dwelling place again.
2 Samuel 15:26 But if He should say, ‘I do not
delight in you,’ then here I am; let Him do to me whatever seems
good to Him.”
2 Samuel 15:27 The king also said to Zadok the
priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace—you with
your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan.
2 Samuel 15:28 See, I will wait at the fords of
the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
2 Samuel 15:29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned
the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there.
2 Samuel 15:30 But David continued up the Mount
of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was
walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads
and went up, weeping as they went.
2 Samuel 15:31 Now someone told David:
“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David
pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into
foolishness!”
2 Samuel 15:32 When David came to the summit,
where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet
him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
2 Samuel 15:33 David said to him, “If you go on
with me, you will be a burden to me.
2 Samuel 15:34 But you can thwart the counsel of
Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I
will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s
servant, but now I will be your servant.’
2 Samuel 15:35 Will not Zadok and Abiathar the
priests be there with you? Report to them everything you hear from
the king’s palace.
2 Samuel 15:36 Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz
son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them.
Send them to me with everything you hear.”
2 Samuel 15:37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived
in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.
2 Samuel 16:1 When David had gone a little
beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to
meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred
loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer
fruits, and a skin of wine.
2 Samuel 16:2 “Why do you have these?” asked the
king. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to
ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and
the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the
wilderness.”
2 Samuel 16:3 “Where is your master’s grandson?”
asked the king. And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in
Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will
restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’”
2 Samuel 16:4 So the king said to Ziba, “All
that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before
you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the
king!”
2 Samuel 16:5 As King David approached Bahurim,
a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out.
His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept
yelling out curses.
2 Samuel 16:6 He threw stones at David and at
all the servants of the king, though the troops and all the mighty
men were on David’s right and left.
2 Samuel 16:7 And as he yelled curses, Shimei
said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!
2 Samuel 16:8 The LORD has paid you back for all
the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned,
and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son
Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of
bloodshed!”
2 Samuel 16:9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said
to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let
me go over and cut off his head!”
2 Samuel 16:10 But the king replied, “What have
I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the
LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’”
2 Samuel 16:11 Then David said to Abishai and to
all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood,
seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him
alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so.
2 Samuel 16:12 Perhaps the LORD will see my
affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive
today.”
2 Samuel 16:13 So David and his men proceeded
along the road as Shimei went along the ridge of the hill opposite
him. As Shimei went, he yelled curses, threw stones, and flung
dust at David.
2 Samuel 16:14 Finally, the king and all the
people with him arrived, exhausted. And there he refreshed
himself.
2 Samuel 16:15 Then Absalom and all the men of
Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
2 Samuel 16:16 And David’s friend Hushai the
Archite went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long
live the king!”
2 Samuel 16:17 “Is this the loyalty you show
your friend?” Absalom replied. “Why did you not go with your
friend?”
2 Samuel 16:18 “Not at all,” Hushai answered.
“For the one chosen by the LORD, by the people, and by all the men
of Israel—his I will be, and with him I will remain.
2 Samuel 16:19 Furthermore, whom should I serve
if not the son? As I served in your father’s presence, so also I
will serve in yours.”
2 Samuel 16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel,
“Give me counsel. What should we do?”
2 Samuel 16:21 Ahithophel replied, “Sleep with
your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the palace.
When all Israel hears that you have become a stench to your
father, then the hands of all who are with you will be
strengthened.”
2 Samuel 16:22 So they pitched a tent for
Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in
the sight of all Israel.
2 Samuel 16:23 Now in those days the advice of
Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was
the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s
advice.
2 Samuel 17:1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to
Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in
pursuit of David.
2 Samuel 17:2 I will attack him while he is weak
and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with
him will flee; I will strike down only the king
2 Samuel 17:3 and bring all the people back to
you as a bride returning to her husband. You seek the life of only
one man; then all the people will be at peace.”
2 Samuel 17:4 This proposal seemed good to
Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
2 Samuel 17:5 Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai
the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
2 Samuel 17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom, who
told him, “Ahithophel has spoken this proposal. Should we carry it
out? If not, what do you say?”
2 Samuel 17:7 Hushai replied, “This time the
advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”
2 Samuel 17:8 He continued, “You know your
father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild
bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who
will not spend the night with the troops.
2 Samuel 17:9 Surely by now he is hiding in a
cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first,
whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among
the troops who follow Absalom.’
2 Samuel 17:10 Then even the most valiant
soldier with the heart of a lion will melt with fear, because all
Israel knows that your father is a mighty man who has valiant men
with him.
2 Samuel 17:11 Instead, I advise that all Israel
from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be
gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.
2 Samuel 17:12 Then we will attack David
wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the
ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.
2 Samuel 17:13 If he retreats to a city, all
Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to
the valley until not even a pebble can be found.”
2 Samuel 17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of
Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that
of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good
counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
2 Samuel 17:15 So Hushai told Zadok and
Abiathar, the priests, “This is what Ahithophel has advised
Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have advised.
2 Samuel 17:16 Now send quickly and tell David,
‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be
sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him
will be swallowed up.’”
2 Samuel 17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were
staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass
along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King
David, for they dared not be seen entering the city.
2 Samuel 17:18 But a young man did see them and
told Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a
man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed
down into it.
2 Samuel 17:19 Then the man’s wife took a
covering and spread it over the mouth of the well, scattering
grain over it so nobody would know a thing.
2 Samuel 17:20 When Absalom’s servants came to
the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and
Jonathan?” “They have crossed over the brook,” she replied. The
men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 17:21 After the men had gone, Ahimaaz
and Jonathan climbed up out of the well and went to inform King
David, saying, “Get up and cross over the river at once, for
Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”
2 Samuel 17:22 So David and all the people with
him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one
left who had not crossed the Jordan.
2 Samuel 17:23 When Ahithophel saw that his
advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out
for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and
hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
2 Samuel 17:24 Then David went to Mahanaim, and
Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.
2 Samuel 17:25 Absalom had appointed Amasa over
the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra,
the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and
sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.
2 Samuel 17:26 So the Israelites and Absalom
camped in the land of Gilead.
2 Samuel 17:27 When David came to Mahanaim, he
was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites,
Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite
from Rogelim.
2 Samuel 17:28 They brought beds, basins, and
earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain,
beans, lentils,
2 Samuel 17:29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese
from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The
people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the
wilderness.”
2 Samuel 18:1 Then David reviewed his troops and
appointed over them commanders of hundreds and of thousands.
2 Samuel 18:2 He sent out the troops, a third
under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah,
and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the
troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”
2 Samuel 18:3 But the people pleaded, “You must
not go out! For if we have to flee, they will pay no attention to
us. Even if half of us die, they will not care; but you are worth
ten thousand of us. It is better for now if you support us from
the city.”
2 Samuel 18:4 “I will do whatever seems best to
you,” the king replied. So he stood beside the gate, while all the
troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
2 Samuel 18:5 Now the king had commanded Joab,
Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my
sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the
commanders regarding Absalom.
2 Samuel 18:6 So David’s army marched into the
field to engage Israel in the battle, which took place in the
forest of Ephraim.
2 Samuel 18:7 There the people of Israel were
defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that
day—twenty thousand men.
2 Samuel 18:8 The battle spread over the whole
countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the
sword.
2 Samuel 18:9 Now Absalom was riding on his mule
when he met the servants of David, and as the mule went under the
thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head was caught fast in
the tree. The mule under him kept going, so that he was suspended
in midair.
2 Samuel 18:10 When one of the men saw this, he
told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
2 Samuel 18:11 “You just saw him!” Joab
exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there?
I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s
belt!”
2 Samuel 18:12 The man replied, “Even if a
thousand shekels of silver were weighed out into my hands, I would
not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the
king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man
Absalom for my sake.’
2 Samuel 18:13 If I had jeopardized my own
life—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned
me.”
2 Samuel 18:14 But Joab declared, “I am not
going to wait like this with you!” And he took three spears in his
hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was
still alive in the oak tree.
2 Samuel 18:15 And ten young men who carried
Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.
2 Samuel 18:16 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn,
and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab had
restrained them.
2 Samuel 18:17 They took Absalom, cast him into
a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over
him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.
2 Samuel 18:18 During his lifetime, Absalom had
set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said,
“I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the
pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.
2 Samuel 18:19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said,
“Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD
has avenged him of his enemies.”
2 Samuel 18:20 But Joab replied, “You are not
the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but
you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”
2 Samuel 18:21 So Joab said to a Cushite, “Go,
tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and
took off running.
2 Samuel 18:22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok, however,
persisted and said to Joab, “Regardless of whatever may happen,
please let me also run behind the Cushite!” “My son,” Joab
replied, “why do you want to run, since you will not receive a
reward?”
2 Samuel 18:23 “No matter what, I want to run!”
he replied. “Then run!” Joab told him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of
the plain and outran the Cushite.
2 Samuel 18:24 Now David was sitting between the
two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by
the wall, looked out, and saw a man running alone.
2 Samuel 18:25 So he called out and told the
king. “If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.” As
the first runner drew near,
2 Samuel 18:26 the watchman saw another man
running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man
is running alone!” “This one also brings good news,” said the
king.
2 Samuel 18:27 The watchman said, “The first man
appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” “This is a
good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”
2 Samuel 18:28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the
king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king. He
continued, “Blessed be the LORD your God! He has delivered up the
men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”
2 Samuel 18:29 The king asked, “Is the young man
Absalom all right?” And Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the
king’s servant and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I do
not know what it was.”
2 Samuel 18:30 “Move aside,” said the king, “and
stand here.” So he stepped aside.
2 Samuel 18:31 Just then the Cushite came and
said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the LORD has
avenged you of all who rose up against you!”
2 Samuel 18:32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is
the young man Absalom all right?” And the Cushite replied, “May
what has become of the young man happen to the enemies of my lord
the king and to all who rise up against you to harm you.”
2 Samuel 18:33 The king was shaken and went up
to the gate chamber and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O
my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead
of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
2 Samuel 19:1 Then it was reported to Joab, “The
king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.”
2 Samuel 19:2 And that day’s victory was turned
into mourning for all the people, because on that day they were
told, “The king is grieving over his son.”
2 Samuel 19:3 So they returned to the city
quietly that day, as people steal away in humiliation after
fleeing a battle.
2 Samuel 19:4 But the king covered his face and
cried out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom,
my son, my son!”
2 Samuel 19:5 Then Joab went into the house and
said to the king, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who
have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, of
your wives, and of your concubines.
2 Samuel 19:6 You love those who hate you and
hate those who love you! For you have made it clear today that the
commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I know today that if
Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would have pleased
you!
2 Samuel 19:7 Now therefore get up! Go out and
speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if
you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This
will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you
from your youth until now!”
2 Samuel 19:8 So the king got up and sat in the
gate, and all the people were told: “Behold, the king is sitting
in the gate.” So they all came before the king. Meanwhile, the
Israelites had fled, each man to his home.
2 Samuel 19:9 And all the people throughout the
tribes of Israel were arguing, “The king rescued us from the hand
of our enemies and delivered us from the hand of the Philistines,
but now he has fled the land because of Absalom.
2 Samuel 19:10 But Absalom, the man we anointed
over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about
restoring the king?”
2 Samuel 19:11 Then King David sent this message
to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah,
‘Why should you be the last to restore the king to his palace,
since the talk of all Israel has reached the king at his quarters?
2 Samuel 19:12 You are my brothers, my own flesh
and blood. So why should you be the last to restore the king?’
2 Samuel 19:13 And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my
flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from
this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
2 Samuel 19:14 So he swayed the hearts of all
the men of Judah as though they were one man, and they sent word
to the king: “Return, you and all your servants.”
2 Samuel 19:15 So the king returned, and when he
arrived at the Jordan, the men of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him
and escort him across the Jordan.
2 Samuel 19:16 Then Shimei son of Gera, a
Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet
King David,
2 Samuel 19:17 along with a thousand men of
Benjamin, as well as Ziba the steward of the house of Saul and his
fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan
before the king
2 Samuel 19:18 and crossed at the ford to carry
over the king’s household and to do what was good in his sight.
When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before
the king
2 Samuel 19:19 and said, “My lord, do not hold
me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the
day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to
heart.
2 Samuel 19:20 For your servant knows that I
have sinned, so here I am today as the first of all the house of
Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
2 Samuel 19:21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah said,
“Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the
LORD’s anointed?”
2 Samuel 19:22 And David replied, “Sons of
Zeruiah, what have I to do with you, that you should be my
adversaries today? Should any man be put to death in Israel today?
Am I not indeed aware that today I am king over Israel?”
2 Samuel 19:23 So the king said to Shimei, “You
shall not die.” And the king swore an oath to him.
2 Samuel 19:24 Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s
grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his
feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day
the king had left until the day he returned safely.
2 Samuel 19:25 And he came from Jerusalem to
meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go
with me?”
2 Samuel 19:26 “My lord the king,” he replied,
“because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that
I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba
deceived me,
2 Samuel 19:27 and he has slandered your servant
to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of
God, so do what is good in your eyes.
2 Samuel 19:28 For all the house of my
grandfather deserves death from my lord the king, yet you have set
your servant among those who eat at your table. What further
right, then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”
2 Samuel 19:29 The king replied, “Why say any
more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”
2 Samuel 19:30 And Mephibosheth said to the
king, “Instead, since my lord the king has safely come to his own
house, let Ziba take it all!”
2 Samuel 19:31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had
come down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and send
him on his way from there.
2 Samuel 19:32 Barzillai was quite old, eighty
years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided
for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.
2 Samuel 19:33 The king said to Barzillai,
“Cross over with me, and I will provide for you at my side in
Jerusalem.”
2 Samuel 19:34 But Barzillai replied, “How many
years of my life remain, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the
king?
2 Samuel 19:35 I am now eighty years old. Can I
discern what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what
he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of singing men and
women? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the
king?
2 Samuel 19:36 Your servant could go with the
king only a short distance past the Jordan; why should the king
repay me with such a reward?
2 Samuel 19:37 Please let your servant return,
that I may die in my own city near the tomb of my father and
mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him cross over with
my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.”
2 Samuel 19:38 The king replied, “Chimham will
cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good in your
sight, and I will do for you whatever you desire of me.”
2 Samuel 19:39 So all the people crossed the
Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai
and blessed him, and Barzillai returned home.
2 Samuel 19:40 Then the king went on to Gilgal,
and Chimham crossed over with him. All the troops of Judah and
half the troops of Israel escorted the king.
2 Samuel 19:41 Soon all the men of Israel came
to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah,
take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across
the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”
2 Samuel 19:42 And all the men of Judah replied
to the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is our
relative. Why does this anger you? Have we ever eaten at the
king’s expense or received anything for ourselves?”
2 Samuel 19:43 “We have ten shares in the king,”
answered the men of Israel, “so we have more claim to David than
you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of
restoring our king?” But the men of Judah pressed even harder than
the men of Israel.
2 Samuel 20:1 Now a worthless man named Sheba
son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the
ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance
in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
2 Samuel 20:2 So all the men of Israel deserted
David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed
by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 20:3 When David returned to his palace
in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to care for
the palace, and he placed them in a house under guard. He provided
for them, but he no longer slept with them. They were confined
until the day of their death, living as widows.
2 Samuel 20:4 Then the king said to Amasa,
“Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be
here yourself.”
2 Samuel 20:5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but
he took longer than the time allotted him.
2 Samuel 20:6 And David said to Abishai, “Now
Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take
your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified
cities and elude us.”
2 Samuel 20:7 So Joab’s men, along with the
Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out
of Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.
2 Samuel 20:8 And while they were at the great
stone in Gibeon, Amasa joined them. Now Joab was dressed in
military attire, with a dagger strapped to his belt. And as he
stepped forward, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.
2 Samuel 20:9 “Are you well, my brother?” Joab
asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the
beard to kiss him.
2 Samuel 20:10 Amasa was not on guard against
the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach and
spilled out his intestines on the ground. And Joab did not need to
strike him again, for Amasa was dead. Then Joab and his brother
Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.
2 Samuel 20:11 One of Joab’s young men stood
near Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for
David, let him follow Joab!”
2 Samuel 20:12 But Amasa wallowed in his blood
in the middle of the road, and when the man saw that all the
troops were stopping there, he dragged the body off the road into
a field and threw a garment over it.
2 Samuel 20:13 As soon as Amasa’s body was
removed from the road, all the men went on with Joab to pursue
Sheba son of Bichri.
2 Samuel 20:14 Sheba passed through all the
tribes of Israel to Abel-beth-maacah and through the entire region
of the Berites, who gathered together and followed him.
2 Samuel 20:15 And Joab’s troops came and
besieged Sheba in Abel-beth-maacah and built a siege ramp against
the outer rampart of the city. As all the troops with Joab were
battering the wall to topple it,
2 Samuel 20:16 a wise woman called out from the
city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here so that I may
speak with him.”
2 Samuel 20:17 When he had come near to her, the
woman asked, “Are you Joab?” “I am,” he replied. “Listen to the
words of your servant,” she said. “I am listening,” he answered.
2 Samuel 20:18 Then the woman said, “Long ago
they used to say, ‘Seek counsel at Abel,’ and that is how disputes
were settled.
2 Samuel 20:19 I am among the peaceable and
faithful in Israel, but you are trying to destroy a city that is a
mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD’s
inheritance?”
2 Samuel 20:20 “Far be it!” Joab declared. “Far
be it from me to swallow up or destroy!
2 Samuel 20:21 That is not the case. But a man
named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has
lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him
alone, and I will depart from the city.” “Look,” the woman
replied, “his head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
2 Samuel 20:22 Then the woman went to all the
people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba
son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and
his men dispersed from the city, each to his own home. And Joab
returned to the king in Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 20:23 Now Joab was over the whole army
of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and
Pelethites;
2 Samuel 20:24 Adoram was in charge of the
forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
2 Samuel 20:25 Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and
Abiathar were priests;
2 Samuel 20:26 and Ira the Jairite was David’s
priest.
2 Samuel 21:1 During the reign of David there
was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face
of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed
by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
2 Samuel 21:2 At this, David summoned the
Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not
Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had
taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and
Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
2 Samuel 21:3 So David asked the Gibeonites,
“What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may
bless the inheritance of the LORD?”
2 Samuel 21:4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We
need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put
to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do
for you,” he replied.
2 Samuel 21:5 And they answered the king, “As
for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate
us from existing within any border of Israel,
2 Samuel 21:6 let seven of his male descendants
be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at
Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to
you,” said the king.
2 Samuel 21:7 Now the king spared Mephibosheth
son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the
LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
2 Samuel 21:8 But the king took Armoni and
Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne
to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had
borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
2 Samuel 21:9 And he delivered them into the
hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before
the LORD. So all seven of them fell together; they were put to
death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the
barley harvest.
2 Samuel 21:10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah
took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the
beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on
the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them
by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
2 Samuel 21:11 When David was told what Saul’s
concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done,
2 Samuel 21:12 he went and took the bones of
Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had
stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the
Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at
Gilboa.
2 Samuel 21:13 So David had the bones of Saul
and his son Jonathan brought from there, along with the bones of
those who had been hanged.
2 Samuel 21:14 And they buried the bones of Saul
and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb
of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had
commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.
2 Samuel 21:15 Once again the Philistines waged
war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and
fought against the Philistines; but David became exhausted.
2 Samuel 21:16 Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of
Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who
was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.
2 Samuel 21:17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came
to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s
men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle,
so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
2 Samuel 21:18 Some time later at Gob, there was
another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the
Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
2 Samuel 21:19 Once again there was a battle
with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the
Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft
of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
2 Samuel 21:20 And there was still another
battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six
fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all.
He too was descended from Rapha,
2 Samuel 21:21 and when he taunted Israel,
Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
2 Samuel 21:22 So these four descendants of
Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
2 Samuel 22:1 And David sang this song to the
LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all
his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
2 Samuel 22:2 He said: “The LORD is my rock, my
fortress, and my deliverer.
2 Samuel 22:3 My God is my rock, in whom I take
refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold, my
refuge, and my Savior, You save me from violence.
2 Samuel 22:4 I will call upon the LORD, who is
worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
2 Samuel 22:5 For the waves of death engulfed
me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
2 Samuel 22:6 The cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress I called upon the
LORD; I cried out to my God. And from His temple He heard my
voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.
2 Samuel 22:8 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled; they were shaken because
He burned with anger.
2 Samuel 22:9 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and
consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
2 Samuel 22:10 He parted the heavens and came
down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
2 Samuel 22:11 He mounted a cherub and flew; He
soared on the wings of the wind.
2 Samuel 22:12 He made darkness a canopy around
Him, a gathering of water and thick clouds.
2 Samuel 22:13 From the brightness of His
presence coals of fire blazed forth.
2 Samuel 22:14 The LORD thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
2 Samuel 22:15 He shot His arrows and scattered
the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
2 Samuel 22:16 The channels of the sea appeared,
and the foundations of the world were exposed at the rebuke of the
LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
2 Samuel 22:17 He reached down from on high and
took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
2 Samuel 22:18 He rescued me from my powerful
enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
2 Samuel 22:19 They confronted me in my day of
calamity, but the LORD was my support.
2 Samuel 22:20 He brought me out into the open;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
2 Samuel 22:21 The LORD has rewarded me
according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the
cleanness of my hands.
2 Samuel 22:22 For I have kept the ways of the
LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
2 Samuel 22:23 For all His ordinances are before
me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
2 Samuel 22:24 And I have been blameless before
Him and kept myself from iniquity.
2 Samuel 22:25 So the LORD has repaid me
according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His
sight.
2 Samuel 22:26 To the faithful You show Yourself
faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
2 Samuel 22:27 to the pure You show Yourself
pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
2 Samuel 22:28 You save an afflicted people, but
Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
2 Samuel 22:29 For You, O LORD, are my lamp; the
LORD lights up my darkness.
2 Samuel 22:30 For in You I can charge an army;
with my God I can scale a wall.
2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, His way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take
refuge in Him.
2 Samuel 22:32 For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strong fortress and He
makes my way clear.
2 Samuel 22:34 He makes my feet like those of a
deer and stations me upon the heights.
2 Samuel 22:35 He trains my hands for battle; my
arms can bend a bow of bronze.
2 Samuel 22:36 You have given me Your shield of
salvation, and Your gentleness exalts me.
2 Samuel 22:37 You broaden the path beneath me
so that my ankles do not give way.
2 Samuel 22:38 I pursued my enemies and
destroyed them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
2 Samuel 22:39 I devoured and crushed them so
they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
2 Samuel 22:40 You have armed me with strength
for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
2 Samuel 22:41 You have made my enemies retreat
before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
2 Samuel 22:42 They looked, but there was no one
to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.
2 Samuel 22:43 I ground them as the dust of the
earth; I crushed and trampled them like mud in the streets.
2 Samuel 22:44 You have delivered me from the
strife of my people; You have preserved me as the head of nations;
a people I had not known shall serve me.
2 Samuel 22:45 Foreigners cower before me; when
they hear me, they obey me.
2 Samuel 22:46 Foreigners lose heart and come
trembling from their strongholds.
2 Samuel 22:47 The LORD lives, and blessed be my
Rock! And may God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted—
2 Samuel 22:48 the God who avenges me and brings
down nations beneath me,
2 Samuel 22:49 who frees me from my enemies. You
exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
2 Samuel 22:50 Therefore I will praise You, O
LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
2 Samuel 22:51 Great salvation He brings to His
king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his
descendants forever.”
2 Samuel 23:1 These are the last words of David:
“The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised on
high, the one anointed by the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist
of Israel:
2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke
through me; His word was on my tongue.
2 Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel spoke; the Rock
of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who
rules in the fear of God,
2 Samuel 23:4 is like the light of the morning
at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on
the sprouting grass of the earth.’
2 Samuel 23:5 Is not my house right with God?
For He has established with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
and secured in every part. Will He not bring about my full
salvation and my every desire?
2 Samuel 23:6 But the worthless are all like
thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.
2 Samuel 23:7 The man who touches them must be
armed with iron or with the shaft of a spear. The fire burns them
to ashes in the place where they lie.”
2 Samuel 23:8 These are the names of David’s
mighty men: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the
Three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men, whom he
killed at one time.
2 Samuel 23:9 Next in command was Eleazar son of
Dodo the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with
David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at
Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated,
2 Samuel 23:10 but Eleazar stood his ground and
struck the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to his
sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. Then the
troops returned to him, but only to plunder the dead.
2 Samuel 23:11 And after him was Shammah son of
Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines had banded together near a
field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them.
2 Samuel 23:12 But Shammah took his stand in the
middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines.
So the LORD brought about a great victory.
2 Samuel 23:13 At harvest time, three of the
thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while
a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
2 Samuel 23:14 At that time David was in the
stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.
2 Samuel 23:15 David longed for water and said,
“Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near
the gate of Bethlehem!”
2 Samuel 23:16 So the three mighty men broke
through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the
gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to
drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,
2 Samuel 23:17 saying, “Far be it from me, O
LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked
their lives?” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of
the three mighty men.
2 Samuel 23:18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab
and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the Three, and he lifted his
spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along
with the Three.
2 Samuel 23:19 Was he not more honored than the
Three? And he became their commander, even though he was not
included among the Three.
2 Samuel 23:20 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a
man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down
two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit
and killed a lion.
2 Samuel 23:21 He also killed an Egyptian, a
huge man. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah
went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand,
and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.
2 Samuel 23:22 These were the exploits of
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty
men.
2 Samuel 23:23 He was most honored among the
Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David
appointed him over his guard.
2 Samuel 23:24 Now these were members of the
Thirty: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of
Bethlehem,
2 Samuel 23:25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the
Harodite,
2 Samuel 23:26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of
Ikkesh the Tekoite,
2 Samuel 23:27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai
the Hushathite,
2 Samuel 23:28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the
Netophathite,
2 Samuel 23:29 Heled son of Baanah the
Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,
2 Samuel 23:30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai
from the brooks of Gaash,
2 Samuel 23:31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth
the Barhumite,
2 Samuel 23:32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons
of Jashen, Jonathan
2 Samuel 23:33 son of Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,
2 Samuel 23:34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the
Maacathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
2 Samuel 23:35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the
Arbite,
2 Samuel 23:36 Igal son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani
the Gadite,
2 Samuel 23:37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the
Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
2 Samuel 23:38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the
Ithrite,
2 Samuel 23:39 and Uriah the Hittite. There were
thirty-seven in all.
2 Samuel 24:1 Again the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go
and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 Samuel 24:2 So the king said to Joab the
commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the
tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so
that I may know their number.”
2 Samuel 24:3 But Joab replied to the king, “May
the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and
may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the
king want to do such a thing?”
2 Samuel 24:4 Nevertheless, the king’s word
prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So
Joab and the commanders of the army departed from the presence of
the king to count the troops of Israel.
2 Samuel 24:5 They crossed the Jordan and camped
near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and
proceeded toward Gad and Jazer.
2 Samuel 24:6 Then they went to Gilead and the
land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
2 Samuel 24:7 They went toward the fortress of
Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally,
they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.
2 Samuel 24:8 At the end of nine months and
twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to
Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 24:9 And Joab reported to the king the
total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of
valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
2 Samuel 24:10 After David had numbered the
troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I
have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to
take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very
foolishly.”
2 Samuel 24:11 When David got up in the morning,
a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s
seer:
2 Samuel 24:12 “Go and tell David that this is
what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one
of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”
2 Samuel 24:13 So Gad went and said to David,
“Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three
months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of
plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I
should reply to Him who sent me.”
2 Samuel 24:14 David answered Gad, “I am deeply
distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His
mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
2 Samuel 24:15 So the LORD sent a plague upon
Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy
thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
2 Samuel 24:16 But when the angel stretched out
his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity
and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough!
Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by
the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2 Samuel 24:17 When David saw the angel striking
down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd,
have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they
done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
2 Samuel 24:18 And that day Gad came to David
and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the
threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
2 Samuel 24:19 So David went up at the word of
Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
2 Samuel 24:20 When Araunah looked out and saw
the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed
facedown before the king.
2 Samuel 24:21 “Why has my lord the king come to
his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David
replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the
plague upon the people may be halted.”
2 Samuel 24:22 Araunah said to David, “My lord
the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are
the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox
yokes for the wood.
2 Samuel 24:23 O king, Araunah gives all these
to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God
accept you.”
2 Samuel 24:24 “No,” replied the king, “I insist
on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt
offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing
floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2 Samuel 24:25 And there he built an altar to
the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the
LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague
upon Israel was halted.
1 KINGS
1 Kings 1:1 Now King David was old and well
along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he
could not keep warm.
1 Kings 1:2 So his servants said to him, “Let us
search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him
and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”
1 Kings 1:3 Then they searched throughout Israel
for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and
brought her to the king.
1 Kings 1:4 The girl was unsurpassed in beauty;
she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations
with her.
1 Kings 1:5 At that time Adonijah, David’s son
by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And
he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of
him.
1 Kings 1:6 (His father had never once
reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was
also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)
1 Kings 1:7 So Adonijah conferred with Joab son
of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him.
1 Kings 1:8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of
Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men
would not join Adonijah.
1 Kings 1:9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen,
and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to
En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of
Judah who were servants of the king.
1 Kings 1:10 But he did not invite Nathan the
prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.
1 Kings 1:11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the
mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of
Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?
1 Kings 1:12 Now please, come and let me advise
you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
1 Kings 1:13 Go at once to King David and say,
‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely
your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my
throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’
1 Kings 1:14 Then, while you are still there
speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your
words.”
1 Kings 1:15 So Bathsheba went to see the king
in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the
Shunammite was serving him.
1 Kings 1:16 And Bathsheba bowed down in homage
to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”
1 Kings 1:17 “My lord,” she replied, “you
yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely
your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my
throne.’
1 Kings 1:18 But now, behold, Adonijah has
become king, and you, my lord the king, did not know it.
1 Kings 1:19 And he has sacrificed an abundance
of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other
sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the
commander of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon.
1 Kings 1:20 And as for you, my lord the king,
the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on
the throne of my lord the king after him.
1 Kings 1:21 Otherwise, when my lord the king
rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as
criminals.”
1 Kings 1:22 And just then, while Bathsheba was
still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.
1 Kings 1:23 So the king was told, “Nathan the
prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the
king.
1 Kings 1:24 “My lord the king,” said Nathan,
“did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my
throne’?
1 Kings 1:25 For today he has gone down and
sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and
has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army,
and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking
before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
1 Kings 1:26 But me your servant he did not
invite, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor
your servant Solomon.
1 Kings 1:27 Has my lord the king let this
happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne
after my lord the king?”
1 Kings 1:28 Then King David said, “Call in
Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood
before him.
1 Kings 1:29 And the king swore an oath, saying,
“As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all
distress,
1 Kings 1:30 I will carry out this very day
exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely
your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne
in my place.”
1 Kings 1:31 Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage
to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
1 Kings 1:32 Then King David said, “Call in for
me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of
Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
1 Kings 1:33 “Take my servants with you,” said
the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to
Gihon.
1 Kings 1:34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan
the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow
the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
1 Kings 1:35 Then you shall go up with him, and
he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I
have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”
1 Kings 1:36 “Amen,” replied Benaiah son of
Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare
it.
1 Kings 1:37 Just as the LORD was with my lord
the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even
greater than that of my lord King David.”
1 Kings 1:38 Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the
prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites
and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule,
and they escorted him to Gihon.
1 Kings 1:39 Zadok the priest took the horn of
oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the
ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King
Solomon!”
1 Kings 1:40 All the people followed him,
playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth
was split by the sound.
1 Kings 1:41 Now Adonijah and all his guests
were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the ram’s
horn. “Why is the city in such a loud uproar?” asked Joab.
1 Kings 1:42 As he was speaking, suddenly
Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said
Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good
news.”
1 Kings 1:43 “Not at all,” Jonathan replied.
“Our lord King David has made Solomon king.
1 Kings 1:44 And with Solomon, the king has sent
Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada,
along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him
on the king’s mule.
1 Kings 1:45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the
prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up
from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the
noise you hear.
1 Kings 1:46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his
seat on the royal throne.
1 Kings 1:47 The king’s servants have also gone
to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make
the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He
make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king has bowed
in worship on his bed,
1 Kings 1:48 saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the
God of Israel! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and
my eyes have seen it.’”
1 Kings 1:49 At this, all the guests of Adonijah
arose in terror and scattered.
1 Kings 1:50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon,
got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.
1 Kings 1:51 It was reported to Solomon:
“Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the
horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me
not to put his servant to the sword.’”
1 Kings 1:52 And Solomon replied, “If he is a
man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the
ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”
1 Kings 1:53 So King Solomon summoned Adonijah
down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King
Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”
1 Kings 2:1 As the time drew near for David to
die, he charged his son Solomon,
1 Kings 2:2 “I am about to go the way of all the
earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.
1 Kings 2:3 And keep the charge of the LORD your
God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments,
ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so
that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,
1 Kings 2:4 and so that the LORD may fulfill His
promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully
before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to
have a man on the throne of Israel.’
1 Kings 2:5 Moreover, you know what Joab son of
Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of
Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them
in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood
of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
1 Kings 2:6 So act according to your wisdom, and
do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
1 Kings 2:7 But show loving devotion to the sons
of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at
your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother
Absalom.
1 Kings 2:8 Keep an eye on Shimei the son of
Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down
bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when
he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD:
‘I will never put you to the sword.’
1 Kings 2:9 Now therefore, do not hold him
guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do
to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”
1 Kings 2:10 Then David rested with his fathers
and was buried in the City of David.
1 Kings 2:11 The length of David’s reign over
Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three
years in Jerusalem.
1 Kings 2:12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his
father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.
1 Kings 2:13 Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to
Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in
peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.
1 Kings 2:14 Then he said, “I have something to
tell you.” “Say it,” she answered.
1 Kings 2:15 “You know that the kingship was
mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the
kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the
LORD.
1 Kings 2:16 So now I have just one request of
you; do not deny me.” “State your request,” she told him.
1 Kings 2:17 Adonijah replied, “Please speak to
King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me
Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
1 Kings 2:18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I
will speak to the king for you.”
1 Kings 2:19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon
to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her,
bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a
throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.
1 Kings 2:20 “I have just one small request of
you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,”
the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”
1 Kings 2:21 So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the
Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”
1 Kings 2:22 King Solomon answered his mother,
“Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he
is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him
and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”
1 Kings 2:23 Then King Solomon swore by the
LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has
not made this request at the expense of his life.
1 Kings 2:24 And now, as surely as the LORD
lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my
father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He
promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”
1 Kings 2:25 So King Solomon sent the order to
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.
1 Kings 2:26 Then the king said to Abiathar the
priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you
deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since
you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and
you suffered through all that my father suffered.”
1 Kings 2:27 So Solomon banished Abiathar from
the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the
LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.
1 Kings 2:28 When the news reached Joab, who had
conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent
of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.
1 Kings 2:29 It was reported to King Solomon:
“Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the
altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go,
strike him down!”
1 Kings 2:30 And Benaiah entered the tent of the
LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But Joab
replied, “No, I will die here.” So Benaiah relayed the message to
the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”
1 Kings 2:31 And the king replied, “Do just as
he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and
from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.
1 Kings 2:32 The LORD will bring his bloodshed
back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father
David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he
when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s
army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.
1 Kings 2:33 Their blood will come back upon the
heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his
descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from
the LORD forever.”
1 Kings 2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up,
struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in
the wilderness.
1 Kings 2:35 And the king appointed Benaiah son
of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok
the priest in Abiathar’s place.
1 Kings 2:36 Then the king summoned Shimei and
said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live
there, but do not go anywhere else.
1 Kings 2:37 On the day you go out and cross the
Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be
on your own head.”
1 Kings 2:38 “The sentence is fair,” Shimei
replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.”
And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
1 Kings 2:39 After three years, however, two of
Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath.
And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”
1 Kings 2:40 So Shimei saddled his donkey and
set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought
them back from Gath.
1 Kings 2:41 When Solomon was told that Shimei
had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,
1 Kings 2:42 the king summoned Shimei and said
to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On
the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will
die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’
1 Kings 2:43 So why have you not kept your oath
to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”
1 Kings 2:44 The king also said, “You know in
your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore
the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.
1 Kings 2:45 But King Solomon will be blessed
and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”
1 Kings 2:46 Then the king commanded Benaiah son
of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died.
Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.
1 Kings 3:1 Later, Solomon formed an alliance
with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon
brought her to the City of David until he had finished building
his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around
Jerusalem.
1 Kings 3:2 The people, however, were still
sacrificing on the high places because a house for the Name of the
LORD had not yet been built.
1 Kings 3:3 And Solomon loved the LORD and
walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he
sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
1 Kings 3:4 Now the king went to Gibeon to
sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered
a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
1 Kings 3:5 One night at Gibeon the LORD
appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will
give it to you!”
1 Kings 3:6 Solomon replied, “You have shown
much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he
walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness
of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving
him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
1 Kings 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, You have
made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a
little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.
1 Kings 3:8 Your servant is here among the
people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number.
1 Kings 3:9 Therefore give Your servant an
understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between
good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of
Yours?”
1 Kings 3:10 Now it pleased the Lord that
Solomon had made this request.
1 Kings 3:11 So God said to him, “Since you have
asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for
yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for
discernment to administer justice—
1 Kings 3:12 behold, I will do what you have
asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there
has never been nor will ever be another like you.
1 Kings 3:13 Moreover, I will give you what you
did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days
no man in any kingdom will be your equal.
1 Kings 3:14 So if you walk in My ways and keep
My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I
will prolong your days.”
1 Kings 3:15 Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it
had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the
ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.
1 Kings 3:16 At that time two prostitutes came
to the king and stood before him.
1 Kings 3:17 One woman said, “Please, my lord,
this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while
she was in the house.
1 Kings 3:18 On the third day after I gave
birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in
the house but the two of us.
1 Kings 3:19 During the night this woman’s son
died because she rolled over on him.
1 Kings 3:20 So she got up in the middle of the
night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid
him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.
1 Kings 3:21 The next morning, when I got up to
nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I
realized that he was not the son I had borne.”
1 Kings 3:22 “No,” said the other woman, “the
living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first
woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is
mine.” So they argued before the king.
1 Kings 3:23 Then the king replied, “This woman
says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says,
‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
1 Kings 3:24 The king continued, “Bring me a
sword.” So they brought him a sword,
1 Kings 3:25 and the king declared, “Cut the
living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
1 Kings 3:26 Then the woman whose son was alive
spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son.
“Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not
kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor
yours. Cut him in two!”
1 Kings 3:27 Then the king gave his ruling:
“Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you
kill him; she is his mother.”
1 Kings 3:28 When all Israel heard of the
judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they
saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
1 Kings 4:1 So King Solomon ruled over Israel,
1 Kings 4:2 and these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;
1 Kings 4:3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of
Shisha, were secretaries; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the
recorder;
1 Kings 4:4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in
charge of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
1 Kings 4:5 Azariah son of Nathan was in charge
of the governors; Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to
the king;
1 Kings 4:6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace;
and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
1 Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve governors over
all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each
one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,
1 Kings 4:8 and these were their names: Ben-hur
in the hill country of Ephraim;
1 Kings 4:9 Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in
Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;
1 Kings 4:10 Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and
all the land of Hepher belonged to him);
1 Kings 4:11 Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor
(Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);
1 Kings 4:12 Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in
Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel,
from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
1 Kings 4:13 Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the
villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as
well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities
with walls and bronze bars);
1 Kings 4:14 Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;
1 Kings 4:15 Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married
Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);
1 Kings 4:16 Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in
Aloth;
1 Kings 4:17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in
Issachar;
1 Kings 4:18 Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;
1 Kings 4:19 Geber son of Uri in the land of
Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites
and of Og king of Bashan. There was also one governor in the land
of Judah.
1 Kings 4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were
as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and
drinking and rejoicing.
1 Kings 4:21 And Solomon reigned over all the
kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far
as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served
Solomon all the days of his life.
1 Kings 4:22 Solomon’s provisions for a single
day were thirty cors of fine flour, sixty cors of meal,
1 Kings 4:23 ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen,
and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and
fattened poultry.
1 Kings 4:24 For Solomon had dominion over
everything west of the Euphrates—over all the kingdoms from
Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.
1 Kings 4:25 Throughout the days of Solomon,
Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man
under his own vine and his own fig tree.
1 Kings 4:26 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his
chariot horses and 12,000 horses.
1 Kings 4:27 Each month the governors in turn
provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They
saw to it that nothing was lacking.
1 Kings 4:28 Each one also brought to the
required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot
horses and other horses.
1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom,
exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like
the sand on the seashore.
1 Kings 4:30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than
that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of
Egypt.
1 Kings 4:31 He was wiser than all men—wiser
than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda,
the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding
nations.
1 Kings 4:32 Solomon composed three thousand
proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
1 Kings 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar
in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about
animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
1 Kings 4:34 So men of all nations came to
listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth,
who had heard of his wisdom.
1 Kings 5:1 Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard
that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent
envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
1 Kings 5:2 And Solomon relayed this message to
Hiram:
1 Kings 5:3 “As you are well aware, due to the
wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not
build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had
put his enemies under his feet.
1 Kings 5:4 But now the LORD my God has given me
rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
1 Kings 5:5 So behold, I plan to build a house
for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said
to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your
place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
1 Kings 5:6 Now therefore, order that cedars of
Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your
servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for
you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the
Sidonians.”
1 Kings 5:7 When Hiram received Solomon’s
message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this
day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”
1 Kings 5:8 Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon,
saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire
regarding the cedar and cypress timber.
1 Kings 5:9 My servants will haul the logs from
Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the
place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can
take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by
providing my household with food.”
1 Kings 5:10 So Hiram provided Solomon with all
the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,
1 Kings 5:11 and year after year Solomon would
provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household,
as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.
1 Kings 5:12 And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom,
as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon,
and the two of them made a treaty.
1 Kings 5:13 Then King Solomon conscripted a
labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.
1 Kings 5:14 He sent them to Lebanon in monthly
shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in
Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the
forced labor.
1 Kings 5:15 Solomon had 70,000 porters and
80,000 stonecutters in the mountains,
1 Kings 5:16 not including his 3,300 foremen who
supervised the workers.
1 Kings 5:17 And the king commanded them to
quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple
with dressed stones.
1 Kings 5:18 So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders,
along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the
timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
1 Kings 6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth
year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, in
the month of Ziv, the second month of the fourth year of Solomon’s
reign over Israel, he began to build the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 6:2 The house that King Solomon built
for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty
cubits high.
1 Kings 6:3 The portico at the front of the main
hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, extending across the
width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits in front of the
temple.
1 Kings 6:4 He also had narrow windows framed
high in the temple.
1 Kings 6:5 Against the walls of the temple and
the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around
the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.
1 Kings 6:6 The bottom floor was five cubits
wide, the middle floor six cubits, and the third floor seven
cubits. He also placed offset ledges around the outside of the
temple, so that nothing would be inserted into its walls.
1 Kings 6:7 The temple was constructed using
finished stones cut at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or
any other iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being
built.
1 Kings 6:8 The entrance to the bottom floor was
on the south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the middle
level, and from there to the third floor.
1 Kings 6:9 So Solomon built the temple and
finished it, roofing it with beams and planks of cedar.
1 Kings 6:10 He built chambers all along the
temple, each five cubits high and attached to the temple with
beams of cedar.
1 Kings 6:11 Then the word of the LORD came to
Solomon, saying:
1 Kings 6:12 “As for this temple you are
building, if you walk in My statutes, carry out My ordinances, and
keep all My commandments by walking in them, I will fulfill
through you the promise I made to your father David.
1 Kings 6:13 And I will dwell among the
Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.”
1 Kings 6:14 So Solomon built the temple and
finished it.
1 Kings 6:15 He lined the interior walls with
cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he
covered the floor with cypress boards.
1 Kings 6:16 He partitioned off the twenty
cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to
ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most
Holy Place.
1 Kings 6:17 And the main hall in front of this
room was forty cubits long.
1 Kings 6:18 The cedar paneling inside the
temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was
cedar; not a stone could be seen.
1 Kings 6:19 Solomon also prepared the inner
sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the
LORD there.
1 Kings 6:20 The inner sanctuary was twenty
cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He
overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar
of cedar.
1 Kings 6:21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of
the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the
front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.
1 Kings 6:22 So he overlaid with gold the whole
interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished.
He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the
inner sanctuary.
1 Kings 6:23 In the inner sanctuary he made two
cherubim, each ten cubits high, out of olive wood.
1 Kings 6:24 One wing of the first cherub was
five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long as well.
So the full wingspan was ten cubits.
1 Kings 6:25 The second cherub also measured ten
cubits; both cherubim had the same size and shape,
1 Kings 6:26 and the height of each cherub was
ten cubits.
1 Kings 6:27 And he placed the cherubim inside
the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread
out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing
of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of
the room their wingtips touched.
1 Kings 6:28 He also overlaid the cherubim with
gold.
1 Kings 6:29 Then he carved the walls all around
the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved
engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
1 Kings 6:30 And he overlaid the temple floor
with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.
1 Kings 6:31 For the entrance to the inner
sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided
doorposts.
1 Kings 6:32 The double doors were made of olive
wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open
flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered
gold.
1 Kings 6:33 In the same way he made four-sided
doorposts of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance.
1 Kings 6:34 The two doors were made of cypress
wood, and each had two folding panels.
1 Kings 6:35 He carved into them cherubim, palm
trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold, hammered
evenly over the carvings.
1 Kings 6:36 Solomon built the inner courtyard
with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar
beams.
1 Kings 6:37 The foundation of the house of the
LORD was laid in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the month
of Ziv.
1 Kings 6:38 In his eleventh year and eighth
month, the month of Bul, the temple was finished in every detail
and according to every specification. So he built the temple in
seven years.
1 Kings 7:1 Solomon, however, took thirteen
years to complete the construction of his entire palace.
1 Kings 7:2 He built the House of the Forest of
Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty
cubits high, with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar
beams.
1 Kings 7:3 The house was roofed with cedar
above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams,
fifteen per row.
1 Kings 7:4 There were three rows of high
windows facing one another in three tiers.
1 Kings 7:5 All the doorways had rectangular
frames, with the openings facing one another in three tiers.
1 Kings 7:6 Solomon made his colonnade fifty
cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front of it
and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico.
1 Kings 7:7 In addition, he built a hall for the
throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled
with cedar from floor to ceiling.
1 Kings 7:8 And the palace where Solomon would
live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made
a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had
married.
1 Kings 7:9 All these buildings were constructed
with costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and
out from the foundation to the eaves, and from the outside to the
great courtyard.
1 Kings 7:10 The foundations were laid with
large, costly stones, some ten cubits long and some eight cubits
long.
1 Kings 7:11 Above these were high-grade stones,
cut to size, and cedar beams.
1 Kings 7:12 The great courtyard was surrounded
by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams,
as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 7:13 Now King Solomon sent to bring
Huram from Tyre.
1 Kings 7:14 He was the son of a widow from the
tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman
in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for
every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried
out all his work.
1 Kings 7:15 He cast two pillars of bronze, each
eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.
1 Kings 7:16 He also made two capitals of cast
bronze to set on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits
high.
1 Kings 7:17 For the capitals on top of the
pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork,
seven for each capital.
1 Kings 7:18 Likewise, he made the pillars with
two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital
atop the pillars.
1 Kings 7:19 And the capitals atop the pillars
in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high.
1 Kings 7:20 On the capitals of both pillars,
just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the
two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital.
1 Kings 7:21 Thus he set up the pillars at the
portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin,
and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.
1 Kings 7:22 And the tops of the pillars were
shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed.
1 Kings 7:23 He also made the Sea of cast metal.
It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim,
five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
1 Kings 7:24 Below the rim, ornamental buds
encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in
two rows as a part of the Sea.
1 Kings 7:25 The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three
facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three
facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters
toward the center.
1 Kings 7:26 It was a handbreadth thick, and its
rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It
could hold two thousand baths.
1 Kings 7:27 In addition, he made ten movable
stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and
three cubits high.
1 Kings 7:28 This was the design of the stands:
They had side panels attached to uprights,
1 Kings 7:29 and on the panels between the
uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a
pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of
beveled work.
1 Kings 7:30 Each stand had four bronze wheels
with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with
wreaths at each side.
1 Kings 7:31 The opening to each stand inside
the crown at the top was one cubit deep, with a round opening like
the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide. And around its
opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square,
not round.
1 Kings 7:32 There were four wheels under the
panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand;
each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter.
1 Kings 7:33 The wheels were made like chariot
wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast
metal.
1 Kings 7:34 Each stand had four handles, one
for each corner, projecting from the stand.
1 Kings 7:35 At the top of each stand was a
circular band half a cubit high. The supports and panels were cast
as a unit with the top of the stand.
1 Kings 7:36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and
palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever
each had space, with wreaths all around.
1 Kings 7:37 In this way he made the ten stands,
each with the same casting, dimensions, and shape.
1 Kings 7:38 He also made ten bronze basins,
each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one
basin for each of the ten stands.
1 Kings 7:39 He set five stands on the south
side of the temple and five on the north, and he put the Sea on
the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.
1 Kings 7:40 Additionally, Huram made the pots,
shovels, and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished all the work that
he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the LORD:
1 Kings 7:41 the two pillars; the two
bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network
covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;
1 Kings 7:42 the four hundred pomegranates for
the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network
covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
1 Kings 7:43 the ten stands; the ten basins on
the stands;
1 Kings 7:44 the Sea; the twelve oxen underneath
the Sea;
1 Kings 7:45 and the pots, shovels, and
sprinkling bowls. All the articles that Huram made for King
Solomon in the house of the LORD were made of burnished bronze.
1 Kings 7:46 The king had them cast in clay
molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.
1 Kings 7:47 Solomon left all these articles
unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze
could not be determined.
1 Kings 7:48 Solomon also made all the
furnishings for the house of the LORD: the golden altar; the
golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;
1 Kings 7:49 the lampstands of pure gold in
front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on
the left; the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;
1 Kings 7:50 the pure gold basins, wick
trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers; and the gold
hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy
Place) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple.
1 Kings 7:51 So all the work that King Solomon
had performed for the house of the LORD was completed. Then
Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the
silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the
treasuries of the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 8:1 At that time Solomon assembled
before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads
and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the
covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David.
1 Kings 8:2 And all the men of Israel came
together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh month, the
month of Ethanim.
1 Kings 8:3 When all the elders of Israel had
arrived, the priests took up the ark,
1 Kings 8:4 and they brought up the ark of the
LORD and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. So
the priests and Levites carried them up.
1 Kings 8:5 There, before the ark, King Solomon
and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him
sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted
or numbered.
1 Kings 8:6 Then the priests brought the ark of
the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of
the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the
cherubim.
1 Kings 8:7 For the cherubim spread their wings
over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.
1 Kings 8:8 The poles extended far enough that
their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner
sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there
to this day.
1 Kings 8:9 There was nothing in the ark except
the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where
the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had
come out of the land of Egypt.
1 Kings 8:10 And when the priests came out of
the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD
1 Kings 8:11 so that the priests could not stand
there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD
filled the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 8:12 Then Solomon declared: “The LORD
has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
1 Kings 8:13 I have indeed built You an exalted
house, a place for You to dwell forever.”
1 Kings 8:14 And as the whole assembly of Israel
stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all
1 Kings 8:15 and said: “Blessed be the LORD, the
God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke
with His mouth to my father David, saying,
1 Kings 8:16 ‘Since the day I brought My people
Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of
Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there.
But I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’
1 Kings 8:17 Now it was in the heart of my
father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of
Israel.
1 Kings 8:18 But the LORD said to my father
David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name,
you have done well to have this in your heart.
1 Kings 8:19 Nevertheless, you are not the one
to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the
house for My Name.’
1 Kings 8:20 Now the LORD has fulfilled the word
that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the
throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for
the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
1 Kings 8:21 And there I have provided a place
for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He made
with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
1 Kings 8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar
of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out
his hands toward heaven,
1 Kings 8:23 and said: “O LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below,
keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who
walk before You with all their hearts.
1 Kings 8:24 You have kept Your promise to Your
servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have
fulfilled with Your hand this day.
1 Kings 8:25 Therefore now, O LORD, God of
Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised
when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me
on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way
to walk before Me as you have done.’
1 Kings 8:26 And now, O God of Israel, please
confirm what You promised to Your servant, my father David.
1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell upon the
earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much
less this temple I have built.
1 Kings 8:28 Yet regard the prayer and plea of
Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the
prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.
1 Kings 8:29 May Your eyes be open toward this
temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name
shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant
prays toward this place.
1 Kings 8:30 Hear the plea of Your servant and
of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You
hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.
1 Kings 8:31 When a man sins against his
neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an
oath before Your altar in this temple,
1 Kings 8:32 then may You hear from heaven and
act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by
bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the
righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
1 Kings 8:33 When Your people Israel are
defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and
they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading
with You in this temple,
1 Kings 8:34 then may You hear from heaven and
forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to the
land You gave to their fathers.
1 Kings 8:35 When the skies are shut and there
is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they
pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from
their sins because You have afflicted them,
1 Kings 8:36 then may You hear from heaven and
forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You
may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You
send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.
1 Kings 8:37 When famine or plague comes upon
the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when
their enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever plague or
sickness may come,
1 Kings 8:38 then may whatever prayer or
petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions
and spreading out his hands toward this temple—
1 Kings 8:39 be heard by You from heaven, Your
dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man
according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone
know the hearts of all men—
1 Kings 8:40 so that they may fear You all the
days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.
1 Kings 8:41 And as for the foreigner who is not
of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of
Your name—
1 Kings 8:42 for they will hear of Your great
name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays
toward this temple,
1 Kings 8:43 then may You hear from heaven, Your
dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner
calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your
name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know
that this house I have built is called by Your Name.
1 Kings 8:44 When Your people go to war against
their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the
LORD in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house I
have built for Your Name,
1 Kings 8:45 then may You hear from heaven their
prayer and their plea, and may You uphold their cause.
1 Kings 8:46 When they sin against You—for there
is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and
deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own
land, whether far or near,
1 Kings 8:47 and when they come to their senses
in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead
with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and
done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’
1 Kings 8:48 and when they return to You with
all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them
captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land
that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the
house I have built for Your Name,
1 Kings 8:49 then may You hear from heaven, Your
dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold
their cause.
1 Kings 8:50 May You forgive Your people who
have sinned against You and all the transgressions they have
committed against You, and may You grant them compassion in the
eyes of their captors to show them mercy.
1 Kings 8:51 For they are Your people and Your
inheritance; You brought them out of Egypt, out of the furnace for
iron.
1 Kings 8:52 May Your eyes be open to the pleas
of Your servant and of Your people Israel, and may You listen to
them whenever they call to You.
1 Kings 8:53 For You, O Lord GOD, as Your
inheritance, have set them apart from all the peoples of the
earth, as You spoke through Your servant Moses when You brought
our fathers out of Egypt.”
1 Kings 8:54 Now when Solomon had finished
praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up
before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his
hands spread out toward heaven.
1 Kings 8:55 And he stood and blessed the whole
assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given
rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. Not
one word has failed of all the good promises He made through His
servant Moses.
1 Kings 8:57 May the LORD our God be with us, as
He was with our fathers. May He never leave us nor forsake us.
1 Kings 8:58 May He incline our hearts to
Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commandments and
statutes and ordinances He commanded our fathers.
1 Kings 8:59 And may these words with which I
have made my petition before the LORD be near to the LORD our God
day and night, so that He may uphold the cause of His servant and
of His people Israel as each day requires,
1 Kings 8:60 so that all the peoples of the
earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!
1 Kings 8:61 So let your heart be fully devoted
to the LORD our God, as it is this day, to walk in His statutes
and to keep His commandments.”
1 Kings 8:62 Then the king and all Israel with
him offered sacrifices before the LORD.
1 Kings 8:63 And Solomon offered as peace
offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king
and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.
1 Kings 8:64 On that same day the king
consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of
the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain
offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze
altar before the LORD was too small to contain all these
offerings.
1 Kings 8:65 So at that time Solomon and all
Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the
Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven
days and seven more days—fourteen days in all.
1 Kings 8:66 On the fifteenth day Solomon sent
the people away. So they blessed the king and went home, joyful
and glad in heart for all the good things that the LORD had done
for His servant David and for His people Israel.
1 Kings 9:1 Now when Solomon had finished
building the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and had
achieved all that he had desired to do,
1 Kings 9:2 the LORD appeared to him a second
time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
1 Kings 9:3 And the LORD said to him: “I have
heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this
temple you have built by putting My Name there forever; My eyes
and My heart will be there for all time.
1 Kings 9:4 And as for you, if you walk before
Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and
uprightness, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My
statutes and ordinances,
1 Kings 9:5 then I will establish your royal
throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I
said, ‘You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
1 Kings 9:6 But if indeed you or your sons turn
away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and
statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and
worship other gods,
1 Kings 9:7 then I will cut off Israel from the
land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence
this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become
an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.
1 Kings 9:8 And when this temple has become a
heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss
and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to
this temple?’
1 Kings 9:9 And others will answer, ‘Because
they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers
out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping
and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this
disaster upon them.’”
1 Kings 9:10 Now at the end of the twenty years
during which Solomon built these two houses, the house of the LORD
and the royal palace,
1 Kings 9:11 King Solomon gave twenty towns in
the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him
with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.
1 Kings 9:12 So Hiram went out from Tyre to
inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not
pleased with them.
1 Kings 9:13 “What are these towns you have
given me, my brother?” asked Hiram, and he called them the Land of
Cabul, as they are called to this day.
1 Kings 9:14 And Hiram had sent the king 120
talents of gold.
1 Kings 9:15 This is the account of the forced
labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD,
his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of
Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
1 Kings 9:16 Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked
and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites
who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter,
Solomon’s wife.
1 Kings 9:17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower
Beth-horon,
1 Kings 9:18 Baalath, and Tamar in the
Wilderness of Judah,
1 Kings 9:19 as well as all the store cities
that Solomon had for his chariots and horses—whatever he desired
to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his
dominion.
1 Kings 9:20 As for all the people who remained
of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the
people who were not Israelites)—
1 Kings 9:21 their descendants who remained in
the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to
destruction—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced
laborers, as they are to this day.
1 Kings 9:22 But Solomon did not consign any of
the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his
servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his
chariots and cavalry.
1 Kings 9:23 They were also the chief officers
over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did
the work.
1 Kings 9:24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had
come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had
built for her, he built the supporting terraces.
1 Kings 9:25 Three times a year Solomon offered
burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for
the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he
completed the temple.
1 Kings 9:26 King Solomon also assembled a fleet
of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore
of the Red Sea.
1 Kings 9:27 And Hiram sent his servants, men
who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants.
1 Kings 9:28 They sailed to Ophir and imported
gold from there—420 talents—and delivered it to Solomon.
1 Kings 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard
about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she
came to test him with difficult questions.
1 Kings 10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a
very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great
abundance, and precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke
to him all that was on her mind.
1 Kings 10:3 And Solomon answered all her
questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.
1 Kings 10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the
wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
1 Kings 10:5 the food at his table, the seating
of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and
cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of
the LORD, it took her breath away.
1 Kings 10:6 She said to the king, “The report I
heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.
1 Kings 10:7 But I did not believe these things
until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was
told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the
report I heard.
1 Kings 10:8 How blessed are your men! How
blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before
you and hear your wisdom!
1 Kings 10:9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who
has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because
of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to
carry out justice and righteousness.”
1 Kings 10:10 Then she gave the king 120 talents
of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never
again was such an abundance of spices brought in as those the
queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
1 Kings 10:11 (The fleet of Hiram that brought
gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug
wood and precious stones.
1 Kings 10:12 The king made the almug wood into
steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and
into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug
wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.)
1 Kings 10:13 King Solomon gave the queen of
Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given
her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own
country, along with her servants.
1 Kings 10:14 The weight of gold that came to
Solomon each year was 666 talents,
1 Kings 10:15 not including the revenue from the
merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the
land.
1 Kings 10:16 King Solomon made two hundred
large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went
into each shield.
1 Kings 10:17 He also made three hundred small
shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each
shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of
Lebanon.
1 Kings 10:18 Additionally, the king made a
great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
1 Kings 10:19 The throne had six steps, and its
back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the
seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
1 Kings 10:20 Twelve lions stood on the six
steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever
been made for any kingdom.
1 Kings 10:21 All King Solomon’s drinking cups
were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of
Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was
accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
1 Kings 10:22 For the king had the ships of
Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the
ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes,
and peacocks.
1 Kings 10:23 So King Solomon surpassed all the
kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
1 Kings 10:24 The whole world sought an audience
with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.
1 Kings 10:25 Year after year, each visitor
would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing,
weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
1 Kings 10:26 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots
and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and
also with him in Jerusalem.
1 Kings 10:27 The king made silver as common in
Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the
foothills.
1 Kings 10:28 Solomon’s horses were imported
from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
1 Kings 10:29 A chariot could be imported from
Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred
and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the
Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
1 Kings 11:1 King Solomon, however, loved many
foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab,
Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.
1 Kings 11:2 These women were from the nations
about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not
intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after
their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.
1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives of royal
birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart
away.
1 Kings 11:4 For when Solomon grew old, his
wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not
wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David
had been.
1 Kings 11:5 Solomon followed Ashtoreth the
goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites.
1 Kings 11:6 So Solomon did evil in the sight of
the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD
completely.
1 Kings 11:7 At that time on a hill east of
Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination
of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
1 Kings 11:8 He did the same for all his foreign
wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
1 Kings 11:9 Now the LORD grew angry with
Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God
of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
1 Kings 11:10 Although He had warned Solomon
explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the
LORD’s command.
1 Kings 11:11 Then the LORD said to Solomon,
“Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My
statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away
from you and give it to your servant.
1 Kings 11:12 Nevertheless, for the sake of your
father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear
it out of the hand of your son.
1 Kings 11:13 Yet I will not tear the whole
kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the
sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I
have chosen.”
1 Kings 11:14 Then the LORD raised up against
Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of
Edom.
1 Kings 11:15 Earlier, when David was in Edom,
Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had
struck down every male in Edom.
1 Kings 11:16 Joab and all Israel had stayed
there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.
1 Kings 11:17 But Hadad, still just a young boy,
had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of
his father.
1 Kings 11:18 Hadad and his men set out from
Midian and went to Paran. They took men from Paran with them and
went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house
and land and provided him with food.
1 Kings 11:19 There Hadad found such great favor
in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister
of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife.
1 Kings 11:20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore
Hadad a son named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in
Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there among the sons of
Pharaoh.
1 Kings 11:21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that
David had rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of
the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may
return to my own country.”
1 Kings 11:22 But Pharaoh asked him, “What have
you lacked here with me that you suddenly want to go back to your
own country?” “Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please let me go.”
1 Kings 11:23 And God raised up against Solomon
another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his
master, Hadadezer king of Zobah,
1 Kings 11:24 and had gathered men to himself.
When David killed the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders
and went to Damascus, where they settled and gained control.
1 Kings 11:25 Rezon was Israel’s enemy
throughout the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by
Hadad. So Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility toward Israel.
1 Kings 11:26 Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an
Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah.
Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the
king,
1 Kings 11:27 and this is the account of his
rebellion against the king. Solomon had built the supporting
terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his
father David.
1 Kings 11:28 Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of
valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious,
he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of
Joseph.
1 Kings 11:29 During that time, the prophet
Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out
of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and
the two of them were alone in the open field.
1 Kings 11:30 And Ahijah took hold of the new
cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,
1 Kings 11:31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten
pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel,
says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon,
and I will give you ten tribes.
1 Kings 11:32 But one tribe will remain for the
sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I
have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
1 Kings 11:33 For they have forsaken Me to
worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of
the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not
walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My
statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.
1 Kings 11:34 Nevertheless, I will not take the
whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him ruler
all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I
chose because he kept My commandments and statutes.
1 Kings 11:35 But I will take ten tribes of the
kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you.
1 Kings 11:36 I will give one tribe to his son,
so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in
Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.
1 Kings 11:37 But as for you, I will take you,
and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will
be king over Israel.
1 Kings 11:38 If you listen to all that I
command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in
order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David
did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty
just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
1 Kings 11:39 Because of this, I will humble
David’s descendants—but not forever.’”
1 Kings 11:40 Solomon therefore sought to kill
Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of
Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.
1 Kings 11:41 As for the rest of the acts of
Solomon—all that he did, as well as his wisdom—are they not
written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?
1 Kings 11:42 Thus the time that Solomon reigned
in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
1 Kings 11:43 And Solomon rested with his
fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his
son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
1 Kings 12:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for
all Israel had gone there to make him king.
1 Kings 12:2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard
about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King
Solomon and had been living ever since.
1 Kings 12:3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he
and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
1 Kings 12:4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on
us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service
and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
1 Kings 12:5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for
three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
1 Kings 12:6 Then King Rehoboam consulted with
the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime.
“How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.
1 Kings 12:7 They replied, “If you will be a
servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will
respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants
forever.”
1 Kings 12:8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of
the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up
with him and served him.
1 Kings 12:9 He asked them, “What message do you
advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me,
saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
1 Kings 12:10 The young men who had grown up
with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who
said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make
it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger
is thicker than my father’s waist!
1 Kings 12:11 Whereas my father burdened you
with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father
scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
1 Kings 12:12 After three days, Jeroboam and all
the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come
back to me on the third day.”
1 Kings 12:13 And the king answered the people
harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
1 Kings 12:14 and spoke to them as the young men
had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I
will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips,
I will scourge you with scorpions.”
1 Kings 12:15 So the king did not listen to the
people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to
fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through
Ahijah the Shilonite.
1 Kings 12:16 When all Israel saw that the king
had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What
portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of
Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O
David!” So the Israelites went home,
1 Kings 12:17 but Rehoboam still reigned over
the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.
1 Kings 12:18 Then King Rehoboam sent out
Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel
stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in
haste and escaped to Jerusalem.
1 Kings 12:19 So to this day Israel has been in
rebellion against the house of David.
1 Kings 12:20 When all Israel heard that
Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made
him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the
house of David.
1 Kings 12:21 And when Rehoboam arrived in
Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of
Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of
Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.
1 Kings 12:22 But the word of God came to
Shemaiah the man of God:
1 Kings 12:23 “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king
of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the
people
1 Kings 12:24 that this is what the LORD says:
‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the
Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from
Me.’” So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back
according to the word of the LORD.
1 Kings 12:25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the
hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went
out and built Penuel.
1 Kings 12:26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now
the kingdom might revert to the house of David.
1 Kings 12:27 If these people go up to offer
sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts
will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will
kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
1 Kings 12:28 After seeking advice, the king
made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to
Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who
brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”
1 Kings 12:29 One calf he set up in Bethel, and
the other in Dan.
1 Kings 12:30 And this thing became a sin; the
people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.
1 Kings 12:31 Jeroboam also built shrines on the
high places and appointed from every class of people priests who
were not Levites.
1 Kings 12:32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast on
the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in
Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this
offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and
he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.
1 Kings 12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth
month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on
the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the
Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.
1 Kings 13:1 Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing
beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from
Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.
1 Kings 13:2 And he cried out against the altar
by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD
says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and
upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn
incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”
1 Kings 13:3 That day the man of God gave a
sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar
will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
1 Kings 13:4 Now when King Jeroboam, who was at
the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried
out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!”
But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he
could not pull it back.
1 Kings 13:5 And the altar was split apart, and
the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God
had given by the word of the LORD.
1 Kings 13:6 Then the king responded to the man
of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand
may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and
the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.
1 Kings 13:7 Then the king said to the man of
God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you
a reward.”
1 Kings 13:8 But the man of God replied, “If you
were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with
you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.
1 Kings 13:9 For this is what I was commanded by
the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or
return by the way you came.’”
1 Kings 13:10 So the man of God went another way
and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
1 Kings 13:11 Now a certain old prophet was
living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds
that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told
their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.
1 Kings 13:12 “Which way did he go?” their
father asked. And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of
God, who had come from Judah.
1 Kings 13:13 So the prophet said to his sons,
“Saddle the donkey for me.” Then they saddled the donkey for him,
and he mounted it
1 Kings 13:14 and went after the man of God. He
found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of
God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied.
1 Kings 13:15 So the prophet said to the man of
God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”
1 Kings 13:16 But the man replied, “I cannot
return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this
place.
1 Kings 13:17 For I have been told by the word
of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or
return by the way you came.’”
1 Kings 13:18 Then the prophet replied, “I too
am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the
LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he
may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him,
1 Kings 13:19 but the man of God went back with
him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
1 Kings 13:20 While they were sitting at the
table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought
him back,
1 Kings 13:21 and the prophet cried out to the
man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says:
‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept
the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,
1 Kings 13:22 but you went back and ate bread
and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your
body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”
1 Kings 13:23 And after the man of God had
finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him
back saddled the donkey for him.
1 Kings 13:24 As he went on his way, a lion met
him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the
road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
1 Kings 13:25 And there were men passing by who
saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it,
and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet
lived.
1 Kings 13:26 When the prophet who had brought
him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of
God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has
delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him,
according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”
1 Kings 13:27 Then the old prophet instructed
his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,
1 Kings 13:28 and he went and found the body
lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside
it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
1 Kings 13:29 So the old prophet lifted up the
body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back
to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.
1 Kings 13:30 Then he laid the body in his own
tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”
1 Kings 13:31 After he had buried him, the
prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the
tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his
bones,
1 Kings 13:32 for the message that he cried out
by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against
all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will
surely come to pass.”
1 Kings 13:33 Even after these events, Jeroboam
did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests
for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone
who desired to be a priest of the high places.
1 Kings 13:34 And this was the sin of the house
of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the
face of the earth.
1 Kings 14:1 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam
became ill,
1 Kings 14:2 and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now
get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my
wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he
who spoke about my kingship over this people.
1 Kings 14:3 Take with you ten loaves of bread,
some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you
what will become of the boy.”
1 Kings 14:4 Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed;
she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now
Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.
1 Kings 14:5 But the LORD had said to Ahijah,
“Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son,
for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when
she arrives, she will be disguised.”
1 Kings 14:6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of
her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam!
Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.
1 Kings 14:7 Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what
the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the
people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel.
1 Kings 14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the
house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My
servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all
his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.
1 Kings 14:9 You have done more evil than all
who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other
gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind
your back.
1 Kings 14:10 Because of all this, behold, I am
bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will cut off from
Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn
up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!
1 Kings 14:11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who
dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the
field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’ For the LORD has
spoken.
1 Kings 14:12 As for you, get up and go home.
When your feet enter the city, the child will die.
1 Kings 14:13 All Israel will mourn for him and
bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will
receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God
of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.
1 Kings 14:14 Moreover, the LORD will raise up
for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of
Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!
1 Kings 14:15 For the LORD will strike Israel as
a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this
good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them
beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles,
provoking the LORD to anger.
1 Kings 14:16 So He will give Israel over on
account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel
to commit.”
1 Kings 14:17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and
departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold
of the house, the boy died.
1 Kings 14:18 And they buried him, and all
Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had
spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.
1 Kings 14:19 As for the rest of the acts of
Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
1 Kings 14:20 And the length of Jeroboam’s reign
was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son
Nadab reigned in his place.
1 Kings 14:21 Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon
reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king,
and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had
chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His
mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
1 Kings 14:22 And Judah did evil in the sight of
the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to
jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.
1 Kings 14:23 They also built for themselves
high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill
and under every green tree.
1 Kings 14:24 There were even male shrine
prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the
nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
1 Kings 14:25 In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s
reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem.
1 Kings 14:26 He seized the treasures of the
house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything,
including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.
1 Kings 14:27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze
shields in their place and committed them to the care of the
captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.
1 Kings 14:28 And whenever the king entered the
house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later
they would return them to the guardroom.
1 Kings 14:29 As for the rest of the acts of
Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
1 Kings 14:30 There was war between Rehoboam and
Jeroboam throughout their days.
1 Kings 14:31 And Rehoboam rested with his
fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his
mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned
in his place.
1 Kings 15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign
of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah,
1 Kings 15:2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three
years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
1 Kings 15:3 And Abijam walked in all the sins
that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as
fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his
forefather had been.
1 Kings 15:4 Nevertheless, for the sake of
David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up
a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.
1 Kings 15:5 For David had done what was right
in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the
LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of
Uriah the Hittite.
1 Kings 15:6 And there was war between the
houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life.
1 Kings 15:7 As for the rest of the acts of
Abijam, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was
war between Abijam and Jeroboam.
1 Kings 15:8 And Abijam rested with his fathers
and was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa reigned in
his place.
1 Kings 15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s
reign over Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
1 Kings 15:10 and he reigned in Jerusalem
forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of
Abishalom.
1 Kings 15:11 And Asa did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.
1 Kings 15:12 He banished the male shrine
prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his
fathers had made.
1 Kings 15:13 He also removed his grandmother
Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a
detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it
in the Kidron Valley.
1 Kings 15:14 The high places were not removed,
but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days.
1 Kings 15:15 And he brought into the house of
the LORD the silver and gold and other articles that he and his
father had dedicated.
1 Kings 15:16 Now there was war between Asa and
Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
1 Kings 15:17 Baasha king of Israel went to war
against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving
or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
1 Kings 15:18 So Asa withdrew all the silver and
gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and
the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them
with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion
king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
1 Kings 15:19 “Let there be a treaty between me
and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a
gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha
king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
1 Kings 15:20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa
and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of
Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land
of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.
1 Kings 15:21 When Baasha learned of this, he
stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.
1 Kings 15:22 Then King Asa summoned all the men
of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of
Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these
materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.
1 Kings 15:23 Now the rest of the acts of Asa,
along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities
he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of
the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he became diseased in
his feet.
1 Kings 15:24 And Asa rested with his fathers
and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his
son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.
1 Kings 15:25 In the second year of Asa’s reign
over Judah, Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he
reigned two years.
1 Kings 15:26 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which
he had caused Israel to commit.
1 Kings 15:27 Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the
house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him
down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel
were besieging the city.
1 Kings 15:28 In the third year of Asa’s reign
over Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.
1 Kings 15:29 As soon as Baasha became king, he
struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to
Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all according to
the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the
Shilonite,
1 Kings 15:30 because of the sins Jeroboam had
committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had
provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.
1 Kings 15:31 As for the rest of the acts of
Nadab, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1 Kings 15:32 And there was war between Asa and
Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.
1 Kings 15:33 In the third year of Asa’s reign
over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he
reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.
1 Kings 15:34 And Baasha did evil in the sight
of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin,
which he had caused Israel to commit.
1 Kings 16:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying:
1 Kings 16:2 “Even though I lifted you out of
the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, you have walked
in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin and
to provoke Me to anger by their sins.
1 Kings 16:3 So now I will consume Baasha and
his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of
Nebat:
1 Kings 16:4 Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies
in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the
field will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
1 Kings 16:5 As for the rest of the acts of
Baasha, along with his accomplishments and might, are they not
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1 Kings 16:6 And Baasha rested with his fathers
and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah reigned in his place.
1 Kings 16:7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came
through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his
house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the
LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands and
becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had
struck down the house of Jeroboam.
1 Kings 16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa’s
reign over Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he
reigned in Tirzah two years.
1 Kings 16:9 However, while Elah was in Tirzah
getting drunk in the house of Arza the steward of his household
there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the commander of half his chariots,
conspired against him.
1 Kings 16:10 So in the twenty-seventh year of
Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, and
killed him. And Zimri reigned in his place.
1 Kings 16:11 As soon as Zimri began to reign
and was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire household
of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, whether a kinsman or
friend.
1 Kings 16:12 So Zimri destroyed the entire
household of Baasha, according to the word that the LORD had
spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet.
1 Kings 16:13 This happened because of all the
sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel
to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with
their worthless idols.
1 Kings 16:14 As for the rest of the acts of
Elah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1 Kings 16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of
Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah for seven days.
Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines,
1 Kings 16:16 and the people in the camp heard
that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the
king. So there in the camp that very day, all Israel proclaimed
Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel.
1 Kings 16:17 Then Omri and all the Israelites
marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.
1 Kings 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was
captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it
down upon himself. So he died
1 Kings 16:19 because of the sins he had
committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD and following the
example of Jeroboam and the sin he had committed and had caused
Israel to commit.
1 Kings 16:20 As for the rest of the acts of
Zimri and the treason he committed, are they not written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1 Kings 16:21 At that time the people of Israel
were divided: Half of the people supported Tibni son of Ginath as
king, and half supported Omri.
1 Kings 16:22 But the followers of Omri proved
stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri
became king.
1 Kings 16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s
reign over Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned
twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.
1 Kings 16:24 He bought the hill of Samaria from
Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city there, calling
it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.
1 Kings 16:25 But Omri did evil in the sight of
the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.
1 Kings 16:26 For he walked in all the ways of
Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to
commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their
worthless idols.
1 Kings 16:27 As for the rest of the acts of
Omri, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised,
are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
Israel?
1 Kings 16:28 And Omri rested with his fathers
and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place.
1 Kings 16:29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s
reign over Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he
reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.
1 Kings 16:30 However, Ahab son of Omri did evil
in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.
1 Kings 16:31 And as if it were not enough for
him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married
Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then
proceeded to serve and worship Baal.
1 Kings 16:32 First, Ahab set up an altar for
Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.
1 Kings 16:33 Then he set up an Asherah pole.
Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to
anger than all the kings of Israel before him.
1 Kings 16:34 In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite
rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its
foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its
gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through
Joshua son of Nun.
1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was
among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD
lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither
dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
1 Kings 17:2 Then a revelation from the LORD
came to Elijah:
1 Kings 17:3 “Leave here, turn eastward, and
hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.
1 Kings 17:4 And you are to drink from the
brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
1 Kings 17:5 So Elijah did what the LORD had
told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of
the Jordan.
1 Kings 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread
and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the
brook.
1 Kings 17:7 Some time later, however, the brook
dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
1 Kings 17:8 Then the word of the LORD came to
Elijah:
1 Kings 17:9 “Get up and go to Zarephath of
Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to
provide for you.”
1 Kings 17:10 So Elijah got up and went to
Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow
gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me
a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.”
1 Kings 17:11 And as she was going to get it, he
called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”
1 Kings 17:12 But she replied, “As surely as the
LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a
jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of
sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so
that we may eat it and die.”
1 Kings 17:13 “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to
her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake
of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward,
make some for yourself and your son,
1 Kings 17:14 for this is what the LORD, the God
of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the
jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon
the face of the earth.’”
1 Kings 17:15 So she went and did according to
the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and
the woman and her household.
1 Kings 17:16 The jar of flour was not exhausted
and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the
LORD had spoken through Elijah.
1 Kings 17:17 Later, the son of the woman who
owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse,
until no breath remained in him.
1 Kings 17:18 “O man of God,” said the woman to
Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of
my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
1 Kings 17:19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me
your son.” So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper
room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
1 Kings 17:20 Then he cried out to the LORD, “O
LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has
opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?”
1 Kings 17:21 Then he stretched himself out over
the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God,
please let this boy’s life return to him!”
1 Kings 17:22 And the LORD listened to the voice
of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived.
1 Kings 17:23 Then Elijah took the child,
brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him
to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.
1 Kings 17:24 Then the woman said to Elijah,
“Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the
LORD from your mouth is truth.”
1 Kings 18:1 After a long time, in the third
year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and
present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of
the earth.”
1 Kings 18:2 So Elijah went to present himself
to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,
1 Kings 18:3 and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was
in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,
1 Kings 18:4 for when Jezebel had slaughtered
the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and
hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and
water.)
1 Kings 18:5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go
throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we
will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will
not have to destroy any livestock.”
1 Kings 18:6 So they divided the land to
explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other
way by himself.
1 Kings 18:7 Now as Obadiah went on his way,
Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell
facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”
1 Kings 18:8 “It is I,” he answered. “Go tell
your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”
1 Kings 18:9 But Obadiah replied, “How have I
sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me
to death?
1 Kings 18:10 As surely as the LORD your God
lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent
someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he
made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.
1 Kings 18:11 And now you say, ‘Go tell your
master that Elijah is here!’
1 Kings 18:12 I do not know where the Spirit of
the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and
tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your
servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.
1 Kings 18:13 Was it not reported to my lord
what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I
hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I
provided them with food and water.
1 Kings 18:14 And now you say, ‘Go tell your
lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”
1 Kings 18:15 Then Elijah said, “As surely as
the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present
myself to Ahab today.”
1 Kings 18:16 So Obadiah went to inform Ahab,
who went to meet Elijah.
1 Kings 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to
him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
1 Kings 18:18 “I have not troubled Israel,”
Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you
have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the
Baals.
1 Kings 18:19 Now summon all Israel to meet me
on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of
Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s
table.”
1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab summoned all the
Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah approached all the
people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If
the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But
the people did not answer a word.
1 Kings 18:22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I
am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four
hundred and fifty prophets.
1 Kings 18:23 Get two bulls for us. Let the
prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into
pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I
will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light
the fire.
1 Kings 18:24 Then you may call on the name of
your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who
answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What
you say is good.”
1 Kings 18:25 Then Elijah said to the prophets
of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one
bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but
do not light the fire.”
1 Kings 18:26 And they took the bull that was
given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from
morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was
no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they
had made.
1 Kings 18:27 At noon Elijah began to taunt
them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep
in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping
and must be awakened!”
1 Kings 18:28 So they shouted louder and cut
themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the
blood gushed over them.
1 Kings 18:29 Midday passed, and they kept on
raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no
response; no one answered, no one paid attention.
1 Kings 18:30 Then Elijah said to all the
people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and
he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.
1 Kings 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, one
for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD
had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.”
1 Kings 18:32 And with the stones, Elijah built
an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the
altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
1 Kings 18:33 Next, he arranged the wood, cut up
the bull, placed it on the wood,
1 Kings 18:34 and said, “Fill four waterpots and
pour the water on the offering and on the wood.” “Do it a second
time,” he said, and they did it a second time. “Do it a third
time,” he said, and they did it a third time.
1 Kings 18:35 So the water ran down around the
altar and even filled the trench.
1 Kings 18:36 At the time of the evening
sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O
LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day
that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have
done all these things at Your command.
1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so
that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that
You have turned their hearts back again.”
1 Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and
consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it
licked up the water in the trench.
1 Kings 18:39 When all the people saw this, they
fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is
God!”
1 Kings 18:40 Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize
the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they
seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and
slaughtered them there.
1 Kings 18:41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up,
eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
1 Kings 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink.
But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the
ground, and put his face between his knees.
1 Kings 18:43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he
said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said,
“There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
1 Kings 18:44 On the seventh time the servant
reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from
the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your
chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
1 Kings 18:45 Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with
clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away
and went to Jezreel.
1 Kings 18:46 And the hand of the LORD came upon
Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of
Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
1 Kings 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything
that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with
the sword.
1 Kings 19:2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to
Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely,
if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of
those you killed!”
1 Kings 19:3 And Elijah was afraid and ran for
his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant
there,
1 Kings 19:4 while he himself traveled on a
day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree
and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said.
“Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
1 Kings 19:5 Then he lay down under the broom
tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get
up and eat.”
1 Kings 19:6 And he looked around, and there by
his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of
water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.
1 Kings 19:7 A second time the angel of the LORD
returned and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the journey
will be too much for you.”
1 Kings 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. And
strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights
until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:9 There Elijah entered a cave and
spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:10 “I have been very zealous for the
LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have
forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your
prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are
seeking my life as well.”
1 Kings 19:11 Then the LORD said, “Go out and
stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about
to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains
and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in
the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was
not in the earthquake.
1 Kings 19:12 After the earthquake there was a
fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a
still, small voice.
1 Kings 19:13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped
his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the
cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing
here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:14 “I have been very zealous for the
LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have
forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your
prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are
seeking my life as well.”
1 Kings 19:15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go
back by the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When
you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.
1 Kings 19:16 You are also to anoint Jehu son of
Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from
Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.
1 Kings 19:17 Then Jehu will put to death
whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death
whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.
1 Kings 19:18 Nevertheless, I have reserved
seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal
and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
1 Kings 19:19 So Elijah departed and found
Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen,
and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw
his cloak around him.
1 Kings 19:20 So Elisha left the oxen, ran after
Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother
goodbye, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” Elijah
replied, “for what have I done to you?”
1 Kings 19:21 So Elisha turned back from him,
took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s
equipment, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they
ate. Then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.
1 Kings 20:1 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram
assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with
their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and
waged war against it.
1 Kings 20:2 Then he sent messengers into the
city to Ahab king of Israel,
1 Kings 20:3 saying, “This is what Ben-hadad
says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and
children are mine!’”
1 Kings 20:4 And the king of Israel replied,
“Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all
that I have.”
1 Kings 20:5 The messengers came back and said,
“This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your
silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
1 Kings 20:6 But about this time tomorrow I will
send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your
servants. They will seize and carry away all that is precious to
you.’”
1 Kings 20:7 Then the king of Israel summoned
all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see
that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my
wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.”
1 Kings 20:8 And the elders and the people all
said, “Do not listen to him or consent to his terms.”
1 Kings 20:9 So Ahab answered the messengers of
Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded of your
servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” So
the messengers departed and relayed the message to Ben-hadad.
1 Kings 20:10 Then Ben-hadad sent another
message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely,
if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a
handful.”
1 Kings 20:11 And the king of Israel replied,
“Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one
taking it off.’”
1 Kings 20:12 Ben-hadad received this message
while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he said
to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they stationed
themselves against the city.
1 Kings 20:13 Meanwhile a prophet approached
Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do
you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into
your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
1 Kings 20:14 “By whom?” Ahab asked. And the
prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young
officers of the district governors.’” “Who will start the battle?”
asked Ahab. “You will,” answered the prophet.
1 Kings 20:15 So Ahab assembled the young
officers of the district governors, and there were 232 men. And
after them, he assembled the rest of the Israelite troops, 7,000
in all.
1 Kings 20:16 They marched out at noon while
Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents
getting drunk.
1 Kings 20:17 And the young officers of the
district governors marched out first. Now Ben-hadad had sent out
scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”
1 Kings 20:18 “If they have marched out in
peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out
for war, take them alive.”
1 Kings 20:19 Meanwhile, these young officers of
the district governors marched out of the city, with the army
behind them,
1 Kings 20:20 and each one struck down his
opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit.
But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.
1 Kings 20:21 Then the king of Israel marched
out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great
slaughter on the Arameans.
1 Kings 20:22 Afterward, the prophet approached
the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and
take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram
will come up against you.”
1 Kings 20:23 Meanwhile, the servants of the
king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That
is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on
the plains; surely then we will prevail.
1 Kings 20:24 So do this: Dismiss all the kings
from their positions and replace them with other officers.
1 Kings 20:25 And you must raise an army like
the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so
we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely
prevail.” And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.
1 Kings 20:26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized
the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
1 Kings 20:27 The Israelites also mobilized,
gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them. The Israelites
camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the
Arameans covered the countryside.
1 Kings 20:28 Then the man of God approached the
king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the
Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the
valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then
you will know that I am the LORD.’”
1 Kings 20:29 For seven days the armies camped
opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and
the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot
soldiers in one day.
1 Kings 20:30 The rest of them fled into the
city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the
remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner
room.
1 Kings 20:31 Then the servants of Ben-hadad
said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house
of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with
sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he
will spare your life.”
1 Kings 20:32 So with sackcloth around their
waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of
Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my
life.’” And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my
brother.”
1 Kings 20:33 Now the men were looking for a
sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied,
“Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.” “Go and get him!” said the king.
Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his
chariot.
1 Kings 20:34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will
restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up
your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”
“By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty
with him and sent him away.
1 Kings 20:35 Meanwhile, by the word of the
LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion,
“Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.
1 Kings 20:36 Then the prophet said to him,
“Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you
depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion
found him and killed him.
1 Kings 20:37 Then the prophet found another man
and said, “Strike me, please!” So the man struck him and wounded
him,
1 Kings 20:38 and the prophet went and waited on
the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his
eyes.
1 Kings 20:39 As the king passed by, he cried
out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of
the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told
me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life
will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of
silver.’
1 Kings 20:40 But while your servant was busy
here and there, the man disappeared.” And the king of Israel said
to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on
yourself.”
1 Kings 20:41 Then the prophet quickly removed
the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him
as one of the prophets.
1 Kings 20:42 And the prophet said to the king,
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your
hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be
exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’”
1 Kings 20:43 Sullen and angry, the king of
Israel went home to Samaria.
1 Kings 21:1 Some time later, Naboth the
Jezreelite happened to own a vineyard in Jezreel next to the
palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1 Kings 21:2 So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me
your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my
palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you
prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”
1 Kings 21:3 But Naboth replied, “The LORD
forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
1 Kings 21:4 So Ahab went to his palace, sullen
and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told him, “I will not
give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed,
turned his face away, and refused to eat.
1 Kings 21:5 Soon his wife Jezebel came in and
asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”
1 Kings 21:6 Ahab answered, “Because I spoke to
Naboth the Jezreelite and told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for
silver, or if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its
place.’ And he replied, ‘I will not give you my vineyard!’”
1 Kings 21:7 But his wife Jezebel said to him,
“Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be
cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the
Jezreelite.”
1 Kings 21:8 Then Jezebel wrote letters in
Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the
elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
1 Kings 21:9 In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim
a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
1 Kings 21:10 But seat two scoundrels opposite
him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the
king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
1 Kings 21:11 So the elders and nobles who lived
in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had instructed in the letters she
had written to them.
1 Kings 21:12 They proclaimed a fast and gave
Naboth a seat of honor among the people.
1 Kings 21:13 And the two scoundrels came in and
sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before
the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So
they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.
1 Kings 21:14 Then they sent word to Jezebel:
“Naboth has been stoned to death.”
1 Kings 21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had
been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take
possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who refused
to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but
dead.”
1 Kings 21:16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth
was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
1 Kings 21:17 Then the word of the LORD came to
Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1 Kings 21:18 “Get up and go down to meet Ahab
king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of
Naboth, of which he has gone to take possession.
1 Kings 21:19 Tell him that this is what the
LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’ Then
tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where
the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will
lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”
1 Kings 21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to
him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.” He replied, “I have
found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the
sight of the LORD.
1 Kings 21:21 This is what the LORD says: ‘I
will bring calamity on you and consume your descendants; I will
cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free.
1 Kings 21:22 I will make your house like that
of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah,
because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin.’
1 Kings 21:23 And the LORD also speaks
concerning Jezebel: ‘The dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of
Jezreel.’
1 Kings 21:24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies
in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the
field will be eaten by the birds of the air.”
1 Kings 21:25 (Surely there was never one like
Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD,
incited by his wife Jezebel.
1 Kings 21:26 He committed the most detestable
acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD
had driven out before the Israelites.)
1 Kings 21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he
tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in
sackcloth and walked around meekly.
1 Kings 21:28 Then the word of the LORD came to
Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
1 Kings 21:29 “Have you seen how Ahab has
humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before
Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will
bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”
1 Kings 22:1 Then three years passed without war
between Aram and Israel.
1 Kings 22:2 However, in the third year,
Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel,
1 Kings 22:3 who said to his servants, “Do you
not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it
from the hand of the king of Aram?”
1 Kings 22:4 So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you
go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered
the king of Israel, “I am like you, my people are your people, and
my horses are your horses.”
1 Kings 22:5 But Jehoshaphat also said to the
king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
1 Kings 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled the
prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to
war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they
replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
1 Kings 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there
not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”
1 Kings 22:8 The king of Israel answered, “There
is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he
never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah
son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat
replied.
1 Kings 22:9 So the king of Israel called one of
his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”
1 Kings 22:10 Dressed in royal attire, the king
of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their
thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of
Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
1 Kings 22:11 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had
made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD
says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are
finished off.’”
1 Kings 22:12 And all the prophets were
prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper,
for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
1 Kings 22:13 Then the messenger who had gone to
call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the
words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let
your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
1 Kings 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as
the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”
1 Kings 22:15 When Micaiah arrived, the king
asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or
should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the
LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”
1 Kings 22:16 But the king said to him, “How
many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the
truth in the name of the LORD?”
1 Kings 22:17 So Micaiah declared: “I saw all
Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And
the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return
home in peace.’”
1 Kings 22:18 Then the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for
me, but only bad?”
1 Kings 22:19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear
the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and
all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His
left.
1 Kings 22:20 And the LORD said, ‘Who will
entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one
suggested this, and another that.
1 Kings 22:21 Then a spirit came forward, stood
before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’
asked the LORD.
1 Kings 22:22 And he replied, ‘I will go out and
be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will
surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’
1 Kings 22:23 So you see, the LORD has put a
lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the
LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
1 Kings 22:24 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah
went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did
the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with
you?”
1 Kings 22:25 Micaiah replied, “You will soon
see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
1 Kings 22:26 And the king of Israel declared,
“Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and
to Joash the king’s son,
1 Kings 22:27 and tell them that this is what
the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and
water until I return safely.’”
1 Kings 22:28 But Micaiah replied, “If you ever
return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added,
“Take heed, all you people!”
1 Kings 22:29 So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
1 Kings 22:30 And the king of Israel said to
Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you
wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself
and went into battle.
1 Kings 22:31 Now the king of Aram had ordered
his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone,
small or great, except the king of Israel.”
1 Kings 22:32 When the chariot commanders saw
Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So
they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.
1 Kings 22:33 And when the chariot commanders
saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from
pursuing him.
1 Kings 22:34 However, a certain man drew his
bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel
between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his
charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am
badly wounded!”
1 Kings 22:35 The battle raged throughout that
day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the
Arameans. And the blood from his wound ran out onto the floor of
the chariot, and that evening he died.
1 Kings 22:36 As the sun was setting, the cry
rang out in the army: “Every man to his own city, and every man to
his own land!”
1 Kings 22:37 So the king died and was brought
to Samaria, where they buried him.
1 Kings 22:38 And the chariot was washed at the
pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked
up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken.
1 Kings 22:39 As for the rest of the acts of
Ahab, along with all his accomplishments and the ivory palace and
all the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
1 Kings 22:40 And Ahab rested with his fathers,
and his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
1 Kings 22:41 In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign
over Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah.
1 Kings 22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five
years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
1 Kings 22:43 And Jehoshaphat walked in all the
ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them, but did
what was right in the eyes of the LORD. The high places, however,
were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense
on the high places.
1 Kings 22:44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with
the king of Israel.
1 Kings 22:45 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoshaphat, along with the might he exercised and how he waged
war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Judah?
1 Kings 22:46 He banished from the land the male
shrine prostitutes who remained from the days of his father Asa.
1 Kings 22:47 And there was no king in Edom; a
deputy served as king.
1 Kings 22:48 Jehoshaphat built ships of
Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because
they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
1 Kings 22:49 At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab
said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants sail with your servants,”
but Jehoshaphat refused.
1 Kings 22:50 And Jehoshaphat rested with his
fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David.
And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.
1 Kings 22:51 In the seventeenth year of
Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of
Israel, and he reigned in Samaria two years.
1 Kings 22:52 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother and of
Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
1 Kings 22:53 Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal,
provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his
father had done.
2 KINGS
2 Kings 1:1 After the death of Ahab, Moab
rebelled against Israel.
2 Kings 1:2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the
lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he
sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub,
the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”
2 Kings 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to
Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of
Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel
that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of
Ekron?’
2 Kings 1:4 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: ‘You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying.
You will surely die.’” So Elijah departed.
2 Kings 1:5 When the messengers returned to the
king, he asked them, “Why have you returned?”
2 Kings 1:6 They replied, “A man came up to meet
us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that
this is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in
Israel that you are sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub,
the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on
which you are lying. You will surely die.’”
2 Kings 1:7 The king asked them, “What sort of
man came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?”
2 Kings 1:8 “He was a hairy man,” they answered,
“with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the
Tishbite,” said the king.
2 Kings 1:9 Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a
captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to
Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of
God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’”
2 Kings 1:10 Elijah answered the captain, “If I
am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you
and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed
the captain and his fifty men.
2 Kings 1:11 So the king sent to Elijah another
captain with his fifty men. And the captain said to Elijah, “Man
of God, the king declares, ‘Come down at once!’”
2 Kings 1:12 Again Elijah replied, “If I am a
man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and
your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and
consumed the captain and his fifty men.
2 Kings 1:13 So the king sent a third captain
with his fifty men. And the third captain went up, fell on his
knees before Elijah, and begged him, “Man of God, may my life and
the lives of these fifty servants please be precious in your
sight.
2 Kings 1:14 Behold, fire has come down from
heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty, with all
their men. But now may my life be precious in your sight.”
2 Kings 1:15 Then the angel of the LORD said to
Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got
up and went down with him to the king.
2 Kings 1:16 And Elijah said to King Ahaziah,
“This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for
you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers
to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not
get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.”
2 Kings 1:17 So Ahaziah died according to the
word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. And since he had no son,
Jehoram succeeded him in the second year of the reign of Jehoram
son of Jehoshaphat over Judah.
2 Kings 1:18 As for the rest of the acts of
Ahaziah, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 2:1 Shortly before the LORD took Elijah
up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way
from Gilgal,
2 Kings 2:2 and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please
stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha
replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I
will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
2 Kings 2:3 Then the sons of the prophets at
Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD
will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he
replied. “Do not speak of it.”
2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please
stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But Elisha
replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I
will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
2 Kings 2:5 Then the sons of the prophets at
Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD
will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he
replied. “Do not speak of it.”
2 Kings 2:6 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please
stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But Elisha
replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I
will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
2 Kings 2:7 Then a company of fifty of the sons
of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Elijah and
Elisha as the two of them stood by the Jordan.
2 Kings 2:8 And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it
up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the
left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
2 Kings 2:9 After they had crossed over, Elijah
said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken
away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your
spirit,” Elisha replied.
2 Kings 2:10 “You have requested a difficult
thing,” said Elijah. “Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken
from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.”
2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and
talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire
appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into
heaven in a whirlwind.
2 Kings 2:12 As Elisha watched, he cried out,
“My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And
he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore
them in two.
2 Kings 2:13 Elisha also picked up the cloak
that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the
bank of the Jordan.
2 Kings 2:14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah
that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the
LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the
waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha
crossed over.
2 Kings 2:15 When the sons of the prophets who
were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said,
“The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him
and bowed down to the ground before him.
2 Kings 2:16 “Look now,” they said to Elisha,
“we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and
search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken
him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the
valleys.” “Do not send them,” Elisha replied.
2 Kings 2:17 But when they pressed him to the
point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty
men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
2 Kings 2:18 When they returned to Elisha, who
was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to
go?”
2 Kings 2:19 Then the men of the city said to
Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good,
as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”
2 Kings 2:20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied,
“and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him,
2 Kings 2:21 and Elisha went out to the spring,
cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I
have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or
unfruitfulness.’”
2 Kings 2:22 And the waters there have been
healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
2 Kings 2:23 From there, Elisha went up to
Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came
out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead!
Go up, you baldhead!”
2 Kings 2:24 Then he turned around, looked at
them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD.
Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled
forty-two of the boys.
2 Kings 2:25 And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel,
and from there he returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 3:1 In the eighteenth year of
Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Jehoram son of Ahab became king of
Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years.
2 Kings 3:2 And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the
sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
2 Kings 3:3 Nevertheless, he clung to the sins
that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not
turn away from them.
2 Kings 3:4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep
breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred
thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams.
2 Kings 3:5 But after the death of Ahab, the
king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
2 Kings 3:6 So at that time King Jehoram set out
from Samaria and mobilized all Israel.
2 Kings 3:7 And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat
king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you
go with me to fight against Moab?” “I will go,” replied
Jehoshaphat. “I am like you, my people are your people, and my
horses are your horses.”
2 Kings 3:8 Then he asked, “Which way shall we
go up?” “By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.
2 Kings 3:9 So the king of Israel, the king of
Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a
roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army
or for their animals.
2 Kings 3:10 “Alas,” said the king of Israel,
“for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into
the hand of Moab!”
2 Kings 3:11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no
prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.”
And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha
son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of
Elijah.”
2 Kings 3:12 Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of
the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and
the king of Edom went down to him.
2 Kings 3:13 Elisha, however, said to the king
of Israel, “What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets
of your father and of your mother!” “No,” replied the king of
Israel, “for it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to
deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
2 Kings 3:14 Then Elisha said, “As surely as the
LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my
regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not
look at you or acknowledge you.
2 Kings 3:15 But now, bring me a harpist.” And
while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
2 Kings 3:16 and he said, “This is what the LORD
says: ‘Dig this valley full of ditches.’
2 Kings 3:17 For the LORD says, ‘You will not
see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and
you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’
2 Kings 3:18 This is a simple matter in the
sight of the LORD, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your
hand.
2 Kings 3:19 And you shall attack every
fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down
every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field
with stones.”
2 Kings 3:20 The next morning, at the time of
the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of
Edom and filled the land.
2 Kings 3:21 Now all the Moabites had heard that
the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear
arms, young and old, were summoned and stationed at the border.
2 Kings 3:22 When they got up early in the
morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as
blood to the Moabites across the way.
2 Kings 3:23 “This is blood!” they exclaimed.
“The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to
the plunder, Moab!”
2 Kings 3:24 But when the Moabites came to the
camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they
fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck
down the Moabites.
2 Kings 3:25 They destroyed the cities, and each
man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They
stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only
Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings
surrounded it and attacked it as well.
2 Kings 3:26 When the king of Moab saw that the
battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred
swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not
prevail.
2 Kings 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who
was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the
city wall. And there was great fury against the Israelites, so
they withdrew and returned to their own land.
2 Kings 4:1 Now the wife of one of the sons of
the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is
dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his
creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”
2 Kings 4:2 “How can I help you?” asked Elisha.
“Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your
servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
2 Kings 4:3 “Go,” said Elisha, “borrow jars,
even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a
few.
2 Kings 4:4 Then go inside, shut the door behind
you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the
full ones aside.”
2 Kings 4:5 So she left him, and after she had
shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to
her, and she kept pouring.
2 Kings 4:6 When all the jars were full, she
said to her son, “Bring me another.” But he replied, “There are no
more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
2 Kings 4:7 She went and told the man of God,
and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and
your sons can live on the remainder.”
2 Kings 4:8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a
prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So
whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.
2 Kings 4:9 Then the woman said to her husband,
“Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy
man of God.
2 Kings 4:10 Please let us make a small room
upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for
him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”
2 Kings 4:11 One day Elisha came to visit and
went to his upper room to lie down.
2 Kings 4:12 And he said to Gehazi his servant,
“Call the Shunammite woman.” And when he had called her, she stood
before him,
2 Kings 4:13 and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now
tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What
can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the
commander of the army?’” “I have a home among my own people,” she
replied.
2 Kings 4:14 So he asked, “Then what should be
done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her
husband is old.”
2 Kings 4:15 “Call her,” said Elisha. So Gehazi
called her, and she stood in the doorway.
2 Kings 4:16 And Elisha declared, “At this time
next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” “No, my lord,” she
said. “Do not lie to your maidservant, O man of God.”
2 Kings 4:17 But the woman did conceive, and at
that time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha
had told her.
2 Kings 4:18 And the child grew, and one day he
went out to his father, who was with the harvesters.
2 Kings 4:19 “My head! My head!” he complained
to his father. So his father told a servant, “Carry him to his
mother.”
2 Kings 4:20 After the servant had picked him up
and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon,
and then he died.
2 Kings 4:21 And she went up and laid him on the
bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door and went out.
2 Kings 4:22 And the woman called her husband
and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the
donkeys, that I may go quickly to the man of God and return.”
2 Kings 4:23 “Why would you go to him today?” he
replied. “It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” “Everything is all
right,” she said.
2 Kings 4:24 Then she saddled the donkey and
told her servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me
unless I tell you.”
2 Kings 4:25 So she set out and went to the man
of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance,
he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the Shunammite
woman.
2 Kings 4:26 Please run out now to meet her and
ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child
all right?’” And she answered, “Everything is all right.”
2 Kings 4:27 When she reached the man of God at
the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her
away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is
in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not
told me.”
2 Kings 4:28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a
son, my lord? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not deceive me?’”
2 Kings 4:29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up
your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet
anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer
him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”
2 Kings 4:30 And the mother of the boy said, “As
surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not
leave you.” So he got up and followed her.
2 Kings 4:31 Gehazi went on ahead of them and
laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or
response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy
has not awakened.”
2 Kings 4:32 When Elisha reached the house,
there was the boy lying dead on his bed.
2 Kings 4:33 So he went in, closed the door
behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.
2 Kings 4:34 Then Elisha got on the bed and lay
on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he
stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm.
2 Kings 4:35 Elisha turned away and paced back
and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched
himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times
and opened his eyes.
2 Kings 4:36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said,
“Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she came. Then
Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”
2 Kings 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and
bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
2 Kings 4:38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal,
there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were
sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large
pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.”
2 Kings 4:39 One of them went out to the field
to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered
as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back
and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they
were.
2 Kings 4:40 And they poured it out for the men
to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is
death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it.
2 Kings 4:41 Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.”
He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to
eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
2 Kings 4:42 Now a man from Baal-shalishah came
to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread
from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said
Elisha.
2 Kings 4:43 But his servant asked, “How am I to
set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to
eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat
and have some left over.’”
2 Kings 4:44 So he set it before them, and they
ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.
2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the
army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight
and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to
Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
2 Kings 5:2 At this time the Arameans had gone
out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel,
and she was serving Naaman’s wife.
2 Kings 5:3 She said to her mistress, “If only
my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure
him of his leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:4 And Naaman went and told his master
what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
2 Kings 5:5 “Go now,” said the king of Aram,
“and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.” So
Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six
thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.
2 Kings 5:6 And the letter that he took to the
king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant
Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
2 Kings 5:7 When the king of Israel read the
letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and
giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you
can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
2 Kings 5:8 Now when Elisha the man of God heard
that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to
the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let the man come
to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
2 Kings 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and
chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
2 Kings 5:10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger,
who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and
your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”
2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman went away angry, saying,
“I thought that he would surely come out, stand and call on the
name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot to cure
my leprosy.
2 Kings 5:12 Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the
rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I
not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went
away in a rage.
2 Kings 5:13 Naaman’s servants, however,
approached him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you
to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more,
then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”
2 Kings 5:14 So Naaman went down and dipped
himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the
man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a
little child, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:15 Then Naaman and all his attendants
went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now
I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in
Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
2 Kings 5:16 But Elisha replied, “As surely as
the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And
although Naaman urged him to accept it, he refused.
2 Kings 5:17 “If you will not,” said Naaman,
“please let me, your servant, be given as much soil as a pair of
mules can carry. For your servant will never again make a burnt
offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD.
2 Kings 5:18 Yet may the LORD forgive your
servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of
Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in
the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this
matter.”
2 Kings 5:19 “Go in peace,” said Elisha. But
after Naaman had traveled a short distance,
2 Kings 5:20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the
man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean,
Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD
lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
2 Kings 5:21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when
Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to
meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
2 Kings 5:22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi
replied. “My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now
discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have
come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a
talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”
2 Kings 5:23 But Naaman insisted, “Please, take
two talents.” And he urged Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up
two talents of silver in two bags along with two sets of clothing
and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of
Gehazi.
2 Kings 5:24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he
took the gifts from the servants and stored them in the house.
Then he dismissed the men, and they departed.
2 Kings 5:25 When Gehazi went in and stood
before his master, Elisha asked him, “Gehazi, where have you
been?” “Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied.
2 Kings 5:26 But Elisha questioned him, “Did not
my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to
meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive
groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and
maidservants?
2 Kings 5:27 Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman
will cling to you and your descendants forever!” And as Gehazi
left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow.
2 Kings 6:1 Now the sons of the prophets said to
Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is
too small for us.
2 Kings 6:2 Please let us go to the Jordan,
where each of us can get a log so we can build ourselves a place
to live there.” “Go,” said Elisha.
2 Kings 6:3 Then one of them said, “Please come
with your servants.” “I will come,” he replied.
2 Kings 6:4 So Elisha went with them, and when
they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
2 Kings 6:5 As one of them was cutting down a
tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he
cried out, “it was borrowed!”
2 Kings 6:6 “Where did it fall?” asked the man
of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a
stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.
2 Kings 6:7 “Lift it out,” he said, and the man
reached out his hand and took it.
2 Kings 6:8 Now the king of Aram was at war
against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My
camp will be in such and such a place.”
2 Kings 6:9 Then the man of God sent word to the
king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the
Arameans are going down there.”
2 Kings 6:10 So the king of Israel sent word to
the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha
warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.
2 Kings 6:11 For this reason the king of Aram
became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell
me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”
2 Kings 6:12 But one of his servants replied,
“No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel,
tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your
bedroom.”
2 Kings 6:13 So the king said, “Go and see where
he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the
report, “Elisha is in Dothan,”
2 Kings 6:14 the king of Aram sent horses,
chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and
surrounded the city.
2 Kings 6:15 When the servant of the man of God
got up and went out early in the morning, an army with horses and
chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my
master, what are we to do?”
2 Kings 6:16 “Do not be afraid,” Elisha
answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are
with them.”
2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please
open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of
the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and
chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:18 As the Arameans came down against
him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with
blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the
word of Elisha.
2 Kings 6:19 And Elisha told them, “This is not
the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you
to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria.
2 Kings 6:20 When they had entered Samaria,
Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may
see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and
discovered that they were in Samaria.
2 Kings 6:21 And when the king of Israel saw
them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill
them?”
2 Kings 6:22 “Do not kill them,” he replied.
“Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or
bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink
and then return to their master.”
2 Kings 6:23 So the king prepared a great feast
for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent
them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean
raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
2 Kings 6:24 Some time later, Ben-hadad king of
Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.
2 Kings 6:25 So there was a great famine in
Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s
head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of
dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
2 Kings 6:26 As the king of Israel was passing
by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the
king!”
2 Kings 6:27 He answered, “If the LORD does not
help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor
or the winepress?”
2 Kings 6:28 Then the king asked her, “What is
the matter?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up
your son, that we may eat him, and tomorrow we will eat my son.’
2 Kings 6:29 So we boiled my son and ate him,
and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat
him.’ But she had hidden her son.”
2 Kings 6:30 When the king heard the words of
the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall,
the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
2 Kings 6:31 He announced, “May God punish me,
and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains
on his shoulders through this day!”
2 Kings 6:32 Now Elisha was sitting in his
house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a
messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders,
“Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head?
Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is
not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
2 Kings 6:33 While Elisha was still speaking
with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said,
“This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD
any longer?”
2 Kings 7:1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of
the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at
the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel,
and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”
2 Kings 7:2 But the officer on whose arm the
king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were
to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will
see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat
any of it.”
2 Kings 7:3 Now there were four men with leprosy
at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another,
“Why just sit here until we die?
2 Kings 7:4 If we say, ‘Let us go into the
city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we
sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the
camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they
kill us, we will die.”
2 Kings 7:5 So they arose at twilight and went
to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts
of the camp, there was not a man to be found.
2 Kings 7:6 For the Lord had caused the Arameans
to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that
they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have
hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
2 Kings 7:7 Thus the Arameans had arisen and
fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys.
The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
2 Kings 7:8 When the lepers reached the edge of
the camp, they went into a tent to eat and drink. Then they
carried off the silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them.
On returning, they entered another tent, carried off some items
from there, and hid them.
2 Kings 7:9 Finally, they said to one another,
“We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If
we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake
us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
2 Kings 7:10 So they went and called out to the
gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and
no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and
the tents were intact.”
2 Kings 7:11 The gatekeepers shouted the news,
and it was reported to the king’s household.
2 Kings 7:12 So the king got up in the night and
said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done
to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to
hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we
will take them alive and enter the city.’”
2 Kings 7:13 But one of his servants replied,
“Please, have scouts take five of the horses that remain in the
city. Their plight will be no worse than all the Israelites who
are left here. You can see that all the Israelites here are
doomed. So let us send them and find out.”
2 Kings 7:14 Then the scouts took two chariots
with horses, and the king sent them after the Aramean army,
saying, “Go and see.”
2 Kings 7:15 And they tracked them as far as the
Jordan, and indeed, the whole way was littered with the clothing
and equipment the Arameans had thrown off in haste. So the scouts
returned and told the king.
2 Kings 7:16 Then the people went out and
plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of
fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a
shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
2 Kings 7:17 Now the king had appointed the
officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but
the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the
man of God had foretold when the king had come to him.
2 Kings 7:18 It happened just as the man of God
had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of
Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of
fine flour will sell for a shekel.”
2 Kings 7:19 And the officer had answered the
man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in
heaven, could this really happen?” So Elisha had replied, “You
will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!”
2 Kings 7:20 And that is just what happened to
him. The people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.
2 Kings 8:1 Now Elisha had said to the woman
whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, you and your household;
go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has
decreed a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land.”
2 Kings 8:2 So the woman had proceeded to do as
the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as
foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.
2 Kings 8:3 At the end of seven years, when the
woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the
king to appeal for her house and her land.
2 Kings 8:4 Now the king had been speaking to
Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to
me all the great things Elisha has done.”
2 Kings 8:5 And Gehazi was telling the king how
Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman
whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her
house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the
woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”
2 Kings 8:6 When the king asked the woman, she
confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying,
“Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the
field from the day that she left the country until now.”
2 Kings 8:7 Then Elisha came to Damascus while
Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man
of God has come here.”
2 Kings 8:8 So the king said to Hazael, “Take a
gift in your hand, go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the
LORD through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’”
2 Kings 8:9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha,
taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing
from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your
son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover
from this illness?’”
2 Kings 8:10 Elisha answered, “Go and tell him,
‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD has shown me that in fact
he will die.”
2 Kings 8:11 Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on
him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began
to weep.
2 Kings 8:12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked
Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,”
Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their
young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and
rip open their pregnant women.”
2 Kings 8:13 “But how could your servant, a mere
dog, do such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael. And Elisha answered,
“The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
2 Kings 8:14 So Hazael left Elisha and went to
his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he
replied, “He told me that you would surely recover.”
2 Kings 8:15 But the next day Hazael took a
thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s
face. So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.
2 Kings 8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of
Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat
succeeded his father as king of Judah.
2 Kings 8:17 Jehoram was thirty-two years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
2 Kings 8:18 And Jehoram walked in the ways of
the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he
married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Kings 8:19 Yet for the sake of His servant
David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had
promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
2 Kings 8:20 In the days of Jehoram, Edom
rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
2 Kings 8:21 So Jehoram crossed over to Zair
with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his
chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops,
however, fled to their homes.
2 Kings 8:22 So to this day Edom has been in
rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at
the same time.
2 Kings 8:23 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoram, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written
in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 8:24 And Jehoram rested with his fathers
and was buried with them in the City of David. And his son Ahaziah
reigned in his place.
2 Kings 8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of
Joram son of Ahab over Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king
of Judah.
2 Kings 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His
mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri king of
Israel.
2 Kings 8:27 And Ahaziah walked in the ways of
the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the
house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
2 Kings 8:28 Then Ahaziah went with Joram son of
Ahab to fight against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and
the Arameans wounded Joram.
2 Kings 8:29 So King Joram returned to Jezreel
to recover from the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him
at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah
son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram
son of Ahab, because Joram had been wounded.
2 Kings 9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned one
of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak
under your belt, take this flask of oil, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
2 Kings 9:2 When you arrive, look for Jehu son
of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his
companions, and take him to an inner room.
2 Kings 9:3 Then take the flask of oil, pour it
on his head, and declare, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint
you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run. Do not delay!”
2 Kings 9:4 So the young prophet went to
Ramoth-gilead,
2 Kings 9:5 and when he arrived, the army
commanders were sitting there. “I have a message for you,
commander,” he said. “For which of us?” asked Jehu. “For you,
commander,” he replied.
2 Kings 9:6 So Jehu got up and went into the
house, where the young prophet poured the oil on his head and
declared, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I
anoint you king over the LORD’s people Israel.
2 Kings 9:7 And you are to strike down the house
of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants
the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the LORD shed by
the hand of Jezebel.
2 Kings 9:8 The whole house of Ahab will perish,
and I will cut off from Ahab every male, both slave and free, in
Israel.
2 Kings 9:9 I will make the house of Ahab like
the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah.
2 Kings 9:10 And on the plot of ground at
Jezreel the dogs will devour Jezebel, and there will be no one to
bury her.’” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.
2 Kings 9:11 When Jehu went out to the servants
of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this
madman come to you?” “You know his kind and their babble,” he
replied.
2 Kings 9:12 “That is a lie!” they said. “Tell
us now!” So Jehu answered, “He talked to me about this and that,
and he said, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over
Israel.’”
2 Kings 9:13 Quickly, each man took his garment
and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s
horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”
2 Kings 9:14 Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the
son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel
had been defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram,
2 Kings 9:15 but King Joram had returned to
Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of
the Arameans in the battle against Hazael their king.) So Jehu
said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let
anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”
2 Kings 9:16 Then Jehu got into his chariot and
went to Jezreel, because Joram was laid up there and Ahaziah king
of Judah had gone down to see him.
2 Kings 9:17 Now the watchman standing on the
tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out,
“I see a company of troops!” “Choose a rider,” Joram commanded.
“Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”
2 Kings 9:18 So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu
and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’”
“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”
And the watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he is
not coming back.”
2 Kings 9:19 So the king sent out a second
horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks:
‘Have you come in peace?’” “What do you know about peace?” Jehu
replied. “Fall in behind me.”
2 Kings 9:20 Again the watchman reported, “He
reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is
driving like Jehu son of Nimshi—he is driving like a madman!”
2 Kings 9:21 “Harness!” Joram shouted, and they
harnessed his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king
of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu on the
property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
2 Kings 9:22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked,
“Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” he
replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother
Jezebel abound?”
2 Kings 9:23 Joram turned around and fled,
calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
2 Kings 9:24 Then Jehu drew his bow and shot
Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he
slumped down in his chariot.
2 Kings 9:25 And Jehu said to Bidkar his
officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the
Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together
behind his father Ahab, the LORD lifted up this burden against
him:
2 Kings 9:26 ‘As surely as I saw the blood of
Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so
will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now
then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him
on the plot of ground.”
2 Kings 9:27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw
this, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued
him, shouting, “Shoot him too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his
chariot on the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo
and died there.
2 Kings 9:28 Then his servants carried him by
chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb
in the City of David.
2 Kings 9:29 (In the eleventh year of Joram son
of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)
2 Kings 9:30 Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel,
Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head,
and looked down from a window.
2 Kings 9:31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she
asked, “Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?”
2 Kings 9:32 He looked up at the window and
called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” And two or three eunuchs
looked down at him.
2 Kings 9:33 “Throw her down!” yelled Jehu. So
they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on
the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
2 Kings 9:34 Then Jehu went in and ate and
drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her,
for she was the daughter of a king.”
2 Kings 9:35 But when they went out to bury her,
they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and the palms of her
hands.
2 Kings 9:36 So they went back and told Jehu,
who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through
His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel
the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel.
2 Kings 9:37 And Jezebel’s body will lie like
dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one
can say: This is Jezebel.’”
2 Kings 10:1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in
Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the
officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the
sons of Ahab, saying:
2 Kings 10:2 “When this letter arrives, since
your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses,
a fortified city and weaponry,
2 Kings 10:3 select the best and most worthy son
of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your
master’s house.”
2 Kings 10:4 But they were terrified and
reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”
2 Kings 10:5 So the palace administrator, the
overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message
to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say.
We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”
2 Kings 10:6 Then Jehu wrote them a second
letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me,
then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by
this time tomorrow.” Now the sons of the king, seventy in all,
were being brought up by the leading men of the city.
2 Kings 10:7 And when the letter arrived, they
took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them.
They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
2 Kings 10:8 When the messenger arrived, he told
Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the sons of the king.” And
Jehu ordered, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate
until morning.”
2 Kings 10:9 The next morning, Jehu went out and
stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent. It was I
who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all
these?
2 Kings 10:10 Know, then, that not a word the
LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the LORD
has done what He promised through His servant Elijah.”
2 Kings 10:11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel
who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men
and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single
survivor.
2 Kings 10:12 Then Jehu set out toward Samaria.
At Beth-eked of the Shepherds,
2 Kings 10:13 Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah
king of Judah and asked, “Who are you?” “We are relatives of
Ahaziah,” they answered, “and we have come down to greet the sons
of the king and of the queen mother.”
2 Kings 10:14 Then Jehu ordered, “Take them
alive.” So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the
well of Beth-eked—forty-two men. He spared none of them.
2 Kings 10:15 When he left there, he found
Jehonadab son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted
him and asked, “Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to
yours?” “It is!” Jehonadab replied. “If it is,” said Jehu, “give
me your hand.” So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into
his chariot,
2 Kings 10:16 saying, “Come with me and see my
zeal for the LORD!” So he had him ride in his chariot.
2 Kings 10:17 When Jehu came to Samaria, he
struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until
he had destroyed them, according to the word that the LORD had
spoken to Elijah.
2 Kings 10:18 Then Jehu brought all the people
together and said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve
him a lot.
2 Kings 10:19 Now, therefore, summon to me all
the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. See
that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal.
Whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively
in order to destroy the servants of Baal.
2 Kings 10:20 And Jehu commanded, “Proclaim a
solemn assembly for Baal.” So they announced it.
2 Kings 10:21 Then Jehu sent word throughout
Israel, and all the servants of Baal came; there was not a man who
failed to show. They entered the temple of Baal, and it was filled
from end to end.
2 Kings 10:22 And Jehu said to the keeper of the
wardrobe, “Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal.” So he
brought out garments for them.
2 Kings 10:23 Next, Jehu and Jehonadab son of
Rechab entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants
of Baal, “Look around to see that there are no servants of the
LORD here among you—only servants of Baal.”
2 Kings 10:24 And they went in to offer
sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men
outside and warned them, “If anyone allows one of the men I am
delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for
theirs.”
2 Kings 10:25 When he had finished making the
burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, “Go in and
kill them. Do not let anyone out.” So the guards and officers put
them to the sword, threw the bodies out, and went into the inner
room of the temple of Baal.
2 Kings 10:26 They brought out the sacred pillar
of the temple of Baal and burned it.
2 Kings 10:27 They also demolished the sacred
pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it
into a latrine, which it is to this day.
2 Kings 10:28 Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from
Israel,
2 Kings 10:29 but he did not turn away from the
sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit—the
worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
2 Kings 10:30 Nevertheless, the LORD said to
Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in
My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My
heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of
Israel.”
2 Kings 10:31 Yet Jehu was not careful to follow
the instruction of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his
heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused
Israel to commit.
2 Kings 10:32 In those days the LORD began to
reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites
throughout their territory
2 Kings 10:33 from the Jordan eastward through
all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh),
and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.
2 Kings 10:34 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehu, along with all his accomplishments and all his might, are
they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
Israel?
2 Kings 10:35 And Jehu rested with his fathers
and was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoahaz reigned in his
place.
2 Kings 10:36 So the duration of Jehu’s reign
over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
2 Kings 11:1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah
saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the
royal heirs.
2 Kings 11:2 But Jehosheba daughter of King
Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole
him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered.
She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah,
and he was not killed.
2 Kings 11:3 And Joash remained hidden with his
nurse in the house of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled
the land.
2 Kings 11:4 Then in the seventh year, Jehoiada
sent for the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, and the guards,
and had them brought into the house of the LORD. There he made a
covenant with them and put them under oath. He showed them the
king’s son
2 Kings 11:5 and commanded them, “This is what
you are to do: A third of you who come on duty on the Sabbath
shall guard the royal palace,
2 Kings 11:6 a third shall be at the gate of
Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards. You are to take
turns guarding the temple—
2 Kings 11:7 the two divisions that would go off
duty on the Sabbath are to guard the house of the LORD for the
king.
2 Kings 11:8 You must surround the king with
weapons in hand, and anyone who approaches the ranks must be put
to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he goes.”
2 Kings 11:9 So the commanders of hundreds did
everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them took
his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going off
duty—and came to Jehoiada the priest.
2 Kings 11:10 Then the priest gave to the
commanders of hundreds the spears and shields of King David from
the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 11:11 And the guards stood with weapons
in hand surrounding the king by the altar and the temple, from the
south side to the north side of the temple.
2 Kings 11:12 Then Jehoiada brought out the
king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him with the
Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the
people clapped their hands and declared, “Long live the king!”
2 Kings 11:13 When Athaliah heard the noise from
the guards and the people, she went out to the people in the house
of the LORD.
2 Kings 11:14 And she looked out and saw the
king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers
and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the
land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her
clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”
2 Kings 11:15 And Jehoiada the priest ordered
the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, “Bring her out
between the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who follows her.”
For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the
house of the LORD.”
2 Kings 11:16 So they seized Athaliah as she
reached the horses’ entrance to the palace grounds, and there she
was put to death.
2 Kings 11:17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant
between the LORD and the king and the people that they would be
the LORD’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and
the people.
2 Kings 11:18 So all the people of the land went
to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars
and idols to pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal in
front of the altars. And Jehoiada the priest posted guards for the
house of the LORD.
2 Kings 11:19 He took with him the commanders of
hundreds, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land,
and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and
entered the royal palace by way of the Gate of the Guards. Then
Joash took his seat on the royal throne,
2 Kings 11:20 and all the people of the land
rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to
the sword at the royal palace.
2 Kings 11:21 Joash was seven years old when he
became king.
2 Kings 12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s
name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.
2 Kings 12:2 And Joash did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the
priest.
2 Kings 12:3 Nevertheless, the high places were
not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense
there.
2 Kings 12:4 Then Joash said to the priests,
“Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of
the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money
brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 12:5 Let every priest receive it from
his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in
the temple.”
2 Kings 12:6 By the twenty-third year of the
reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the
damage to the temple.
2 Kings 12:7 So King Joash called Jehoiada and
the other priests and said, “Why have you not repaired the damage
to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your
constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple.”
2 Kings 12:8 So the priests agreed that they
would not receive money from the people and that they would not
repair the temple themselves.
2 Kings 12:9 Then Jehoiada the priest took a
chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the
right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests
who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house
of the LORD.
2 Kings 12:10 Whenever they saw that there was a
large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high
priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the
LORD, and tie it up in bags.
2 Kings 12:11 Then they would put the counted
money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house
of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the
carpenters, builders,
2 Kings 12:12 masons, and stonecutters. They
also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to
the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the
temple repairs.
2 Kings 12:13 However, the money brought into
the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick
trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or
silver for the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 12:14 Instead, it was paid to those
doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 12:15 No accounting was required from
the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they
acted with integrity.
2 Kings 12:16 The money from the guilt offerings
and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it
belonged to the priests.
2 Kings 12:17 At that time Hazael king of Aram
marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he
decided to attack Jerusalem.
2 Kings 12:18 So King Joash of Judah took all
the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram,
and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated
items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the
LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of
Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 12:19 As for the rest of the acts of
Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 12:20 And the servants of Joash rose up
and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road
down to Silla.
2 Kings 12:21 His servants Jozabad son of
Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died.
And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his
son Amaziah reigned in his place.
2 Kings 13:1 In the twenty-third year of the
reign of Joash son of Ahaziah over Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu
became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria seventeen years.
2 Kings 13:2 And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused
Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
2 Kings 13:3 So the anger of the LORD burned
against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands
of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.
2 Kings 13:4 Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of
the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the
oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel.
2 Kings 13:5 So the LORD gave Israel a
deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans. Then the
people of Israel lived in their own homes as they had before.
2 Kings 13:6 Nevertheless, they did not turn
away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to
commit, but they continued to walk in them. The Asherah pole even
remained standing in Samaria.
2 Kings 13:7 Jehoahaz had no army left, except
fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers,
because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the
dust at threshing.
2 Kings 13:8 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoahaz, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are
they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of
Israel?
2 Kings 13:9 And Jehoahaz rested with his
fathers and was buried in Samaria. And his son Jehoash reigned in
his place.
2 Kings 13:10 In the thirty-seventh year of the
reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of
Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.
2 Kings 13:11 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son
of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.
2 Kings 13:12 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoash, along with all his accomplishments and his might,
including his war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 13:13 And Jehoash rested with his
fathers, and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was
buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
2 Kings 13:14 When Elisha had fallen sick with
the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came
down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the
chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
2 Kings 13:15 Elisha told him, “Take a bow and
some arrows.” So Jehoash took a bow and some arrows.
2 Kings 13:16 Then Elisha said to the king of
Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So the king put his hand on
the bow, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands.
2 Kings 13:17 “Open the east window,” said
Elisha. So he opened it and Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And
Elisha declared: “This is the LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow
of victory over Aram, for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek
until you have put an end to them.”
2 Kings 13:18 Then Elisha said, “Take the
arrows!” So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel,
“Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and
stopped.
2 Kings 13:19 But the man of God was angry with
him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six
times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an
end to it. But now you will strike down Aram only three times.”
2 Kings 13:20 And Elisha died and was buried.
Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring.
2 Kings 13:21 Once, as the Israelites were
burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw
the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched
the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.
2 Kings 13:22 And Hazael king of Aram oppressed
Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz.
2 Kings 13:23 But the LORD was gracious to
Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them
because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to
this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them
from His presence.
2 Kings 13:24 When Hazael king of Aram died, his
son Ben-hadad reigned in his place.
2 Kings 13:25 Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took
back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken
in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad
three times, and so recovered the cities of Israel.
2 Kings 14:1 In the second year of the reign of
Jehoash son of Jehoahaz over Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became
king of Judah.
2 Kings 14:2 He was twenty-five years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His
mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 14:3 And he did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. He did
everything as his father Joash had done.
2 Kings 14:4 Nevertheless, the high places were
not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning
incense on the high places.
2 Kings 14:5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly
in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had murdered his
father the king.
2 Kings 14:6 Yet he did not put the sons of the
murderers to death, but acted according to what is written in the
Book of the Law of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must
not be put to death for their children, and children must not be
put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
2 Kings 14:7 Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites
in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it
Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.
2 Kings 14:8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to the
king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come,
let us meet face to face,” he said.
2 Kings 14:9 But Jehoash king of Israel replied
to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to
a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in
marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled
the thistle.
2 Kings 14:10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and
your heart has become proud. Glory in that and stay at home. Why
should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with
you?”
2 Kings 14:11 But Amaziah would not listen, and
Jehoash king of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah
faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah.
2 Kings 14:12 And Judah was routed before
Israel, and every man fled to his home.
2 Kings 14:13 There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash
king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash,
the son of Ahaziah. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down
the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a
section of four hundred cubits.
2 Kings 14:14 He took all the gold and silver
and all the articles found in the house of the LORD and in the
treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he
returned to Samaria.
2 Kings 14:15 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoash, along with his accomplishments, his might, and how he
waged war against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 14:16 And Jehoash rested with his
fathers and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. And
his son Jeroboam reigned in his place.
2 Kings 14:17 Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah
lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz
king of Israel.
2 Kings 14:18 As for the rest of the acts of
Amaziah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 14:19 And conspirators plotted against
Amaziah in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent
after him to Lachish, and they killed him there.
2 Kings 14:20 They carried him back on horses
and buried him in Jerusalem with his fathers in the City of David.
2 Kings 14:21 Then all the people of Judah took
Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of
his father Amaziah.
2 Kings 14:22 Azariah was the one who rebuilt
Elath and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his
fathers.
2 Kings 14:23 In the fifteenth year of the reign
of Amaziah son of Joash over Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became
king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria forty-one years.
2 Kings 14:24 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son
of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 14:25 This Jeroboam restored the
boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah,
according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken
through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from
Gath-hepher.
2 Kings 14:26 For the LORD saw that the
affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very
bitter. There was no one to help Israel,
2 Kings 14:27 and since the LORD had said that
He would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He
saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.
2 Kings 14:28 As for the rest of the acts of
Jeroboam, along with all his accomplishments and might, and how he
waged war and recovered both Damascus and Hamath for Israel from
Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the
Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 14:29 And Jeroboam rested with his
fathers, the kings of Israel. And his son Zechariah reigned in his
place.
2 Kings 15:1 In the twenty-seventh year of
Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah became king
of Judah.
2 Kings 15:2 He was sixteen years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His
mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Kings 15:3 And he did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
2 Kings 15:4 Nevertheless, the high places were
not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning
incense there.
2 Kings 15:5 And the LORD afflicted the king
with leprosy until the day he died, so that he lived in a separate
house while his son Jotham had charge of the palace and governed
the people of the land.
2 Kings 15:6 As for the rest of the acts of
Azariah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 15:7 And Azariah rested with his fathers
and was buried near them in the City of David. And his son Jotham
reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15:8 In the thirty-eighth year of
Azariah’s reign over Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam became king
of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria six months.
2 Kings 15:9 And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins
that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:10 Then Shallum son of Jabesh
conspired against Zechariah, struck him down and killed him in
front of the people, and reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15:11 As for the rest of the acts of
Zechariah, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles
of the Kings of Israel.
2 Kings 15:12 So the word of the LORD spoken to
Jehu was fulfilled: “Four generations of your sons will sit on the
throne of Israel.”
2 Kings 15:13 In the thirty-ninth year of
Uzziah’s reign over Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king, and
he reigned in Samaria one full month.
2 Kings 15:14 Then Menahem son of Gadi went up
from Tirzah to Samaria, struck down and killed Shallum son of
Jabesh, and reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15:15 As for the rest of the acts of
Shallum, along with the conspiracy he led, they are indeed written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
2 Kings 15:16 At that time Menahem, starting
from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity,
because they would not open their gates. So he attacked Tiphsah
and ripped open all the pregnant women.
2 Kings 15:17 In the thirty-ninth year of
Azariah’s reign over Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of
Israel, and he reigned in Samaria ten years.
2 Kings 15:18 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD, and throughout his reign he did not turn away from the
sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:19 Then Pul king of Assyria invaded
the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver in
order to gain his support and strengthen his own grip on the
kingdom.
2 Kings 15:20 Menahem exacted this money from
each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from
each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria
withdrew and did not remain in the land.
2 Kings 15:21 As for the rest of the acts of
Menahem, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 15:22 And Menahem rested with his
fathers, and his son Pekahiah reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15:23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah’s
reign over Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel
and reigned in Samaria two years.
2 Kings 15:24 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of
Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:25 Then his officer, Pekah son of
Remaliah, conspired against him along with Argob, Arieh, and fifty
men of Gilead. And at the citadel of the king’s palace in Samaria,
Pekah struck down and killed Pekahiah and reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15:26 As for the rest of the acts of
Pekahiah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
2 Kings 15:27 In the fifty-second year of
Azariah’s reign over Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of
Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty years.
2 Kings 15:28 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of
Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:29 In the days of Pekah king of
Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon,
Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee,
including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as
captives to Assyria.
2 Kings 15:30 Then Hoshea son of Elah led a
conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. In the twentieth year of
Jotham son of Uzziah, Hoshea attacked Pekah, killed him, and
reigned in his place.
2 Kings 15:31 As for the rest of the acts of
Pekah, along with all his accomplishments, they are indeed written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
2 Kings 15:32 In the second year of the reign of
Pekah son of Remaliah over Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah became
king of Judah.
2 Kings 15:33 He was twenty-five years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His
mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.
2 Kings 15:34 And he did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done.
2 Kings 15:35 Nevertheless, the high places were
not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning
incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the house of the
LORD.
2 Kings 15:36 As for the rest of the acts of
Jotham, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in
the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 15:37 (In those days the LORD began to
send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.)
2 Kings 15:38 And Jotham rested with his fathers
and was buried with them in the City of David his father. And his
son Ahaz reigned in his place.
2 Kings 16:1 In the seventeenth year of Pekah
son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah.
2 Kings 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike
David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the
LORD his God.
2 Kings 16:3 Instead, he walked in the ways of
the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire,
according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had
driven out before the Israelites.
2 Kings 16:4 And he sacrificed and burned
incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green
tree.
2 Kings 16:5 Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah
son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to wage war against
Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him.
2 Kings 16:6 At that time Rezin king of Aram
recovered Elath for Aram, drove out the men of Judah, and sent the
Edomites into Elath, where they live to this day.
2 Kings 16:7 So Ahaz sent messengers to
Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and
your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram
and Israel, who are rising up against me.”
2 Kings 16:8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold
found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s
palace, and he sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 16:9 So the king of Assyria responded to
him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people
to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.
2 Kings 16:10 Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to
meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria. On seeing the altar in
Damascus, King Ahaz sent Uriah the priest a model of the altar and
complete plans for its construction.
2 Kings 16:11 And Uriah the priest built the
altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz had sent from
Damascus, and he completed it by the time King Ahaz had returned.
2 Kings 16:12 When the king came back from
Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented
offerings on it.
2 Kings 16:13 He offered his burnt offering and
his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled
the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.
2 Kings 16:14 He also took the bronze altar that
stood before the LORD from the front of the temple (between the
new altar and the house of the LORD) and he put it on the north
side of the new altar.
2 Kings 16:15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the
priest, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the
evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and grain
offering, as well as the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and
drink offerings of all the people of the land. Sprinkle on the
altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I
will use the bronze altar to seek guidance.”
2 Kings 16:16 So Uriah the priest did just as
King Ahaz had commanded.
2 Kings 16:17 King Ahaz also cut off the frames
of the movable stands and removed the bronze basin from each of
them. He took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it
and put it on a stone base.
2 Kings 16:18 And on account of the king of
Assyria, he removed the Sabbath canopy they had built in the
temple and closed the royal entryway outside the house of the
LORD.
2 Kings 16:19 As for the rest of the acts of
Ahaz, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 16:20 And Ahaz rested with his fathers
and was buried with them in the City of David, and his son
Hezekiah reigned in his place.
2 Kings 17:1 In the twelfth year of the reign of
Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he
reigned in Samaria nine years.
2 Kings 17:2 And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
2 Kings 17:3 Shalmaneser king of Assyria
attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
2 Kings 17:4 But the king of Assyria discovered
that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and
that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous
years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him
in prison.
2 Kings 17:5 Then the king of Assyria invaded
the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three
years.
2 Kings 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the
king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites
to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor
River, and in the cities of the Medes.
2 Kings 17:7 All this happened because the
people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had
brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of
Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods
2 Kings 17:8 and walked in the customs of the
nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as
well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
2 Kings 17:9 The Israelites secretly did things
against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to
fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.
2 Kings 17:10 They set up for themselves sacred
pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green
tree.
2 Kings 17:11 They burned incense on all the
high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before
them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger.
2 Kings 17:12 They served idols, although the
LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”
2 Kings 17:13 Yet through all His prophets and
seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your
wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to
the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you
through My servants the prophets.”
2 Kings 17:14 But they would not listen, and
they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe
the LORD their God.
2 Kings 17:15 They rejected His statutes and the
covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He
had given them. They pursued worthless idols and themselves became
worthless, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had
commanded them not to imitate.
2 Kings 17:16 They abandoned all the
commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two
cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all
the host of heaven and served Baal.
2 Kings 17:17 They sacrificed their sons and
daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying.
They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD,
provoking Him to anger.
2 Kings 17:18 So the LORD was very angry with
Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of
Judah remained,
2 Kings 17:19 and even Judah did not keep the
commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the
customs Israel had introduced.
2 Kings 17:20 So the LORD rejected all the
descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into
the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His
presence.
2 Kings 17:21 When the LORD had torn Israel away
from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and
Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them
to commit a great sin.
2 Kings 17:22 The Israelites persisted in all
the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from
them.
2 Kings 17:23 Finally, the LORD removed Israel
from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the
prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria,
where they are to this day.
2 Kings 17:24 Then the king of Assyria brought
people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and
settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites.
They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
2 Kings 17:25 Now when the settlers first lived
there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them,
which killed some of them.
2 Kings 17:26 So they spoke to the king of
Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in
the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of
the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are
indeed killing them off.”
2 Kings 17:27 Then the king of Assyria
commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from
Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the
requirements of the God of the land.”
2 Kings 17:28 Thus one of the priests they had
carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them
how they should worship the LORD.
2 Kings 17:29 Nevertheless, the people of each
nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they
had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people
of Samaria had made on the high places.
2 Kings 17:30 The men of Babylon made
Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath
made Ashima,
2 Kings 17:31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and
Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to
Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.
2 Kings 17:32 So the new residents worshiped the
LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts
to serve in the shrines of the high places.
2 Kings 17:33 They worshiped the LORD, but they
also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations
from which they had been carried away.
2 Kings 17:34 To this day they are still
practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or
observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the
LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
2 Kings 17:35 For the LORD had made a covenant
with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods
or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them.
2 Kings 17:36 Instead, worship the LORD, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an
outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices
to Him.
2 Kings 17:37 And you must always be careful to
observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote
for you. Do not worship other gods.
2 Kings 17:38 Do not forget the covenant I have
made with you. Do not worship other gods,
2 Kings 17:39 but worship the LORD your God, and
He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
2 Kings 17:40 But they would not listen, and
they persisted in their former customs.
2 Kings 17:41 So these nations worshiped the
LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children
and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
2 Kings 18:1 In the third year of the reign of
Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king
of Judah.
2 Kings 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His
mother’s name was Abi, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 Kings 18:3 And he did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places,
shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He
also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had
made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
2 Kings 18:5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the
God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or
after him.
2 Kings 18:6 He remained faithful to the LORD
and did not turn from following Him; he kept the commandments that
the LORD had given Moses.
2 Kings 18:7 And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and
he prospered wherever he went. He rebelled against the king of
Assyria and refused to serve him.
2 Kings 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far
as Gaza and its borders, from watchtower to fortified city.
2 Kings 18:9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s
reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of
Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against
Samaria and besieged it.
2 Kings 18:10 And at the end of three years, the
Assyrians captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year
of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel.
2 Kings 18:11 The king of Assyria exiled the
Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the
Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
2 Kings 18:12 This happened because they did not
listen to the voice of the LORD their God, but violated His
covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded—and
would neither listen nor obey.
2 Kings 18:13 In the fourteenth year of
Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and
captured all the fortified cities of Judah.
2 Kings 18:14 So Hezekiah king of Judah sent
word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done
wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from
me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah
three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
2 Kings 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver
that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of
the royal palace.
2 Kings 18:16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the
gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the
temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 18:17 Nevertheless, the king of Assyria
sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a
great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They
advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct
of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
2 Kings 18:18 Then they called for the king; and
Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnah the
scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to them.
2 Kings 18:19 The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell
Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria,
says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?
2 Kings 18:20 You claim to have a strategy and
strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now
trusting, that you have rebelled against me?
2 Kings 18:21 Look now, you are trusting in
Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand
of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all
who trust in him.
2 Kings 18:22 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in
the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars
Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem: ‘You must
worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?
2 Kings 18:23 Now, therefore, make a bargain
with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand
horses—if you can put riders on them!
2 Kings 18:24 For how can you repel a single
officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on
Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
2 Kings 18:25 So now, was it apart from the LORD
that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD
Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
2 Kings 18:26 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along
with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to
your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak
with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
2 Kings 18:27 But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my
master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master,
and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you
to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
2 Kings 18:28 Then the Rabshakeh stood and
called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the
king of Assyria!
2 Kings 18:29 This is what the king says: Do not
let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you from my hand.
2 Kings 18:30 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you
to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver
us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of
Assyria.’
2 Kings 18:31 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for
this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come
out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and
his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,
2 Kings 18:32 until I come and take you away to
a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread
and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may
live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads
you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’
2 Kings 18:33 Has the god of any nation ever
delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
2 Kings 18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath and
Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have
they delivered Samaria from my hand?
2 Kings 18:35 Who among all the gods of these
lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD
deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
2 Kings 18:36 But the people remained silent and
did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer
him.”
2 Kings 18:37 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the
palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the
recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they
relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
2 Kings 19:1 On hearing this report, King
Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house
of the LORD.
2 Kings 19:2 And he sent Eliakim the palace
administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all
wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
2 Kings 19:3 to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah
says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for
children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength
to deliver them.
2 Kings 19:4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear
all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of
Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him
for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up
a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”
2 Kings 19:5 So the servants of King Hezekiah
went to Isaiah,
2 Kings 19:6 who replied, “Tell your master that
this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you
have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have
blasphemed Me.
2 Kings 19:7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him
so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I
will cause him to fall by the sword.’”
2 Kings 19:8 When the Rabshakeh heard that the
king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king
fighting against Libnah.
2 Kings 19:9 Now Sennacherib had been warned
about Tirhakah king of Cush: “Look, he has set out to fight
against you.” So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah,
saying,
2 Kings 19:10 “Give this message to Hezekiah
king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive
you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand
of the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 19:11 Surely you have heard what the
kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting
them to destruction. Will you then be spared?
2 Kings 19:12 Did the gods of the nations
destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan,
Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?
2 Kings 19:13 Where are the kings of Hamath,
Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
2 Kings 19:14 So Hezekiah received the letter
from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD
and spread it out before the LORD.
2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the
LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You
alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the
heavens and the earth.
2 Kings 19:16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and
hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that
Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.
2 Kings 19:17 Truly, O LORD, the kings of
Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands.
2 Kings 19:18 They have cast their gods into the
fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and
stone—the work of human hands.
2 Kings 19:19 And now, O LORD our God, please
save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may
know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
2 Kings 19:20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a
message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel,
says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of
Assyria.
2 Kings 19:21 This is the word that the LORD has
spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and
mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.
2 Kings 19:22 Whom have you taunted and
blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted
your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
2 Kings 19:23 Through your servants you have
taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have
ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of
Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its
cypresses. I have reached its farthest outposts, the densest of
its forests.
2 Kings 19:24 I have dug wells and drunk foreign
waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams
of Egypt.”
2 Kings 19:25 Have you not heard? Long ago I
ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to
pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.
2 Kings 19:26 Therefore their inhabitants,
devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in
the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched
before it is grown.
2 Kings 19:27 But I know your sitting down, your
going out and coming in, and your raging against Me.
2 Kings 19:28 Because your rage and arrogance
against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose
and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
2 Kings 19:29 And this will be a sign to you, O
Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the
second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you
will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
2 Kings 19:30 And the surviving remnant of the
house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
2 Kings 19:31 For a remnant will go forth from
Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of
Hosts will accomplish this.
2 Kings 19:32 So this is what the LORD says
about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot
an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or
build up a siege ramp against it.
2 Kings 19:33 He will go back the way he came,
and he will not enter this city,’ declares the LORD.
2 Kings 19:34 ‘I will defend this city and save
it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
2 Kings 19:35 And that very night the angel of
the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the
Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all
the dead bodies!
2 Kings 19:36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria
broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
2 Kings 19:37 One day, while he was worshiping
in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and
Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat.
And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
2 Kings 20:1 In those days Hezekiah became
mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said,
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are
about to die; you will not recover.’”
2 Kings 20:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to
the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying,
2 Kings 20:3 “Please, O LORD, remember how I
have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion;
I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept
bitterly.
2 Kings 20:4 Before Isaiah had left the middle
courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
2 Kings 20:5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah the
leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your
father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your
tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will
go up to the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 20:6 I will add fifteen years to your
life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the
king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the
sake of My servant David.’”
2 Kings 20:7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a
poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil,
and Hezekiah recovered.
2 Kings 20:8 Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah,
“What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will
go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”
2 Kings 20:9 And Isaiah had replied, “This will
be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has
promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or
back ten steps?”
2 Kings 20:10 “It is easy for the shadow to
lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back
ten steps.”
2 Kings 20:11 So Isaiah the prophet called out
to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had
descended on the stairway of Ahaz.
2 Kings 20:12 At that time Merodach-baladan son
of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah,
for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness.
2 Kings 20:13 And Hezekiah received the envoys
and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the
gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his armory—all
that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace
or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
2 Kings 20:14 Then the prophet Isaiah went to
King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what
did they say to you?” “They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah
replied, “from Babylon.”
2 Kings 20:15 “What have they seen in your
palace?” Isaiah asked. “They have seen everything in my palace,”
answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did
not show them.”
2 Kings 20:16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,
“Hear the word of the LORD:
2 Kings 20:17 The time will surely come when
everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up
until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be
left, says the LORD.
2 Kings 20:18 And some of your descendants, your
own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the
palace of the king of Babylon.”
2 Kings 20:19 But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The
word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought,
“Will there not at least be peace and security in my lifetime?”
2 Kings 20:20 As for the rest of the acts of
Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool
and the tunnel to bring water into the city, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 20:21 And Hezekiah rested with his
fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His
mother’s name was Hephzibah.
2 Kings 21:2 And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD
had driven out before the Israelites.
2 Kings 21:3 For he rebuilt the high places that
his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for
Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done,
and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
2 Kings 21:4 Manasseh also built altars in the
house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I
will put My Name.”
2 Kings 21:5 In both courtyards of the house of
the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
2 Kings 21:6 He sacrificed his own son in the
fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and
spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking
Him to anger.
2 Kings 21:7 Manasseh even took the carved
Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple, of which the
LORD had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in
Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I
will establish My Name forever.
2 Kings 21:8 I will never again cause the feet
of the Israelites to wander from the land that I gave to their
fathers, if only they are careful to do all I have commanded
them—the whole Law that My servant Moses commanded them.”
2 Kings 21:9 But the people did not listen and
Manasseh led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the
nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
2 Kings 21:10 And the LORD spoke through His
servants the prophets, saying,
2 Kings 21:11 “Since Manasseh king of Judah has
committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the
Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to
sin,
2 Kings 21:12 this is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem
and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who
hear it.
2 Kings 21:13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem
the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used
against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one
wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down.
2 Kings 21:14 So I will forsake the remnant of
My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies.
And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies,
2 Kings 21:15 because they have done evil in My
sight and have provoked Me to anger from the day their fathers
came out of Egypt until this day.’”
2 Kings 21:16 Moreover, Manasseh shed so much
innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in
addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil
in the sight of the LORD.
2 Kings 21:17 As for the rest of the acts of
Manasseh, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he
committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of
the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 21:18 And Manasseh rested with his
fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza.
And his son Amon reigned in his place.
2 Kings 21:19 Amon was twenty-two years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His
mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from
Jotbah.
2 Kings 21:20 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.
2 Kings 21:21 He walked in all the ways of his
father, and he served and worshiped the idols his father had
served.
2 Kings 21:22 He abandoned the LORD, the God of
his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
2 Kings 21:23 Then the servants of Amon
conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.
2 Kings 21:24 But the people of the land killed
all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his
son Josiah king in his place.
2 Kings 21:25 As for the rest of the acts of
Amon, along with his accomplishments, are they not written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 21:26 And he was buried in his tomb in
the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah reigned in his place.
2 Kings 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he
became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His
mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from
Bozkath.
2 Kings 22:2 And he did what was right in the
eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David;
he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
2 Kings 22:3 Now in the eighteenth year of his
reign, King Josiah sent the scribe, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the
son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying,
2 Kings 22:4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest
and have him count the money that has been brought into the house
of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
2 Kings 22:5 And let them deliver it into the
hands of the supervisors of those doing the work on the house of
the LORD, who in turn are to give it to the workmen repairing the
damages to the house of the LORD—
2 Kings 22:6 to the carpenters, builders, and
masons—to buy timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.
2 Kings 22:7 But they need not account for the
money put into their hands, since they work with integrity.”
2 Kings 22:8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said
to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the
house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
2 Kings 22:9 And Shaphan the scribe went to the
king and reported, “Your servants have paid out the money that was
found in the temple and have put it into the hands of the workers
and supervisors of the house of the LORD.”
2 Kings 22:10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told
the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan
read it in the presence of the king.
2 Kings 22:11 When the king heard the words of
the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes
2 Kings 22:12 and commanded Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe,
and Asaiah the servant of the king:
2 Kings 22:13 “Go and inquire of the LORD for
me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this
book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that
burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of
this book by doing all that is written about us.”
2 Kings 22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam,
Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the
prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas,
the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second
District.
2 Kings 22:15 And Huldah said to them, “This is
what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you
2 Kings 22:16 that this is what the LORD says: I
am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people,
according to all the words of the book that the king of Judah has
read,
2 Kings 22:17 because they have forsaken Me and
burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger
with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled
against this place and will not be quenched.’
2 Kings 22:18 But as for the king of Judah, who
sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard,
2 Kings 22:19 because your heart was tender and
you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke
against this place and against its people, that they would become
a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes
and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
2 Kings 22:20 ‘Therefore I will indeed gather
you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in
peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring
on this place.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.
2 Kings 23:1 Then the king summoned all the
elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:2 And he went up to the house of the
LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the
priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in
their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant
that had been found in the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 23:3 So the king stood by the pillar and
made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His
commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his
soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were
written in this book. And all the people entered into the
covenant.
2 Kings 23:4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the
high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to
remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal,
Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside
Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to
Bethel.
2 Kings 23:5 Josiah also did away with the
idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense
on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all
around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun
and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.
2 Kings 23:6 He brought the Asherah pole from
the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and
there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the
graves of the common people.
2 Kings 23:7 He also tore down the quarters of
the male shrine prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD,
where the women had woven tapestries for Asherah.
2 Kings 23:8 Then Josiah brought all the priests
from the cities of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba
to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He tore down
the high places of the gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua
the governor of the city, which was to the left of the city gate.
2 Kings 23:9 Although the priests of the high
places did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, they
ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests.
2 Kings 23:10 He also desecrated Topheth in the
Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or
daughter in the fire to Molech.
2 Kings 23:11 And he removed from the entrance
to the house of the LORD the horses that the kings of Judah had
dedicated to the sun. They were in the court near the chamber of
an official named Nathan-melech. And Josiah burned up the chariots
of the sun.
2 Kings 23:12 He pulled down the altars that the
kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of
Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two
courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them
there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
2 Kings 23:13 The king also desecrated the high
places east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption,
which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the
abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the
Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
2 Kings 23:14 He smashed the sacred pillars to
pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with
human bones.
2 Kings 23:15 He even pulled down the altar at
Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had
caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to
powder, and burned the Asherah pole.
2 Kings 23:16 And as Josiah turned, he saw the
tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones
out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it,
according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who
had foretold these things.
2 Kings 23:17 Then the king asked, “What is this
monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb
of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced these things
that you have done to the altar of Bethel.”
2 Kings 23:18 “Let him rest,” said Josiah. “Do
not let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones
undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from
Samaria.
2 Kings 23:19 Just as Josiah had done at Bethel,
so also in the cities of Samaria he removed all the shrines of the
high places set up by the kings of Israel who had provoked the
LORD to anger.
2 Kings 23:20 On the altars he slaughtered all
the priests of the high places, and he burned human bones on them.
Then he returned to Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:21 The king commanded all the people,
“Keep the Passover of the LORD your God, as it is written in this
Book of the Covenant.”
2 Kings 23:22 No such Passover had been observed
from the days of the judges who had governed Israel through all
the days of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings 23:23 But in the eighteenth year of
Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed to the LORD in
Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:24 Furthermore, Josiah removed the
mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, and all the
abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem.
He did this to carry out the words of the law written in the book
that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of the LORD.
2 Kings 23:25 Neither before nor after Josiah
was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his
heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according
to all the Law of Moses.
2 Kings 23:26 Nevertheless, the LORD did not
turn away from the fury of His burning anger, which was kindled
against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke Him
to anger.
2 Kings 23:27 For the LORD had said, “I will
remove Judah from My sight, just as I removed Israel. I will
reject this city Jerusalem, which I chose, and the temple of which
I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’”
2 Kings 23:28 As for the rest of the acts of
Josiah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 23:29 At the end of Josiah’s reign,
Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria
at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but
Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.
2 Kings 23:30 From Megiddo his servants carried
his body in a chariot, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in
his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of
Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.
2 Kings 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from
Libnah.
2 Kings 23:32 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD, just as his fathers had done.
2 Kings 23:33 And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned
Jehoahaz at Riblah in the land of Hamath so that he could not
reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred
talents of silver and a talent of gold.
2 Kings 23:34 Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son
of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed
Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried
him off to Egypt, where he died.
2 Kings 23:35 So Jehoiakim paid the silver and
gold to Pharaoh Neco, but to meet Pharaoh’s demand he taxed the
land and exacted the silver and the gold from the people, each
according to his wealth.
2 Kings 23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah; she was from
Rumah.
2 Kings 23:37 And he did evil in the sight of
the LORD, just as his fathers had done.
2 Kings 24:1 During Jehoiakim’s reign,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded. So Jehoiakim became his
vassal for three years, until he turned and rebelled against
Nebuchadnezzar.
2 Kings 24:2 And the LORD sent Chaldean,
Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order
to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken
through His servants the prophets.
2 Kings 24:3 Surely this happened to Judah at
the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of
the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done,
2 Kings 24:4 and also for the innocent blood he
had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the
LORD was unwilling to forgive.
2 Kings 24:5 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoiakim, along with all his accomplishments, are they not
written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 24:6 And Jehoiakim rested with his
fathers, and his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
2 Kings 24:7 Now the king of Egypt did not march
out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken all
his territory, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
2 Kings 24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His
mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from
Jerusalem.
2 Kings 24:9 And he did evil in the sight of the
LORD, just as his father had done.
2 Kings 24:10 At that time the servants of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched up to Jerusalem, and the
city came under siege.
2 Kings 24:11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
came to the city while his servants were besieging it.
2 Kings 24:12 Jehoiachin king of Judah, his
mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all
surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his
reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.
2 Kings 24:13 As the LORD had declared,
Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house
of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the
gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple
of the LORD.
2 Kings 24:14 He carried into exile all
Jerusalem—all the commanders and mighty men of valor, all the
craftsmen and metalsmiths—ten thousand captives in all. Only the
poorest people of the land remained.
2 Kings 24:15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away
Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives,
his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into
exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 Kings 24:16 The king of Babylon also brought
into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a
thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle.
2 Kings 24:17 Then the king of Babylon made
Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his
name to Zedekiah.
2 Kings 24:18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His
mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from
Libnah.
2 Kings 24:19 And Zedekiah did evil in the sight
of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
2 Kings 24:20 For because of the anger of the
LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally
banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled
against the king of Babylon.
2 Kings 25:1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s
reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They
encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
2 Kings 25:2 And the city was kept under siege
until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
2 Kings 25:3 By the ninth day of the fourth
month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the
land had no food.
2 Kings 25:4 Then the city was breached; and
though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war
fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the
king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
2 Kings 25:5 but the army of the Chaldeans
pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and
all his army was separated from him.
2 Kings 25:6 The Chaldeans seized the king and
brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they
pronounced judgment on him.
2 Kings 25:7 And they slaughtered the sons of
Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him
with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
2 Kings 25:8 On the seventh day of the fifth
month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over
Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king
of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:9 He burned down the house of the
LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every
significant building.
2 Kings 25:10 And the whole army of the
Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls
around Jerusalem.
2 Kings 25:11 Then Nebuzaradan captain of the
guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city,
along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon
and the rest of the population.
2 Kings 25:12 But the captain of the guard left
behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and
fields.
2 Kings 25:13 Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up
the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of
the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon.
2 Kings 25:14 They also took away the pots,
shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze
used in the temple service.
2 Kings 25:15 The captain of the guard also took
away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold
or fine silver.
2 Kings 25:16 As for the two pillars, the Sea,
and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the
LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond
measure.
2 Kings 25:17 Each pillar was eighteen cubits
tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high,
with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second
pillar, with its network, was similar.
2 Kings 25:18 The captain of the guard also took
away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second
rank, and the three doorkeepers.
2 Kings 25:19 Of those still in the city, he
took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war,
as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the
captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and
sixty men who were found in the city.
2 Kings 25:20 Nebuzaradan captain of the guard
took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
2 Kings 25:21 There at Riblah in the land of
Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to
death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
2 Kings 25:22 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over the
people he had left behind in the land of Judah.
2 Kings 25:23 When all the commanders of the
armies and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed
Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son
of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the
Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, as well as
their men.
2 Kings 25:24 And Gedaliah took an oath before
them and their men, assuring them, “Do not be afraid of the
servants of the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of
Babylon, and it will be well with you.”
2 Kings 25:25 In the seventh month, however,
Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of
the royal family, came with ten men and struck down and killed
Gedaliah, along with the Judeans and Chaldeans who were with him
at Mizpah.
2 Kings 25:26 Then all the people small and
great, together with the commanders of the army, arose and fled to
Egypt for fear of the Chaldeans.
2 Kings 25:27 On the twenty-seventh day of the
twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s
King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon,
he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison.
2 Kings 25:28 And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin
and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were
with him in Babylon.
2 Kings 25:29 So Jehoiachin changed out of his
prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the
rest of his life.
2 Kings 25:30 And the king provided Jehoiachin a
daily portion for the rest of his life.
1 CHRONICLES
1 Chronicles 1:1 Adam, Seth, Enosh,
1 Chronicles 1:2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,
1 Chronicles 1:3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech.
1 Chronicles 1:4 The sons of Noah: Shem, Ham,
and Japheth.
1 Chronicles 1:5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer,
Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
1 Chronicles 1:6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz,
Riphath, and Togarmah.
1 Chronicles 1:7 And the sons of Javan: Elishah,
Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
1 Chronicles 1:8 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim,
Put, and Canaan.
1 Chronicles 1:9 The sons of Cush: Seba,
Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and
Dedan.
1 Chronicles 1:10 Cush was the father of Nimrod,
who began to be a mighty one on the earth.
1 Chronicles 1:11 Mizraim was the father of the
Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
1 Chronicles 1:12 the Pathrusites, the
Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.
1 Chronicles 1:13 And Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
1 Chronicles 1:14 the Jebusites, the Amorites,
the Girgashites,
1 Chronicles 1:15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the
Sinites,
1 Chronicles 1:16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites,
and the Hamathites.
1 Chronicles 1:17 The sons of Shem: Elam,
Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul,
Gether, and Meshech.
1 Chronicles 1:18 Arphaxad was the father of
Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
1 Chronicles 1:19 Two sons were born to Eber:
One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided,
and his brother was named Joktan.
1 Chronicles 1:20 And Joktan was the father of
Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
1 Chronicles 1:21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
1 Chronicles 1:22 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,
1 Chronicles 1:23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All
these were sons of Joktan.
1 Chronicles 1:24 So from Shem came Arphaxad,
Shelah,
1 Chronicles 1:25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,
1 Chronicles 1:26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
1 Chronicles 1:27 and Abram (that is, Abraham).
1 Chronicles 1:28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac
and Ishmael.
1 Chronicles 1:29 These are their genealogies:
Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
1 Chronicles 1:30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad,
Tema,
1 Chronicles 1:31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
These were the sons of Ishmael.
1 Chronicles 1:32 The sons born to Keturah,
Abraham’s concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and
Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.
1 Chronicles 1:33 The sons of Midian: Ephah,
Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s
sons.
1 Chronicles 1:34 Abraham was the father of
Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel.
1 Chronicles 1:35 The sons of Esau: Eliphaz,
Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
1 Chronicles 1:36 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman,
Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek.
1 Chronicles 1:37 The sons of Reuel: Nahath,
Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
1 Chronicles 1:38 The sons of Seir: Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
1 Chronicles 1:39 The sons of Lotan: Hori and
Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.
1 Chronicles 1:40 The sons of Shobal: Alvan,
Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and
Anah.
1 Chronicles 1:41 The son of Anah: Dishon. The
sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
1 Chronicles 1:42 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan,
Zaavan, and Akan. The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
1 Chronicles 1:43 These are the kings who
reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the
Israelites: Bela son of Beor. His city was named Dinhabah.
1 Chronicles 1:44 When Bela died, Jobab son of
Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
1 Chronicles 1:45 When Jobab died, Husham from
the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
1 Chronicles 1:46 When Husham died, Hadad son of
Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his
place. And the name of his city was Avith.
1 Chronicles 1:47 When Hadad died, Samlah from
Masrekah reigned in his place.
1 Chronicles 1:48 When Samlah died, Shaul from
Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.
1 Chronicles 1:49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan
son of Achbor reigned in his place.
1 Chronicles 1:50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad
reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name
was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.
1 Chronicles 1:51 Then Hadad died. Now the
chiefs of Edom were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
1 Chronicles 1:52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
1 Chronicles 1:53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
1 Chronicles 1:54 Magdiel, and Iram. These were
the chiefs of Edom.
1 Chronicles 2:1 These were the sons of Israel:
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
1 Chronicles 2:2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin,
Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
1 Chronicles 2:3 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan,
and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bath-shua the
Canaanite. Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the
LORD, who put him to death.
1 Chronicles 2:4 Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law,
bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
1 Chronicles 2:5 The sons of Perez: Hezron and
Hamul.
1 Chronicles 2:6 The sons of Zerah: Zimri,
Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five in all.
1 Chronicles 2:7 The son of Carmi: Achar, who
brought trouble upon Israel by violating the ban on devoted
things.
1 Chronicles 2:8 The son of Ethan: Azariah.
1 Chronicles 2:9 The sons who were born to
Hezron: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Caleb.
1 Chronicles 2:10 Ram was the father of
Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, a leader of
the descendants of Judah.
1 Chronicles 2:11 Nahshon was the father of
Salmon, and Salmon was the father of Boaz.
1 Chronicles 2:12 Boaz was the father of Obed,
and Obed was the father of Jesse.
1 Chronicles 2:13 Jesse was the father of Eliab
his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,
1 Chronicles 2:14 Nethanel fourth, Raddai fifth,
1 Chronicles 2:15 Ozem sixth, and David seventh.
1 Chronicles 2:16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and
Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and
Asahel.
1 Chronicles 2:17 Abigail was the mother of
Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.
1 Chronicles 2:18 Caleb son of Hezron had
children by his wife Azubah and by Jerioth. These were the sons of
Azubah: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
1 Chronicles 2:19 When Azubah died, Caleb
married Ephrath, who bore to him Hur.
1 Chronicles 2:20 Hur was the father of Uri, and
Uri was the father of Bezalel.
1 Chronicles 2:21 Later, Hezron slept with the
daughter of Machir the father of Gilead. He had married her when
he was sixty years old, and she bore to him Segub.
1 Chronicles 2:22 Segub was the father of Jair,
who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.
1 Chronicles 2:23 But Geshur and Aram captured
Havvoth-jair, along with Kenath and its sixty surrounding
villages. All these were descendants of Machir the father of
Gilead.
1 Chronicles 2:24 After Hezron died in
Caleb-ephrathah, his wife Abijah bore to him Ashhur the father of
Tekoa.
1 Chronicles 2:25 The sons of Jerahmeel the
firstborn of Hezron: Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and
Ahijah.
1 Chronicles 2:26 Jerahmeel had another wife
named Atarah, who was the mother of Onam.
1 Chronicles 2:27 The sons of Ram the firstborn
of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
1 Chronicles 2:28 The sons of Onam: Shammai and
Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.
1 Chronicles 2:29 Abishur’s wife was named
Abihail, and she bore to him Ahban and Molid.
1 Chronicles 2:30 The sons of Nadab: Seled and
Appaim. Seled died without children.
1 Chronicles 2:31 The son of Appaim: Ishi. The
son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai.
1 Chronicles 2:32 The sons of Jada the brother
of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.
1 Chronicles 2:33 The sons of Jonathan: Peleth
and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
1 Chronicles 2:34 Sheshan had no sons, but only
daughters; but he did have an Egyptian servant named Jarha.
1 Chronicles 2:35 Sheshan gave his daughter in
marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore to him Attai.
1 Chronicles 2:36 Attai was the father of
Nathan, Nathan was the father of Zabad,
1 Chronicles 2:37 Zabad was the father of
Ephlal, Ephlal was the father of Obed,
1 Chronicles 2:38 Obed was the father of Jehu,
Jehu was the father of Azariah,
1 Chronicles 2:39 Azariah was the father of
Helez, Helez was the father of Elasah,
1 Chronicles 2:40 Elasah was the father of
Sismai, Sismai was the father of Shallum,
1 Chronicles 2:41 Shallum was the father of
Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
1 Chronicles 2:42 The sons of Caleb the brother
of Jerahmeel: Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and
Mareshah his second son, who was the father of Hebron.
1 Chronicles 2:43 The sons of Hebron: Korah,
Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
1 Chronicles 2:44 Shema was the father of Raham
the father of Jorkeam, and Rekem was the father of Shammai.
1 Chronicles 2:45 The son of Shammai was Maon,
and Maon was the father of Beth-zur.
1 Chronicles 2:46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah was
the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of
Gazez.
1 Chronicles 2:47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem,
Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
1 Chronicles 2:48 Caleb’s concubine Maacah was
the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.
1 Chronicles 2:49 She was also the mother of
Shaaph father of Madmannah, and of Sheva father of Machbenah and
Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Acsah.
1 Chronicles 2:50 These were the descendants of
Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the
father of Kiriath-jearim,
1 Chronicles 2:51 Salma the father of Bethlehem,
and Hareph the father of Beth-gader.
1 Chronicles 2:52 These were the descendants of
Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim: Haroeh, half the
Manahathites,
1 Chronicles 2:53 and the clans of
Kiriath-jearim—the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and
Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.
1 Chronicles 2:54 The descendants of Salma:
Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, half the
Manahathites, the Zorites,
1 Chronicles 2:55 and the clans of the scribes
who lived at Jabez—the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites.
These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the
house of Rechab.
1 Chronicles 3:1 These were the sons of David
who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam
of Jezreel; the second was Daniel by Abigail of Carmel;
1 Chronicles 3:2 the third was Absalom the son
of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth was
Adonijah the son of Haggith;
1 Chronicles 3:3 the fifth was Shephatiah by
Abital; and the sixth was Ithream by his wife Eglah.
1 Chronicles 3:4 These six sons were born to
David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. And
David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years,
1 Chronicles 3:5 and these sons were born to him
in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were
born to him by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel.
1 Chronicles 3:6 David’s other sons were Ibhar,
Elishua, Eliphelet,
1 Chronicles 3:7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
1 Chronicles 3:8 Elishama, Eliada, and
Eliphelet—nine in all.
1 Chronicles 3:9 These were all the sons of
David, besides the sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their
sister.
1 Chronicles 3:10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam:
Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son,
1 Chronicles 3:11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his
son, Joash his son,
1 Chronicles 3:12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his
son, Jotham his son,
1 Chronicles 3:13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his
son, Manasseh his son,
1 Chronicles 3:14 Amon his son, and Josiah his
son.
1 Chronicles 3:15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan
was the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and
Shallum the fourth.
1 Chronicles 3:16 The successors of Jehoiakim:
Jeconiah his son, and Zedekiah.
1 Chronicles 3:17 The descendants of Jeconiah
the captive: Shealtiel his son,
1 Chronicles 3:18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar,
Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
1 Chronicles 3:19 The sons of Pedaiah:
Zerubbabel and Shimei. The children of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and
Hananiah, their sister Shelomith,
1 Chronicles 3:20 and five others: Hashubah,
Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed.
1 Chronicles 3:21 The descendants of Hananiah:
Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of
Obadiah, and of Shecaniah.
1 Chronicles 3:22 The six descendants of
Shecaniah were Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah,
Neariah, and Shaphat.
1 Chronicles 3:23 The sons of Neariah: Elioenai,
Hizkiah, and Azrikam—three in all.
1 Chronicles 3:24 The sons of Elioenai:
Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and
Anani—seven in all.
1 Chronicles 4:1 The descendants of Judah:
Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
1 Chronicles 4:2 Reaiah son of Shobal was the
father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad.
These were the clans of the Zorathites.
1 Chronicles 4:3 These were the sons of Etam:
Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. And their sister was named
Hazzelelponi.
1 Chronicles 4:4 Penuel was the father of Gedor,
and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of
Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
1 Chronicles 4:5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had
two wives, Helah and Naarah.
1 Chronicles 4:6 Naarah bore to him Ahuzzam,
Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of
Naarah.
1 Chronicles 4:7 The sons of Helah were Zereth,
Zohar, Ethnan,
1 Chronicles 4:8 and Koz, who was the father of
Anub and Zobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.
1 Chronicles 4:9 Now Jabez was more honorable
than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying,
“Because I bore him in pain.”
1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called out to the
God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my
territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that
I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.
1 Chronicles 4:11 Chelub the brother of Shuhah
was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.
1 Chronicles 4:12 Eshton was the father of
Beth-rapha, of Paseah, and of Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash.
These were the men of Recah.
1 Chronicles 4:13 The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and
Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.
1 Chronicles 4:14 Meonothai was the father of
Ophrah, and Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of those
living in Ge-harashim, which was given this name because its
people were craftsmen.
1 Chronicles 4:15 The sons of Caleb son of
Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz.
1 Chronicles 4:16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph,
Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
1 Chronicles 4:17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether,
Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth to
Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.
1 Chronicles 4:18 These were the children of
Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah. Mered also took a Judean wife, who
gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco,
and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.
1 Chronicles 4:19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the
sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of
Eshtemoa the Maacathite.
1 Chronicles 4:20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon,
Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The descendants of Ishi: Zoheth and
Ben-zoheth.
1 Chronicles 4:21 The sons of Shelah son of
Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and
the clans of the linen workers at Beth-ashbea,
1 Chronicles 4:22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and
Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi-lehem. (These
names are from ancient records.)
1 Chronicles 4:23 These were the potters who
lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of
the king.
1 Chronicles 4:24 The descendants of Simeon:
Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.
1 Chronicles 4:25 The sons of Shaul: Shallum,
Mibsam, and Mishma.
1 Chronicles 4:26 The sons of Mishma: Hammuel,
Zaccur, and Shimei.
1 Chronicles 4:27 Shimei had sixteen sons and
six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, so
their whole clan did not become as numerous as the sons of Judah.
1 Chronicles 4:28 They lived in Beersheba,
Moladah, Hazar-shual,
1 Chronicles 4:29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,
1 Chronicles 4:30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,
1 Chronicles 4:31 Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim,
Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign
of David.
1 Chronicles 4:32 And their villages were Etam,
Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns—
1 Chronicles 4:33 and all their surrounding
villages as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they
kept a genealogical record:
1 Chronicles 4:34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son
of Amaziah,
1 Chronicles 4:35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah
(son of Seraiah, son of Asiel),
1 Chronicles 4:36 Elioenai, Jaakobah,
Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,
1 Chronicles 4:37 and Ziza son of Shiphi (son of
Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah).
1 Chronicles 4:38 These men listed by name were
the leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly,
1 Chronicles 4:39 and they journeyed to the
entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, in search of
pasture for their flocks.
1 Chronicles 4:40 There they found rich, good
pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful, and quiet; for some
Hamites had lived there formerly.
1 Chronicles 4:41 These who were noted by name
came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the
Hamites and Meunites there in their dwellings, devoting them to
destruction even to this day. Then they settled in their place,
because there was pasture for their flocks.
1 Chronicles 4:42 And five hundred of these
Simeonites led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the
sons of Ishi, went to Mount Seir
1 Chronicles 4:43 and struck down the remnant of
the Amalekites who had escaped. And they have lived there to this
day.
1 Chronicles 5:1 These were the sons of Reuben
the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his
birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because
Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So he is not reckoned according
to birthright.
1 Chronicles 5:2 And though Judah prevailed over
his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright belonged to
Joseph.
1 Chronicles 5:3 The sons of Reuben, the
firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
1 Chronicles 5:4 The descendants of Joel:
Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,
1 Chronicles 5:5 Micah his son, Reaiah his son,
Baal his son,
1 Chronicles 5:6 and Beerah his son, whom
Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria carried into exile. Beerah was a
leader of the Reubenites.
1 Chronicles 5:7 His relatives by their clans
are recorded in their genealogy: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,
1 Chronicles 5:8 and Bela son of Azaz, the son
of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in Aroer and as far as
Nebo and Baal-meon.
1 Chronicles 5:9 They also settled in the east
as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates
River, because their livestock had increased in the land of
Gilead.
1 Chronicles 5:10 During the days of Saul they
waged war against the Hagrites, who were defeated at their hands,
and they occupied the homes of the Hagrites throughout the region
east of Gilead.
1 Chronicles 5:11 The descendants of Gad lived
next to the Reubenites in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah:
1 Chronicles 5:12 Joel was the chief, Shapham
the second, then Jaanai and Shaphat, who lived in Bashan.
1 Chronicles 5:13 Their kinsmen by families were
Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in
all.
1 Chronicles 5:14 These were the sons of Abihail
son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of
Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz.
1 Chronicles 5:15 Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of
Guni, was head of their family.
1 Chronicles 5:16 They lived in Gilead, in
Bashan and its towns, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon.
1 Chronicles 5:17 All of them were reckoned in
the genealogies during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and
Jeroboam king of Israel.
1 Chronicles 5:18 The Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors—valiant men who
carried the shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for
battle.
1 Chronicles 5:19 They waged war against the
Hagrites, as well as Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.
1 Chronicles 5:20 And because they cried out to
God in battle, they were helped against their enemies, and the
Hagrites and all their allies were delivered into their hands.
Because they put their trust in God, He answered their prayers.
1 Chronicles 5:21 They seized the livestock of
the Hagrites—50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They
also took 100,000 captives,
1 Chronicles 5:22 and many others fell slain,
because the battle belonged to God. And they occupied the land
until the exile.
1 Chronicles 5:23 Now the people of the
half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land
from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount
Hermon).
1 Chronicles 5:24 These were the heads of their
families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and
Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of
their families.
1 Chronicles 5:25 But they were unfaithful to
the God of their fathers, and they prostituted themselves with the
gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before
them.
1 Chronicles 5:26 So the God of Israel stirred
up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser
king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah,
Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this
day.
1 Chronicles 6:1 The sons of Levi: Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari.
1 Chronicles 6:2 The sons of Kohath: Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
1 Chronicles 6:3 The children of Amram: Aaron,
Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and
Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 6:4 Eleazar was the father of
Phinehas, Phinehas was the father of Abishua,
1 Chronicles 6:5 Abishua was the father of
Bukki, Bukki was the father of Uzzi,
1 Chronicles 6:6 Uzzi was the father of
Zerahiah, Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth,
1 Chronicles 6:7 Meraioth was the father of
Amariah, Amariah was the father of Ahitub,
1 Chronicles 6:8 Ahitub was the father of Zadok,
Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz,
1 Chronicles 6:9 Ahimaaz was the father of
Azariah, Azariah was the father of Johanan,
1 Chronicles 6:10 Johanan was the father of
Azariah, who served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in
Jerusalem,
1 Chronicles 6:11 Azariah was the father of
Amariah, Amariah was the father of Ahitub,
1 Chronicles 6:12 Ahitub was the father of
Zadok, Zadok was the father of Shallum,
1 Chronicles 6:13 Shallum was the father of
Hilkiah, Hilkiah was the father of Azariah,
1 Chronicles 6:14 Azariah was the father of
Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak.
1 Chronicles 6:15 Jehozadak went into captivity
when the LORD sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar.
1 Chronicles 6:16 The sons of Levi: Gershom,
Kohath, and Merari.
1 Chronicles 6:17 These are the names of the
sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei.
1 Chronicles 6:18 The sons of Kohath: Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
1 Chronicles 6:19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and
Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites listed according to
their fathers:
1 Chronicles 6:20 Of Gershom: Libni his son,
Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,
1 Chronicles 6:21 Joah his son, Iddo his son,
Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.
1 Chronicles 6:22 The descendants of Kohath:
Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,
1 Chronicles 6:23 Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his
son, Assir his son,
1 Chronicles 6:24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son,
Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.
1 Chronicles 6:25 The descendants of Elkanah:
Amasai, Ahimoth,
1 Chronicles 6:26 Elkanah his son, Zophai his
son, Nahath his son,
1 Chronicles 6:27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his
son, and Elkanah his son.
1 Chronicles 6:28 The sons of Samuel: Joel his
firstborn and Abijah his second son.
1 Chronicles 6:29 The descendants of Merari:
Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,
1 Chronicles 6:30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his
son, and Asaiah his son.
1 Chronicles 6:31 These are the men David put in
charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark rested
there.
1 Chronicles 6:32 They ministered with song
before the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon built
the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. And they performed their
duties according to the regulations given them.
1 Chronicles 6:33 These are the men who served,
together with their sons. From the Kohathites: Heman the singer,
the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,
1 Chronicles 6:34 the son of Elkanah, the son of
Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
1 Chronicles 6:35 the son of Zuph, the son of
Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
1 Chronicles 6:36 the son of Elkanah, the son of
Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
1 Chronicles 6:37 the son of Tahath, the son of
Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
1 Chronicles 6:38 the son of Izhar, the son of
Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
1 Chronicles 6:39 Heman’s kinsman was Asaph, who
served at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of
Shimea,
1 Chronicles 6:40 the son of Michael, the son of
Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,
1 Chronicles 6:41 the son of Ethni, the son of
Zerah, the son of Adaiah,
1 Chronicles 6:42 the son of Ethan, the son of
Zimmah, the son of Shimei,
1 Chronicles 6:43 the son of Jahath, the son of
Gershom, the son of Levi.
1 Chronicles 6:44 On the left were their
kinsmen, the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of
Abdi, the son of Malluch,
1 Chronicles 6:45 the son of Hashabiah, the son
of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,
1 Chronicles 6:46 the son of Amzi, the son of
Bani, the son of Shemer,
1 Chronicles 6:47 the son of Mahli, the son of
Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
1 Chronicles 6:48 Their fellow Levites were
assigned to every kind of service of the tabernacle, the house of
God.
1 Chronicles 6:49 But Aaron and his sons did all
the work of the Most Holy Place. They presented the offerings on
the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense to make
atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of
God had commanded.
1 Chronicles 6:50 These were the descendants of
Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,
1 Chronicles 6:51 Bukki his son, Uzzi his son,
Zerahiah his son,
1 Chronicles 6:52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his
son, Ahitub his son,
1 Chronicles 6:53 Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his
son.
1 Chronicles 6:54 Now these were the territories
assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan for
their settlements, because the first lot fell to them:
1 Chronicles 6:55 They were given Hebron in the
land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:56 But the fields and villages
around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.
1 Chronicles 6:57 So the descendants of Aaron
were given Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa,
1 Chronicles 6:58 Hilen, Debir,
1 Chronicles 6:59 Ashan, Juttah, and
Beth-shemesh, together with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:60 And from the tribe of Benjamin
they were given Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, together with
their pasturelands. So they had thirteen cities in all among their
families.
1 Chronicles 6:61 To the rest of the Kohathites,
ten cities were allotted from the half-tribe of Manasseh.
1 Chronicles 6:62 The Gershomites, according to
their clans, were allotted thirteen cities from the tribes of
Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan.
1 Chronicles 6:63 The Merarites, according to
their families, were allotted twelve cities from the tribes of
Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
1 Chronicles 6:64 So the Israelites gave to the
Levites these cities and their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:65 They assigned by lot the
cities named above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
1 Chronicles 6:66 And some of the clans of the
Kohathites were given cities from the tribe of Ephraim for their
territory:
1 Chronicles 6:67 They were given Shechem (a
city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of
Ephraim, and Gezer,
1 Chronicles 6:68 Jokmeam, Beth-horon,
1 Chronicles 6:69 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon,
together with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:70 And from the half-tribe of
Manasseh the remaining clans of the Kohathites were given Aner and
Bileam, together with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:71 The Gershomites received the
following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they were
given Golan in Bashan and also Ashtaroth, together with their
pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:72 From the tribe of Issachar
they were given Kedesh, Daberath,
1 Chronicles 6:73 Ramoth, and Anem, together
with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:74 From the tribe of Asher they
were given Mashal, Abdon,
1 Chronicles 6:75 Hukok, and Rehob, together
with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:76 And from the tribe of Naphtali
they were given Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim,
together with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:77 The Merarites (the rest of the
Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they
were given Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:78 From the tribe of Reuben east
of the Jordan opposite Jericho they were given Bezer in the
wilderness, Jahzah,
1 Chronicles 6:79 Kedemoth, and Mephaath,
together with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 6:80 And from the tribe of Gad they
were given Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim,
1 Chronicles 6:81 Heshbon, and Jazer, together
with their pasturelands.
1 Chronicles 7:1 The sons of Issachar: Tola,
Puah, Jashub, and Shimron—four in all.
1 Chronicles 7:2 The sons of Tola: Uzzi,
Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, the heads of their
families. In the days of David, 22,600 descendants of Tola were
numbered in their genealogies as mighty men of valor.
1 Chronicles 7:3 The son of Uzzi: Izrahiah. The
sons of Izrahiah: Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of
them were chiefs.
1 Chronicles 7:4 In addition to them, according
to their genealogy, they had 36,000 troops for battle, for they
had many wives and children.
1 Chronicles 7:5 Their kinsmen belonging to all
the families of Issachar who were mighty men of valor totaled
87,000, as listed in their genealogies.
1 Chronicles 7:6 The three sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Becher, and Jediael.
1 Chronicles 7:7 The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi,
Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all.
There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies.
1 Chronicles 7:8 The sons of Becher: Zemirah,
Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and
Alemeth; all these were Becher’s sons.
1 Chronicles 7:9 Their genealogies were recorded
according to the heads of their families—20,200 mighty men of
valor.
1 Chronicles 7:10 The son of Jediael: Bilhan.
The sons of Bilhan: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan,
Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
1 Chronicles 7:11 All these sons of Jediael were
heads of their families, mighty men of valor; there were 17,200
fit for battle.
1 Chronicles 7:12 The Shuppites and Huppites
were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher.
1 Chronicles 7:13 The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel,
Guni, Jezer, and Shallum—the descendants of Bilhah.
1 Chronicles 7:14 The descendants of Manasseh:
Through his Aramean concubine, Asriel, as well as Machir the
father of Gilead.
1 Chronicles 7:15 Machir took a wife from among
the Huppites and Shuppites. The name of his sister was Maacah.
Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.
1 Chronicles 7:16 Machir’s wife Maacah gave
birth to a son, and she named him Peresh. His brother was named
Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem.
1 Chronicles 7:17 The son of Ulam: Bedan. These
were the sons of Gilead son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.
1 Chronicles 7:18 His sister Hammolecheth gave
birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
1 Chronicles 7:19 And these were the sons of
Shemida: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
1 Chronicles 7:20 The descendants of Ephraim:
Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eleadah his son, Tahath
his son,
1 Chronicles 7:21 Zabad his son, and Shuthelah
his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the natives of Gath,
because they went down to steal their livestock.
1 Chronicles 7:22 Their father Ephraim mourned
for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.
1 Chronicles 7:23 And again he slept with his
wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. So he named him
Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house.
1 Chronicles 7:24 His daughter was Sheerah, who
built Lower and Upper Beth-horon, as well as Uzzen-sheerah.
1 Chronicles 7:25 Additionally, Rephah was his
son, Resheph his son, Telah his son, Tahan his son,
1 Chronicles 7:26 Ladan his son, Ammihud his
son, Elishama his son,
1 Chronicles 7:27 Nun his son, and Joshua his
son.
1 Chronicles 7:28 Their holdings and settlements
included Bethel and its villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer and
its villages to the west, and Shechem and its villages as far as
Ayyah and its villages.
1 Chronicles 7:29 And along the borders of
Manasseh were Beth-shean, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, together with
their villages. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in
these towns.
1 Chronicles 7:30 The children of Asher: Imnah,
Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
1 Chronicles 7:31 The sons of Beriah: Heber, as
well as Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.
1 Chronicles 7:32 Heber was the father of
Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, and of their sister Shua.
1 Chronicles 7:33 The sons of Japhlet: Pasach,
Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were Japhlet’s sons.
1 Chronicles 7:34 The sons of Shemer: Ahi,
Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
1 Chronicles 7:35 The sons of his brother Helem:
Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
1 Chronicles 7:36 The sons of Zophah: Suah,
Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,
1 Chronicles 7:37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah,
Ithran, and Beera.
1 Chronicles 7:38 The sons of Jether: Jephunneh,
Pispa, and Ara.
1 Chronicles 7:39 The sons of Ulla: Arah,
Hanniel, and Rizia.
1 Chronicles 7:40 All these were the descendants
of Asher—heads of their families, choice and mighty men of valor,
and chiefs among the leaders. The number of men fit for battle,
recorded in their genealogies, was 26,000.
1 Chronicles 8:1 Benjamin was the father of
Bela, his firstborn; Ashbel was the second born, Aharah the third,
1 Chronicles 8:2 Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the
fifth.
1 Chronicles 8:3 The sons of Bela: Addar, Gera,
Abihud,
1 Chronicles 8:4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,
1 Chronicles 8:5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
1 Chronicles 8:6 These were the descendants of
Ehud who were the heads of the families living in Geba and were
exiled to Manahath:
1 Chronicles 8:7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who
carried them into exile and who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
1 Chronicles 8:8 Shaharaim had sons in the
country of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara.
1 Chronicles 8:9 His sons by his wife Hodesh:
Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,
1 Chronicles 8:10 Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah.
These were his sons, heads of families.
1 Chronicles 8:11 He also had sons by Hushim:
Abitub and Elpaal.
1 Chronicles 8:12 The sons of Elpaal: Eber,
Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages),
1 Chronicles 8:13 and Beriah and Shema (who were
the heads of families of the inhabitants of Aijalon and who drove
out the inhabitants of Gath).
1 Chronicles 8:14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,
1 Chronicles 8:15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,
1 Chronicles 8:16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were
the sons of Beriah.
1 Chronicles 8:17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki,
Heber,
1 Chronicles 8:18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab
were the sons of Elpaal.
1 Chronicles 8:19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,
1 Chronicles 8:20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,
1 Chronicles 8:21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath
were the sons of Shimei.
1 Chronicles 8:22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,
1 Chronicles 8:23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan,
1 Chronicles 8:24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,
1 Chronicles 8:25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the
sons of Shashak.
1 Chronicles 8:26 Shamsherai, Shehariah,
Athaliah,
1 Chronicles 8:27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri
were the sons of Jeroham.
1 Chronicles 8:28 All these were heads of
families, the chiefs according to their genealogies, and they
lived in Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 8:29 Jeiel the father of Gibeon
lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah,
1 Chronicles 8:30 and Abdon was his firstborn
son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab,
1 Chronicles 8:31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecher,
1 Chronicles 8:32 and Mikloth, who was the
father of Shimeah. These also lived alongside their relatives in
Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 8:33 Ner was the father of Kish,
Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan,
Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
1 Chronicles 8:34 The son of Jonathan:
Merib-baal, and Merib-baal was the father of Micah.
1 Chronicles 8:35 The sons of Micah: Pithon,
Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
1 Chronicles 8:36 Ahaz was the father of
Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and
Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.
1 Chronicles 8:37 Moza was the father of Binea.
Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.
1 Chronicles 8:38 Azel had six sons, and these
were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah,
and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
1 Chronicles 8:39 The sons of his brother Eshek:
Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third.
1 Chronicles 8:40 The sons of Ulam were mighty
men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons—150 in
all. All these were the descendants of Benjamin.
1 Chronicles 9:1 So all Israel was recorded in
the genealogies written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But
Judah was exiled to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
1 Chronicles 9:2 Now the first to resettle their
own property in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites,
and temple servants.
1 Chronicles 9:3 These were some of the
descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh who lived in
Jerusalem:
1 Chronicles 9:4 Uthai son of Ammihud, the son
of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez
son of Judah.
1 Chronicles 9:5 From the Shilonites: Asaiah the
firstborn and his sons.
1 Chronicles 9:6 From the Zerahites: Jeuel and
690 relatives.
1 Chronicles 9:7 From the Benjamites: Sallu son
of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah;
1 Chronicles 9:8 Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah
son of Uzzi, the son of Michri; Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the
son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah;
1 Chronicles 9:9 and 956 of their relatives
according to their genealogy. All these men were heads of their
families.
1 Chronicles 9:10 From the priests: Jedaiah,
Jehoiarib, and Jachin;
1 Chronicles 9:11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, the
son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son
of Ahitub, the chief official of God’s temple;
1 Chronicles 9:12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son
of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai son of Adiel, the son of
Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son
of Immer;
1 Chronicles 9:13 and 1,760 of their relatives,
the heads of their families, able men for the work of the service
of the house of God.
1 Chronicles 9:14 From the Levites: Shemaiah son
of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, a descendant
of Merari;
1 Chronicles 9:15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and
Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;
1 Chronicles 9:16 Obadiah son of Shemaiah, the
son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah son of Asa, the
son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
1 Chronicles 9:17 These were the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was
their chief;
1 Chronicles 9:18 he was previously stationed at
the King’s Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers from
the camp of the Levites.
1 Chronicles 9:19 Shallum son of Kore, the son
of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his relatives from the
Korahites were assigned to guard the thresholds of the Tent, just
as their fathers had been assigned to guard the entrance to the
dwelling of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 9:20 In earlier times Phinehas son
of Eleazar had been in charge of the gatekeepers, and the LORD was
with him.
1 Chronicles 9:21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah
was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
1 Chronicles 9:22 The number of those chosen to
be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by
genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had
appointed them to their positions of trust.
1 Chronicles 9:23 So they and their descendants
were assigned to guard the gates of the house of the LORD—the
house called the Tent.
1 Chronicles 9:24 The gatekeepers were stationed
on the four sides: east, west, north, and south.
1 Chronicles 9:25 Their relatives came from
their villages at fixed times to serve with them for seven-day
periods.
1 Chronicles 9:26 But the four chief
gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and
the treasuries of the house of God.
1 Chronicles 9:27 They would spend the night
stationed around the house of God, because they were responsible
for guarding it and opening it every morning.
1 Chronicles 9:28 Some of them were in charge of
the articles used in worship, to count them whenever they were
brought in or taken out.
1 Chronicles 9:29 Others were put in charge of
the furnishings and other articles of the sanctuary, as well as
the fine flour, wine, oil, frankincense, and spices.
1 Chronicles 9:30 And some of the sons of the
priests mixed the spices.
1 Chronicles 9:31 A Levite named Mattithiah, the
firstborn son of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking
the bread.
1 Chronicles 9:32 Some of their Kohathite
brothers were responsible for preparing the rows of the showbread
every Sabbath.
1 Chronicles 9:33 Those who were musicians, the
heads of Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were
exempt from other duties because they were on duty day and night.
1 Chronicles 9:34 All these were heads of Levite
families, chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in
Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 9:35 Jeiel the father of Gibeon
lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah.
1 Chronicles 9:36 Abdon was his firstborn son,
then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
1 Chronicles 9:37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and
Mikloth.
1 Chronicles 9:38 Mikloth was the father of
Shimeam. They too lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 9:39 Ner was the father of Kish,
Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan,
Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
1 Chronicles 9:40 The son of Jonathan:
Merib-baal, who was the father of Micah.
1 Chronicles 9:41 The sons of Micah: Pithon,
Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
1 Chronicles 9:42 Ahaz was the father of Jarah;
Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri
was the father of Moza.
1 Chronicles 9:43 Moza was the father of Binea.
Rephaiah was his son, Elasah his son, and Azel his son.
1 Chronicles 9:44 And Azel had six sons, and
these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah,
Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
1 Chronicles 10:1 Now the Philistines fought
against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many
fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
1 Chronicles 10:2 The Philistines followed hard
after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan,
Abinadab, and Malchishua.
1 Chronicles 10:3 When the battle intensified
against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.
1 Chronicles 10:4 Then Saul said to his
armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these
uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” But his armor-bearer
was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and
fell on it.
1 Chronicles 10:5 When his armor-bearer saw that
Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died.
1 Chronicles 10:6 So Saul died together with his
three sons and all his house.
1 Chronicles 10:7 When all the Israelites in the
valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had
died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines
came and occupied their cities.
1 Chronicles 10:8 The next day, when the
Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons
fallen on Mount Gilboa.
1 Chronicles 10:9 They stripped Saul, cut off
his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land
of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their
idols and among their people.
1 Chronicles 10:10 They put his armor in the
temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Chronicles 10:11 When the people of
Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to
Saul,
1 Chronicles 10:12 all their men of valor set
out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them
to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and
fasted seven days.
1 Chronicles 10:13 So Saul died for his
unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of
the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
1 Chronicles 10:14 and he failed to inquire of
the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over
to David son of Jesse.
1 Chronicles 11:1 Then all Israel came together
to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and
blood.
1 Chronicles 11:2 Even in times past, while Saul
was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them
back. And the LORD your God said, ‘You will shepherd My people
Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
1 Chronicles 11:3 So all the elders of Israel
came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them
before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according
to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
1 Chronicles 11:4 Then David and all the
Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus), where the
Jebusites inhabited the land.
1 Chronicles 11:5 The people of Jebus said to
David, “You will never get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured
the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
1 Chronicles 11:6 Now David had said, “Whoever
is the first to strike down a Jebusite will become chief
commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became
the chief.
1 Chronicles 11:7 So David took up residence in
the fortress; that is why it was called the City of David.
1 Chronicles 11:8 He built up the city around
it, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while
Joab restored the rest of the city.
1 Chronicles 11:9 And David became greater and
greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.
1 Chronicles 11:10 Now these were the chiefs of
David’s mighty men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and
strengthened his kingdom, according to the word of the LORD
concerning Israel.
1 Chronicles 11:11 This is the list of David’s
mighty men: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers;
he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at
one time.
1 Chronicles 11:12 Next in command was Eleazar
son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.
1 Chronicles 11:13 He was with David at
Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At the
place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the
Philistines.
1 Chronicles 11:14 But Eleazar and David
stationed themselves in the middle of the field and defended it.
They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a
great victory.
1 Chronicles 11:15 Three of the thirty chief men
went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a
company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
1 Chronicles 11:16 At that time David was in the
stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.
1 Chronicles 11:17 David longed for water and
said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the
well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
1 Chronicles 11:18 So the Three broke through
the Philistine camp, drew water from the well at the gate of
Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink
it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,
1 Chronicles 11:19 saying, “Far be it from me,
my God, to do this! How can I drink the blood of these men who
risked their lives?” Because they had brought it at the risk of
their lives, David refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of
the three mighty men.
1 Chronicles 11:20 Now Abishai, the brother of
Joab, was chief of the Three, and he lifted his spear against
three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the
Three.
1 Chronicles 11:21 He was doubly honored above
the Three, and he became their commander, even though he was not
included among the Three.
1 Chronicles 11:22 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada
was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck
down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a
pit and killed a lion.
1 Chronicles 11:23 He also killed an Egyptian, a
huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like
a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club,
snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his
own spear.
1 Chronicles 11:24 These were the exploits of
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty
men.
1 Chronicles 11:25 He was most honored among the
Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David
appointed him over his guard.
1 Chronicles 11:26 Now these were the mighty
men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
1 Chronicles 11:27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez
the Pelonite,
1 Chronicles 11:28 Ira son of Ikkesh the
Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,
1 Chronicles 11:29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai
the Ahohite,
1 Chronicles 11:30 Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
1 Chronicles 11:31 Ithai son of Ribai from
Gibeah of the Benjamites, Benaiah the Pirathonite,
1 Chronicles 11:32 Hurai from the brooks of
Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,
1 Chronicles 11:33 Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
1 Chronicles 11:34 the sons of Hashem the
Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,
1 Chronicles 11:35 Ahiam son of Sachar the
Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,
1 Chronicles 11:36 Hepher the Mecherathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
1 Chronicles 11:37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai
son of Ezbai,
1 Chronicles 11:38 Joel the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar son of Hagri,
1 Chronicles 11:39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai
the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
1 Chronicles 11:40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the
Ithrite,
1 Chronicles 11:41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son
of Ahlai,
1 Chronicles 11:42 Adina son of Shiza the
Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
1 Chronicles 11:43 Hanan son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
1 Chronicles 11:44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama
and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
1 Chronicles 11:45 Jediael son of Shimri and his
brother Joha the Tizite,
1 Chronicles 11:46 Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai
and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,
1 Chronicles 11:47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the
Mezobaite.
1 Chronicles 12:1 Now these were the men who
came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the
presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who
helped him in battle;
1 Chronicles 12:2 they were archers using both
the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and
they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):
1 Chronicles 12:3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash,
who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the
sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;
1 Chronicles 12:4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a
mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;
1 Chronicles 12:5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah,
Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;
1 Chronicles 12:6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel,
Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;
1 Chronicles 12:7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the
sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
1 Chronicles 12:8 Some Gadites defected to David
at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty men of valor,
trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces
were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on
the mountains:
1 Chronicles 12:9 Ezer the chief, Obadiah the
second in command, Eliab the third,
1 Chronicles 12:10 Mishmannah the fourth,
Jeremiah the fifth,
1 Chronicles 12:11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the
seventh,
1 Chronicles 12:12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad
the ninth,
1 Chronicles 12:13 Jeremiah the tenth, and
Machbanai the eleventh.
1 Chronicles 12:14 These Gadites were army
commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the
greatest for a thousand.
1 Chronicles 12:15 These are the ones who
crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all
its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both
to the east and to the west.
1 Chronicles 12:16 Other Benjamites and some men
from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.
1 Chronicles 12:17 And David went out to meet
them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my
heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me
to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of
our fathers see it and judge you.”
1 Chronicles 12:18 Then the Spirit came upon
Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O
David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and
peace to your helpers, for your God helps you.” So David received
them and made them leaders of his troops.
1 Chronicles 12:19 Some from Manasseh defected
to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul.
(They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers
consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads
if he defects to his master Saul.”)
1 Chronicles 12:20 When David went to Ziklag,
these men of Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael,
Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in
Manasseh.
1 Chronicles 12:21 They helped David against the
raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and commanders in
the army.
1 Chronicles 12:22 For at that time men came to
David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like
the army of God.
1 Chronicles 12:23 Now these are the numbers of
men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s
kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:
1 Chronicles 12:24 From Judah: 6,800 armed
troops bearing shields and spears.
1 Chronicles 12:25 From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men
of valor, ready for battle.
1 Chronicles 12:26 From Levi: 4,600,
1 Chronicles 12:27 including Jehoiada, leader of
the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men,
1 Chronicles 12:28 and Zadok, a mighty young man
of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family.
1 Chronicles 12:29 From Benjamin, the kinsmen of
Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul
up to that time.
1 Chronicles 12:30 From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty
men of valor, famous among their own clans.
1 Chronicles 12:31 From the half-tribe of
Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.
1 Chronicles 12:32 From Issachar, men who
understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs
with all their kinsmen at their command.
1 Chronicles 12:33 From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for
service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who
with one purpose were devoted to David.
1 Chronicles 12:34 From Naphtali: 1,000
commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.
1 Chronicles 12:35 From Dan: 28,600 prepared for
battle.
1 Chronicles 12:36 From Asher: 40,000 fit for
service, prepared for battle.
1 Chronicles 12:37 And from east of the Jordan,
from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000
armed with every kind of weapon of war.
1 Chronicles 12:38 All these men of war, arrayed
for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king
over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one
mind to make David king.
1 Chronicles 12:39 They spent three days there
eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided
for them.
1 Chronicles 12:40 And their neighbors from as
far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on
donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig
cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed,
there was joy in Israel.
1 Chronicles 13:1 Then David conferred with all
his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.
1 Chronicles 13:2 And he said to the whole
assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of
the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our
brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and
Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join
us.
1 Chronicles 13:3 Then let us bring back the ark
of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.”
1 Chronicles 13:4 And because this proposal
seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it.
1 Chronicles 13:5 So David assembled all Israel,
from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of
God from Kiriath-jearim.
1 Chronicles 13:6 David and all Israel went up
to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from
there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the
cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.
1 Chronicles 13:7 So they carried the ark of God
from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio
guiding the cart.
1 Chronicles 13:8 David and all the Israelites
were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and
on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
1 Chronicles 13:9 When they came to the
threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the
ark, because the oxen had stumbled.
1 Chronicles 13:10 And the anger of the LORD
burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put
his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
1 Chronicles 13:11 Then David became angry
because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that
place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
1 Chronicles 13:12 That day David feared God and
asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”
1 Chronicles 13:13 So he did not move the ark
with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the
house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
1 Chronicles 13:14 Thus the ark of God remained
with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and
the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.
1 Chronicles 14:1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent
envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and
carpenters, to build a palace for him.
1 Chronicles 14:2 And David realized that the
LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly
exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
1 Chronicles 14:3 And David took more wives in
Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters.
1 Chronicles 14:4 These are the names of the
children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,
Solomon,
1 Chronicles 14:5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
1 Chronicles 14:6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
1 Chronicles 14:7 Elishama, Beeliada, and
Eliphelet.
1 Chronicles 14:8 When the Philistines heard
that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went
in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face
them.
1 Chronicles 14:9 Now the Philistines had come
and raided the Valley of Rephaim.
1 Chronicles 14:10 So David inquired of God,
“Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them
into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them
into your hand.”
1 Chronicles 14:11 So David and his men went up
to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like
a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my
hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.
1 Chronicles 14:12 There the Philistines
abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the
fire.
1 Chronicles 14:13 Once again the Philistines
raided the valley.
1 Chronicles 14:14 So David again inquired of
God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle
around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
1 Chronicles 14:15 As soon as you hear the sound
of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle,
because this will mean that God has marched out before you to
strike the camp of the Philistines.”
1 Chronicles 14:16 So David did as God had
commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines
all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
1 Chronicles 14:17 And David’s fame went out
into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.
1 Chronicles 15:1 David constructed buildings
for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the
ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
1 Chronicles 15:2 Then David said, “No one but
the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen
them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him
forever.”
1 Chronicles 15:3 And David assembled all Israel
in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had
prepared for it.
1 Chronicles 15:4 Then he gathered together the
descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
1 Chronicles 15:5 From the Kohathites, Uriel the
chief and 120 of his relatives;
1 Chronicles 15:6 from the Merarites, Asaiah the
chief and 220 of his relatives;
1 Chronicles 15:7 from the Gershomites, Joel the
chief and 130 of his relatives;
1 Chronicles 15:8 from the Elizaphanites,
Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;
1 Chronicles 15:9 from the Hebronites, Eliel the
chief and 80 of his relatives;
1 Chronicles 15:10 and from the Uzzielites,
Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.
1 Chronicles 15:11 David summoned the priests
Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah,
Eliel, and Amminadab.
1 Chronicles 15:12 And he said to them, “You are
the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must
consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD,
the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
1 Chronicles 15:13 It was because you Levites
were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth
in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper
order.”
1 Chronicles 15:14 So the priests and Levites
consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of
Israel.
1 Chronicles 15:15 And the Levites carried the
ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had
commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 15:16 David also told the leaders
of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up
their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps,
lyres, and cymbals.
1 Chronicles 15:17 So the Levites appointed
Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from
their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;
1 Chronicles 15:18 and with them their brothers
next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni,
Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and
the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
1 Chronicles 15:19 The musicians Heman, Asaph,
and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals.
1 Chronicles 15:20 Zechariah, Aziel,
Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to
play the harps according to Alamoth.
1 Chronicles 15:21 And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu,
Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music
with lyres according to Sheminith.
1 Chronicles 15:22 Chenaniah the head Levite was
the director of the music because he was highly skilled.
1 Chronicles 15:23 Berechiah and Elkanah were to
be guardians of the ark.
1 Chronicles 15:24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat,
Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were
to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah
were also to be guardians of the ark.
1 Chronicles 15:25 So David, the elders of
Israel, and the commanders of thousands went with rejoicing to
bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of
Obed-edom.
1 Chronicles 15:26 And because God helped the
Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
1 Chronicles 15:27 Now David was dressed in a
robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the
ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the director of music
for the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.
1 Chronicles 15:28 So all Israel brought up the
ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding
of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of
harps and lyres.
1 Chronicles 15:29 As the ark of the covenant of
the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal
looked down from a window and saw King David dancing and
celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
1 Chronicles 16:1 So they brought the ark of God
and placed it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And
they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
1 Chronicles 16:2 When David had finished
sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed
the people in the name of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 16:3 Then he distributed to every
man and woman of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin
cake.
1 Chronicles 16:4 David appointed some of the
Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to celebrate, to
give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.
1 Chronicles 16:5 Asaph was the chief, Zechariah
was second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab,
Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They were to play the harps and
lyres, while Asaph sounded the cymbals
1 Chronicles 16:6 and the priests Benaiah and
Jahaziel blew the trumpets regularly before the ark of the
covenant of God.
1 Chronicles 16:7 On that day David first
committed to Asaph and his brothers this song of thanksgiving to
the LORD:
1 Chronicles 16:8 “Give thanks to the LORD; call
upon His name; make known His deeds among the nations.
1 Chronicles 16:9 Sing to Him, sing praises to
Him; tell of all His wonders.
1 Chronicles 16:10 Glory in His holy name; let
the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek out the LORD and His
strength; seek His face always.
1 Chronicles 16:12 Remember the wonders He has
done, His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
1 Chronicles 16:13 O offspring of His servant
Israel, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
1 Chronicles 16:14 He is the LORD our God; His
judgments carry throughout the earth.
1 Chronicles 16:15 Remember His covenant
forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
1 Chronicles 16:16 the covenant He made with
Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac.
1 Chronicles 16:17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a
decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
1 Chronicles 16:18 ‘I will give you the land of
Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.’
1 Chronicles 16:19 When they were few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in the land,
1 Chronicles 16:20 they wandered from nation to
nation, from one kingdom to another.
1 Chronicles 16:21 He let no man oppress them;
He rebuked kings on their behalf:
1 Chronicles 16:22 ‘Do not touch My anointed
ones! Do no harm to My prophets!’
1 Chronicles 16:23 Sing to the LORD, all the
earth. Proclaim His salvation day after day.
1 Chronicles 16:24 Declare His glory among the
nations, His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
1 Chronicles 16:25 For great is the LORD, and
greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
1 Chronicles 16:26 For all the gods of the
nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
1 Chronicles 16:27 Splendor and majesty are
before Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling.
1 Chronicles 16:28 Ascribe to the LORD, O
families of the nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
1 Chronicles 16:29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory
due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the
LORD in the splendor of His holiness;
1 Chronicles 16:30 tremble before Him, all the
earth. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
1 Chronicles 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and
the earth rejoice. Let them say among the nations, ‘The LORD
reigns!’
1 Chronicles 16:32 Let the sea resound, and all
that fills it; let the fields exult, and all that is in them.
1 Chronicles 16:33 Then the trees of the forest
will sing for joy before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the
earth.
1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for
He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:35 Then cry out: ‘Save us, O God
of our salvation; gather and deliver us from the nations, that we
may give thanks to Your holy name, that we may glory in Your
praise.’
1 Chronicles 16:36 Blessed be the LORD, the God
of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.” Then all the people
said, “Amen!” and “Praise the LORD!”
1 Chronicles 16:37 So David left Asaph and his
brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to
minister there regularly according to the daily requirements,
1 Chronicles 16:38 along with Obed-edom and his
sixty-eight relatives. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah,
were to be gatekeepers.
1 Chronicles 16:39 And David left Zadok the
priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at
the high place in Gibeon
1 Chronicles 16:40 to regularly present burnt
offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and
evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the LORD,
which He had commanded Israel to keep.
1 Chronicles 16:41 With them were Heman,
Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to
give thanks to the LORD, for “His loving devotion endures
forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:42 Heman and Jeduthun had with
them trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for the
songs of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.
1 Chronicles 16:43 Then all the people departed
for their homes, and David returned home to bless his household.
1 Chronicles 17:1 After David had settled into
his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a
house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under
a tent.”
1 Chronicles 17:2 And Nathan replied to David,
“Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
1 Chronicles 17:3 But that night the word of God
came to Nathan, saying,
1 Chronicles 17:4 “Go and tell My servant David
that this is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build Me a
house in which to dwell.
1 Chronicles 17:5 For I have not dwelt in a
house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt until this
day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling.
1 Chronicles 17:6 In all My journeys with all
the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed
to shepherd My people, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of
cedar?’
1 Chronicles 17:7 Now then, you are to tell My
servant David that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I took you
from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over
My people Israel.
1 Chronicles 17:8 I have been with you wherever
you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before
you. Now I will make for you a name like the greatest in the land.
1 Chronicles 17:9 And I will provide a place for
My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a
place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the
sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning
1 Chronicles 17:10 and have done since the day I
appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your
enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the LORD will build a
house for you.
1 Chronicles 17:11 And when your days are
fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your
descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish
his kingdom.
1 Chronicles 17:12 He will build a house for Me,
and I will establish his throne forever.
1 Chronicles 17:13 I will be his Father, and he
will be My son. And I will never remove My loving devotion from
him as I removed it from your predecessor.
1 Chronicles 17:14 But I will set him over My
house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established
forever.”
1 Chronicles 17:15 So Nathan relayed to David
all the words of this entire vision.
1 Chronicles 17:16 Then King David went in, sat
before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my
house, that You have brought me this far?
1 Chronicles 17:17 And as if this was a small
thing in Your eyes, O God, You have spoken about the future of the
house of Your servant and have regarded me as a man of great
distinction, O LORD God.
1 Chronicles 17:18 What more can David say to
You for so honoring Your servant? For You know Your servant,
1 Chronicles 17:19 O LORD. For the sake of Your
servant and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished
this great thing and revealed all Your greatness.
1 Chronicles 17:20 O LORD, there is none like
You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have
heard with our own ears.
1 Chronicles 17:21 And who is like Your people
Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a
people for Himself? You made a name for Yourself through great and
awesome wonders by driving out nations from before Your people,
whom You redeemed from Egypt.
1 Chronicles 17:22 For You have made Your people
Israel Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their
God.
1 Chronicles 17:23 And now, O LORD, let the word
You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be
established forever. Do as You have promised,
1 Chronicles 17:24 so that Your name will be
established and magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.’ And may the house
of Your servant David be established before You.
1 Chronicles 17:25 For You, my God, have
revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him.
Therefore Your servant has found the courage to pray before You.
1 Chronicles 17:26 And now, O LORD, You are God!
And You have promised this goodness to Your servant.
1 Chronicles 17:27 So now You have been pleased
to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever
before You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be
blessed forever.”
1 Chronicles 18:1 Some time later, David
defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its
villages from the hand of the Philistines.
1 Chronicles 18:2 David also defeated the
Moabites, and they became subject to David and brought him
tribute.
1 Chronicles 18:3 As far as Hamath, David also
defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah, who had marched out to establish
his dominion along the Euphrates River.
1 Chronicles 18:4 David captured from him a
thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand
foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he
kept for the chariots.
1 Chronicles 18:5 When the Arameans of Damascus
came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two
thousand men.
1 Chronicles 18:6 Then he placed garrisons in
Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and
brought him tribute. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he
went.
1 Chronicles 18:7 And David took the gold
shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought
them to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 18:8 And from Tibhath and Cun,
cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze, with
which Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and various bronze
articles.
1 Chronicles 18:9 When King Tou of Hamath heard
that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of
Zobah,
1 Chronicles 18:10 he sent his son Hadoram to
greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating
Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds
of articles of gold and silver and bronze,
1 Chronicles 18:11 and King David dedicated
these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had carried
off from all these nations—from Edom and Moab, and from the
Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites.
1 Chronicles 18:12 Moreover, Abishai son of
Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of
Salt.
1 Chronicles 18:13 He placed garrisons in Edom,
and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David
victorious wherever he went.
1 Chronicles 18:14 Thus David reigned over all
Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his
people:
1 Chronicles 18:15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over
the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
1 Chronicles 18:16 Zadok son of Ahitub and
Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was the scribe;
1 Chronicles 18:17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was
over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief
officials at the king’s side.
1 Chronicles 19:1 Some time later, Nahash king
of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son.
1 Chronicles 19:2 And David said, “I will show
kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed
kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to console Hanun
concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived in the
land of the Ammonites to console him,
1 Chronicles 19:3 the princes of the Ammonites
said to Hanun, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you
really believe he is showing respect for your father? Have not his
servants come to you to explore the land, spy it out, and
overthrow it?”
1 Chronicles 19:4 So Hanun took David’s
servants, shaved their beards, cut off their garments at the hips,
and sent them away.
1 Chronicles 19:5 When someone came and told
David about his men, he sent messengers to meet them, since the
men had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in
Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
1 Chronicles 19:6 When the Ammonites realized
that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites
sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots
and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
1 Chronicles 19:7 So they hired for themselves
thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as the king of Maacah with
his troops, who came and camped near Medeba while the Ammonites
came from their cities and marched out for battle.
1 Chronicles 19:8 On hearing this, David sent
Joab and the entire army of mighty men.
1 Chronicles 19:9 The Ammonites marched out and
arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance to the city, while
the kings who had come stayed by themselves in the open country.
1 Chronicles 19:10 When Joab saw the battle
lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men
of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans.
1 Chronicles 19:11 And he placed the rest of the
forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them
against the Ammonites.
1 Chronicles 19:12 “If the Arameans are too
strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And
if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your
rescue.
1 Chronicles 19:13 Be strong and let us fight
bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD
do what is good in His sight.”
1 Chronicles 19:14 So Joab and his troops
advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him.
1 Chronicles 19:15 When the Ammonites saw that
the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Joab’s brother
Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab went back to
Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 19:16 When the Arameans saw that
they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to bring
more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the
commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
1 Chronicles 19:17 When this was reported to
David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced toward
the Arameans, and arrayed for battle against them. When David
lined up to engage them in battle, they fought against him.
1 Chronicles 19:18 But the Arameans fled before
Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and
forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the
commander of their army.
1 Chronicles 19:19 When Hadadezer’s subjects saw
that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David
and became subject to him. So the Arameans were unwilling to help
the Ammonites anymore.
1 Chronicles 20:1 In the spring, at the time
when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the
land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but
David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and
demolished it.
1 Chronicles 20:2 Then David took the crown from
the head of their king. It was found to weigh a talent of gold and
was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head.
And David took a great amount of plunder from the city.
1 Chronicles 20:3 David brought out the people
who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and
axes. And he did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David
and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 20:4 Some time later, war broke out
with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the
Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the
Philistines were subdued.
1 Chronicles 20:5 Once again there was a battle
with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the
brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like
a weaver’s beam.
1 Chronicles 20:6 And there was still another
battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six
fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all.
He too was descended from Rapha,
1 Chronicles 20:7 and when he taunted Israel,
Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
1 Chronicles 20:8 So these descendants of Rapha
in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
1 Chronicles 21:1 Then Satan rose up against
Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
1 Chronicles 21:2 So David said to Joab and the
commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from
Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their
number.”
1 Chronicles 21:3 But Joab replied, “May the
LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king,
are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do
this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
1 Chronicles 21:4 Nevertheless, the king’s word
prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout
Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 21:5 And Joab reported to David the
total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men
who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
1 Chronicles 21:6 But Joab did not include Levi
and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was
detestable to him.
1 Chronicles 21:7 This command was also evil in
the sight of God; so He struck Israel.
1 Chronicles 21:8 Then David said to God, “I
have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now I beg You
to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very
foolishly.”
1 Chronicles 21:9 And the LORD instructed Gad,
David’s seer,
1 Chronicles 21:10 “Go and tell David that this
is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose
one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”
1 Chronicles 21:11 So Gad went and said to
David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose
1 Chronicles 21:12 between three years of
famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies and
overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the
LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD
ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should
reply to Him who sent me.”
1 Chronicles 21:13 David answered Gad, “I am
deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD,
for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the
hands of men.”
1 Chronicles 21:14 So the LORD sent a plague
upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
1 Chronicles 21:15 Then God sent an angel to
destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it
and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was
destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that
time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of
Ornan the Jebusite.
1 Chronicles 21:16 When David lifted up his eyes
and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth,
with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David
and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
1 Chronicles 21:17 And David said to God, “Was
it not I who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who
has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they
done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my
father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your
people.”
1 Chronicles 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD
ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD
on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
1 Chronicles 21:19 So David went up at the word
that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 21:20 Now Ornan was threshing wheat
when he turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with
him hid themselves.
1 Chronicles 21:21 David came to Ornan, and when
Ornan looked out and saw David, he left the threshing floor and
bowed facedown before David.
1 Chronicles 21:22 Then David said to Ornan,
“Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an
altar to the LORD. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the
plague upon the people may be halted.”
1 Chronicles 21:23 Ornan said to David, “My lord
the king may take whatever seems good. Look, I will give the oxen
for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and
the wheat for the grain offering—I will give it all.”
1 Chronicles 21:24 “No,” replied King David, “I
insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD
what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me
nothing.”
1 Chronicles 21:25 So David paid Ornan six
hundred shekels of gold for the site.
1 Chronicles 21:26 And there he built an altar
to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He
called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on
the altar of burnt offering.
1 Chronicles 21:27 Then the LORD spoke to the
angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.
1 Chronicles 21:28 At that time, when David saw
that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the
Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.
1 Chronicles 21:29 For the tabernacle of the
LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt
offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,
1 Chronicles 21:30 but David could not go before
it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the
angel of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 22:1 Then David said, “Here shall
be the house of the LORD God, as well as the altar of burnt
offering for Israel.”
1 Chronicles 22:2 So David gave orders to gather
the foreigners in the land of Israel, from whom he appointed
stonecutters to prepare finished stones for building the house of
God.
1 Chronicles 22:3 David provided a large
quantity of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gateways
and for the fittings, together with more bronze than could be
weighed
1 Chronicles 22:4 and more cedar logs than could
be counted; for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large
quantity of cedar logs to David.
1 Chronicles 22:5 And David said, “My son
Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for
the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent—famous and glorious
throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for it.”
So David made lavish preparations before his death.
1 Chronicles 22:6 Then David called for his son
Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the LORD, the God
of Israel.
1 Chronicles 22:7 “My son,” said David to
Solomon, “it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the
LORD my God,
1 Chronicles 22:8 but this word of the LORD came
to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not
to build a house for My Name because you have shed so much blood
on the ground before Me.
1 Chronicles 22:9 But a son will be born to you
who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his
enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and I will
grant to Israel peace and quiet during his reign.
1 Chronicles 22:10 He is the one who will build
a house for My Name. He will be My son, and I will be his Father.
And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel
forever.’
1 Chronicles 22:11 Now, my son, may the LORD be
with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the LORD
your God, as He said you would.
1 Chronicles 22:12 Above all, may the LORD give
you insight and understanding when He puts you in command over
Israel, so that you may keep the Law of the LORD your God.
1 Chronicles 22:13 Then you will succeed, if you
carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the LORD
commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be
afraid or discouraged.
1 Chronicles 22:14 Now behold, I have taken
great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents
of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too
great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and
you may add to them.
1 Chronicles 22:15 You also have many workers:
stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in every kind of
work—
1 Chronicles 22:16 in gold and silver, bronze
and iron—craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the
LORD be with you.”
1 Chronicles 22:17 Then David ordered all the
leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon:
1 Chronicles 22:18 “Is not the LORD your God
with you, and has He not granted you rest on every side? For He
has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land
has been subdued before the LORD and His people.
1 Chronicles 22:19 Now set your heart and soul
to seek the LORD your God. Get started building the sanctuary of
the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the
LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be
built for the Name of the LORD.”
1 Chronicles 23:1 When David was old and full of
years, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.
1 Chronicles 23:2 Then he gathered all the
leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.
1 Chronicles 23:3 The Levites thirty years of
age or older were counted, and the total number of men was 38,000.
1 Chronicles 23:4 “Of these,” said David,
“24,000 are to oversee the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000
are to be officers and judges,
1 Chronicles 23:5 4,000 are to be gatekeepers,
and 4,000 are to praise the LORD with the instruments I have made
for giving praise.”
1 Chronicles 23:6 Then David divided the Levites
into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and
Merari.
1 Chronicles 23:7 The Gershonites: Ladan and
Shimei.
1 Chronicles 23:8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the
first, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.
1 Chronicles 23:9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth,
Haziel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the
families of Ladan.
1 Chronicles 23:10 And the sons of Shimei:
Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the sons of
Shimei—four in all.
1 Chronicles 23:11 Jahath was the first and
Zizah was the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons,
so they were counted as one family and received a single
assignment.
1 Chronicles 23:12 The sons of Kohath: Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel—four in all.
1 Chronicles 23:13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and
Moses. Aaron and his descendants were set apart forever to
consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense before the LORD,
to minister before Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name
forever.
1 Chronicles 23:14 As for Moses the man of God,
his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
1 Chronicles 23:15 The sons of Moses: Gershom
and Eliezer.
1 Chronicles 23:16 The descendants of Gershom:
Shebuel was the first.
1 Chronicles 23:17 The descendants of Eliezer:
Rehabiah was the first. Eliezer did not have any other sons, but
the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
1 Chronicles 23:18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith
was the first.
1 Chronicles 23:19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah
was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and
Jekameam the fourth.
1 Chronicles 23:20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah was
the first and Isshiah the second.
1 Chronicles 23:21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and
Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
1 Chronicles 23:22 Eleazar died without having
any sons; he had only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish,
married them.
1 Chronicles 23:23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli,
Eder, and Jeremoth—three in all.
1 Chronicles 23:24 These were the descendants of
Levi by their families—the heads of families, registered
individually by name—those twenty years of age or older who worked
in the service of the house of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 23:25 For David had said, “The
LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people and has come
to dwell in Jerusalem forever.
1 Chronicles 23:26 So now the Levites no longer
need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles for its
service.”
1 Chronicles 23:27 For according to the final
instructions of David, the Levites twenty years of age or older
were counted,
1 Chronicles 23:28 but their duty was to assist
the descendants of Aaron with the service of the house of the
LORD, being responsible for the courts and chambers, the
purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service
of the house of God,
1 Chronicles 23:29 as well as for the rows of
the showbread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers
of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements
of quantity and size.
1 Chronicles 23:30 They were also to stand every
morning to give thanks and praise to the LORD, and likewise in the
evening.
1 Chronicles 23:31 Whenever burnt offerings were
presented to the LORD on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed
feasts, they were to serve regularly before the LORD in the
numbers prescribed for them.
1 Chronicles 23:32 So the Levites were to carry
out the responsibilities for the Tent of Meeting and the Holy
Place, and, under their brothers the descendants of Aaron, the
service of the house of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 24:1 These were the divisions of
the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu,
Eleazar, and Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:2 But Nadab and Abihu died
before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and
Ithamar served as priests.
1 Chronicles 24:3 With the help of Eleazar’s
descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided
them according to the offices of their service.
1 Chronicles 24:4 Since more leaders were found
among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were
divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the
descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:5 Thus they were divided by lot,
for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among
both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.
1 Chronicles 24:6 The scribe, Shemaiah son of
Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the
king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of
Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the
Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from
Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:7 The first lot fell to
Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,
1 Chronicles 24:8 the third to Harim, the fourth
to Seorim,
1 Chronicles 24:9 the fifth to Malchijah, the
sixth to Mijamin,
1 Chronicles 24:10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the
eighth to Abijah,
1 Chronicles 24:11 the ninth to Jeshua, the
tenth to Shecaniah,
1 Chronicles 24:12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the
twelfth to Jakim,
1 Chronicles 24:13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the
fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
1 Chronicles 24:14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the
sixteenth to Immer,
1 Chronicles 24:15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the
eighteenth to Happizzez,
1 Chronicles 24:16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel,
1 Chronicles 24:17 the twenty-first to Jachin,
the twenty-second to Gamul,
1 Chronicles 24:18 the twenty-third to Delaiah,
and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
1 Chronicles 24:19 This was their appointed
order for service when they entered the house of the LORD,
according to the regulations prescribed for them by their
forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded
him.
1 Chronicles 24:20 Now these were the remaining
descendants of Levi: From the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the
sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
1 Chronicles 24:21 As for Rehabiah, from his
sons: The first was Isshiah.
1 Chronicles 24:22 From the Izharites:
Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
1 Chronicles 24:23 From the sons of Hebron:
Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and
Jekameam the fourth.
1 Chronicles 24:24 From the sons of Uzziel:
Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir.
1 Chronicles 24:25 The brother of Micah:
Isshiah; from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah.
1 Chronicles 24:26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and
Mushi. The son of Jaaziah: Beno.
1 Chronicles 24:27 The descendants of Merari
from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
1 Chronicles 24:28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had
no sons.
1 Chronicles 24:29 From Kish: Jerahmeel the son
of Kish.
1 Chronicles 24:30 And the sons of Mushi: Mahli,
Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites, according
to their families.
1 Chronicles 24:31 As their brothers the
descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of
King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families
of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger
brothers alike.
1 Chronicles 25:1 Additionally, David and the
commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman,
and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps,
and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed
this service:
1 Chronicles 25:2 From the sons of Asaph:
Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. These sons of Asaph were
under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction
of the king.
1 Chronicles 25:3 From the sons of Jeduthun:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah—six in
all—under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied
with the harp, giving thanks and praise to the LORD.
1 Chronicles 25:4 From the sons of Heman:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani,
Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir,
and Mahazioth.
1 Chronicles 25:5 All these sons of Heman the
king’s seer were given him through the promises of God to exalt
him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
1 Chronicles 25:6 All these were under the
direction of their fathers for the music of the house of the LORD
with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of
God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the
king.
1 Chronicles 25:7 Together with their relatives,
who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they
numbered 288.
1 Chronicles 25:8 They cast lots for their
duties, young and old alike, teacher as well as pupil.
1 Chronicles 25:9 The first lot, which was for
Asaph, fell to Joseph, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all; the
second to Gedaliah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:10 the third to Zaccur, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:11 the fourth to Izri, his sons,
and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:17 the tenth to Shimei, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:18 the eleventh to Azarel, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:20 the thirteenth to Shubael,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:21 the fourteenth to Mattithiah,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:22 the fifteenth to Jeremoth,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:23 the sixteenth to Hananiah,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:24 the seventeenth to
Joshbekashah, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:25 the eighteenth to Hanani, his
sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:26 the nineteenth to Mallothi,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:27 the twentieth to Eliathah,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:28 the twenty-first to Hothir,
his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:29 the twenty-second to
Giddalti, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:30 the twenty-third to
Mahazioth, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all;
1 Chronicles 25:31 and the twenty-fourth to
Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers—12 in all.
1 Chronicles 26:1 These were the divisions of
the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one
of the sons of Asaph.
1 Chronicles 26:2 Meshelemiah had sons:
Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third,
Jathniel the fourth,
1 Chronicles 26:3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the
sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh.
1 Chronicles 26:4 And Obed-edom also had sons:
Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third,
Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,
1 Chronicles 26:5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the
seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. For God had blessed Obed-edom.
1 Chronicles 26:6 Also to his son Shemaiah were
born sons who ruled over their families because they were strong,
capable men.
1 Chronicles 26:7 Shemaiah’s sons were Othni,
Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his brothers were Elihu and Semachiah,
also capable men.
1 Chronicles 26:8 All these were descendants of
Obed-edom; they and their sons and brothers were capable men with
strength to do the work—62 in all from Obed-edom.
1 Chronicles 26:9 Meshelemiah also had sons and
brothers who were capable men—18 in all.
1 Chronicles 26:10 Hosah the Merarite also had
sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his
father had appointed him as the first),
1 Chronicles 26:11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah
the third, and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and brothers of
Hosah numbered 13 in all.
1 Chronicles 26:12 These divisions of the
gatekeepers, through their chief men, had duties for ministering
in the house of the LORD, just as their brothers did.
1 Chronicles 26:13 They cast lots for each gate,
according to their families, young and old alike.
1 Chronicles 26:14 The lot for the East Gate
fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a
wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him.
1 Chronicles 26:15 The lot for the South Gate
fell to Obed-edom, and the lot for the storehouses to his sons.
1 Chronicles 26:16 The lots for the West Gate
and the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway fell to Shuppim
and Hosah. There were guards stationed at every watch.
1 Chronicles 26:17 Each day there were six
Levites on the east, four on the north, four on the south, and two
pairs at the storehouse.
1 Chronicles 26:18 As for the court on the west,
there were four at the highway and two at the court.
1 Chronicles 26:19 These were the divisions of
the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.
1 Chronicles 26:20 Now their fellow Levites were
in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries
of the dedicated things.
1 Chronicles 26:21 From the descendants of
Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and heads of the
families of Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli,
1 Chronicles 26:22 the sons of Jehieli, Zetham,
and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the
house of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 26:23 From the Amramites, the
Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites:
1 Chronicles 26:24 Shebuel, a descendant of
Gershom son of Moses, was the officer in charge of the treasuries.
1 Chronicles 26:25 His relatives through Eliezer
included Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri
his son, and Shelomith his son.
1 Chronicles 26:26 This Shelomith and his
brothers were in charge of all the treasuries for the things
dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the
commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and by the army
commanders.
1 Chronicles 26:27 They had dedicated some of
the plunder from their battles to the repair of the house of the
LORD.
1 Chronicles 26:28 Everything that had been
dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner,
and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was
dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.
1 Chronicles 26:29 From the Izharites, Chenaniah
and his sons had the outside duties as officers and judges over
Israel.
1 Chronicles 26:30 From the Hebronites,
Hashabiah and his relatives, 1,700 capable men, had charge of the
affairs of Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the LORD
and for the service of the king.
1 Chronicles 26:31 As for the Hebronites,
Jerijah was the chief of the Hebronites, according to the
genealogies of his ancestors. In the fortieth year of David’s
reign the records were searched, and strong, capable men were
found among the Hebronites at Jazer in Gilead.
1 Chronicles 26:32 Among Jerijah’s relatives
there were 2,700 capable men who were heads of families. King
David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and to
the affairs of the king.
1 Chronicles 27:1 This is the list of the
Israelites—the heads of families, the commanders of thousands and
of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in every
matter concerning the divisions on rotating military duty each
month throughout the year. There were 24,000 men in each division:
1 Chronicles 27:2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was
in charge of the first division, which was assigned the first
month. There were 24,000 men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:3 He was a descendant of Perez
and chief of all the army commanders for the first month.
1 Chronicles 27:4 Dodai the Ahohite was in
charge of the division for the second month, and Mikloth was the
leader. There were 24,000 men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:5 The third army commander, as
chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest.
There were 24,000 men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:6 This Benaiah was mighty among
the Thirty and was over the Thirty, and his son Ammizabad was in
charge of his division.
1 Chronicles 27:7 The fourth, for the fourth
month, was Joab’s brother Asahel, and his son Zebadiah was
commander after him. There were 24,000 men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:8 The fifth, for the fifth
month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000
men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:9 The sixth, for the sixth
month, was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in
his division.
1 Chronicles 27:10 The seventh, for the seventh
month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000
men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:11 The eighth, for the eighth
month, was Sibbecai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000
men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:12 The ninth, for the ninth
month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000
men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:13 The tenth, for the tenth
month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000
men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:14 The eleventh, for the
eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There
were 24,000 men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:15 The twelfth, for the twelfth
month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel.
There were 24,000 men in his division.
1 Chronicles 27:16 These officers were in charge
of the tribes of Israel: Over the Reubenites was Eliezer son of
Zichri; over the Simeonites was Shephatiah son of Maacah;
1 Chronicles 27:17 over Levi was Hashabiah son
of Kemuel; over Aaron was Zadok;
1 Chronicles 27:18 over Judah was Elihu, one of
David’s brothers; over Issachar was Omri son of Michael;
1 Chronicles 27:19 over Zebulun was Ishmaiah son
of Obadiah; over Naphtali was Jerimoth son of Azriel;
1 Chronicles 27:20 over the Ephraimites was
Hoshea son of Azaziah; over one of the half-tribes of Manasseh was
Joel son of Pedaiah;
1 Chronicles 27:21 over the half-tribe of
Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo son of Zechariah; over Benjamin was
Jaasiel son of Abner;
1 Chronicles 27:22 and over Dan was Azarel son
of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
1 Chronicles 27:23 David did not count the men
aged twenty or under, because the LORD had said that He would make
Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky.
1 Chronicles 27:24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to
count the men but did not finish. For because of this census wrath
came upon Israel, and the number was not entered in the Book of
the Chronicles of King David.
1 Chronicles 27:25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in
charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in
charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the
villages, and in the fortresses.
1 Chronicles 27:26 Ezri son of Chelub was in
charge of the workers in the fields who tilled the soil.
1 Chronicles 27:27 Shimei the Ramathite was in
charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the
produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.
1 Chronicles 27:28 Baal-hanan the Gederite was
in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the foothills. Joash
was in charge of the stores of olive oil.
1 Chronicles 27:29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in
charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in
charge of the herds in the valleys.
1 Chronicles 27:30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in
charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of
the donkeys.
1 Chronicles 27:31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in
charge of the flocks. All these officials were in charge of King
David’s property.
1 Chronicles 27:32 David’s uncle Jonathan was a
counselor; he was a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of
Hachmoni attended to the sons of the king.
1 Chronicles 27:33 Ahithophel was the king’s
counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
1 Chronicles 27:34 Ahithophel was succeeded by
Jehoiada son of Benaiah, then by Abiathar. Joab was the commander
of the king’s army.
1 Chronicles 28:1 Now David summoned all the
leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the
leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of
thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the
property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court
officials and mighty men—every mighty man of valor.
1 Chronicles 28:2 Then King David rose to his
feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in
my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the
covenant of the LORD and as a footstool for our God. I had made
preparations to build it,
1 Chronicles 28:3 but God said to me, ‘You are
not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who
has spilled blood.’
1 Chronicles 28:4 Yet the LORD, the God of
Israel, chose me out of all my father’s house to be king over
Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house
of Judah He chose my father’s household, and from my father’s sons
He was pleased to make me king over all Israel.
1 Chronicles 28:5 And of all my sons—for the
LORD has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on
the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.
1 Chronicles 28:6 And He said to me, ‘Solomon
your son is the one who will build My house and My courts, for I
have chosen him as My son, and I will be his Father.
1 Chronicles 28:7 I will establish his kingdom
forever, if he resolutely carries out My commandments and
ordinances, as is being done this day.’
1 Chronicles 28:8 So now in the sight of all
Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God,
keep and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, so
that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance
to your descendants forever.
1 Chronicles 28:9 As for you, Solomon my son,
know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with
a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands
the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by
you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
1 Chronicles 28:10 Consider now that the LORD
has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and
do it.”
1 Chronicles 28:11 Then David gave his son
Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings,
storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy
seat.
1 Chronicles 28:12 The plans contained
everything David had in mind for the courts of the house of the
LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the
house of God and of the dedicated things,
1 Chronicles 28:13 for the divisions of the
priests and Levites, for all the work of service in the house of
the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the
LORD:
1 Chronicles 28:14 the weight of all the gold
articles for every kind of service; the weight of all the silver
articles for every kind of service;
1 Chronicles 28:15 the weight of the gold
lampstands and their lamps, including the weight of each lampstand
and its lamps; the weight of each silver lampstand and its lamps,
according to the use of each lampstand;
1 Chronicles 28:16 the weight of gold for each
table of showbread, and of silver for the silver tables;
1 Chronicles 28:17 the weight of the pure gold
for the forks, sprinkling bowls, and pitchers; the weight of each
gold dish; the weight of each silver bowl;
1 Chronicles 28:18 the weight of the refined
gold for the altar of incense; and the plans for the chariot of
the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark
of the covenant of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 28:19 “All this,” said David, “all
the details of this plan, the LORD has made clear to me in writing
by His hand upon me.”
1 Chronicles 28:20 David also said to Solomon
his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or
discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will
neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the
service of the house of the LORD is finished.
1 Chronicles 28:21 The divisions of the priests
and Levites are ready for all the service of the house of God, and
every willing man of every skill will be at your disposal for the
work. The officials and all the people are fully at your command.”
1 Chronicles 29:1 Then King David said to the
whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is
young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is
not for man, but for the LORD God.
1 Chronicles 29:2 Now with all my ability I have
made provision for the house of my God—gold for the gold articles,
silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron,
and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings,
turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones,
and slabs of marble—all in abundance.
1 Chronicles 29:3 Moreover, because of my
delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal
treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have
provided for this holy temple:
1 Chronicles 29:4 three thousand talents of gold
(the gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver,
to overlay the walls of the buildings,
1 Chronicles 29:5 for the gold work and the
silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now
who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”
1 Chronicles 29:6 Then the leaders of the
households, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders
of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the
king’s work gave willingly.
1 Chronicles 29:7 Toward the service of God’s
house they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000
talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents
of iron.
1 Chronicles 29:8 Whoever had precious stones
gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, under the care
of Jehiel the Gershonite.
1 Chronicles 29:9 And the people rejoiced at the
willing response of their leaders, for they had given to the LORD
freely and wholeheartedly. And King David also rejoiced greatly.
1 Chronicles 29:10 Then David blessed the LORD
in the sight of all the assembly and said: “May You be blessed, O
LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the
greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the
majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth belongs to You.
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over
all.
1 Chronicles 29:12 Both riches and honor come
from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power
and might to exalt and give strength to all.
1 Chronicles 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we
give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and who are my
people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For
everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to
You.
1 Chronicles 29:15 For we are foreigners and
strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days
on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
1 Chronicles 29:16 O LORD our God, from Your
hand comes all this abundance that we have provided to build You a
house for Your holy Name, and all of it belongs to You.
1 Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that You test
the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have
given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen
Your people who are present here giving joyfully and willingly to
You.
1 Chronicles 29:18 O LORD, God of our fathers
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the
intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts
toward You.
1 Chronicles 29:19 And give my son Solomon a
whole heart to keep and carry out all Your commandments, decrees,
and statutes, and to build Your palace for which I have made
provision.”
1 Chronicles 29:20 Then David said to the whole
assembly, “Blessed be the LORD your God.” So the whole assembly
blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and
paid homage to the LORD and to the king.
1 Chronicles 29:21 The next day they offered
sacrifices and presented burnt offerings to the LORD: a thousand
bulls, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, along with their
drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.
1 Chronicles 29:22 That day they ate and drank
with great joy in the presence of the LORD. Then, for a second
time, they designated David’s son Solomon as king, anointing him
before the LORD as ruler, and Zadok as the priest.
1 Chronicles 29:23 So Solomon sat on the throne
of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered,
and all Israel obeyed him.
1 Chronicles 29:24 All the officials and mighty
men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance
to King Solomon.
1 Chronicles 29:25 The LORD highly exalted
Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal
majesty such as had not been bestowed on any king in Israel before
him.
1 Chronicles 29:26 David son of Jesse was king
over all Israel.
1 Chronicles 29:27 The length of David’s reign
over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three
years in Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 29:28 He died at a ripe old age,
full of years, riches, and honor, and his son Solomon reigned in
his place.
1 Chronicles 29:29 Now the acts of King David,
from first to last, are indeed written in the Chronicles of Samuel
the Seer, the Chronicles of Nathan the Prophet, and the Chronicles
of Gad the Seer,
1 Chronicles 29:30 together with all the details
of his reign, his might, and the circumstances that came upon him
and Israel and all the kingdoms of the lands.
2 CHRONICLES
2 Chronicles 1:1 Now Solomon son of David
established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his
God was with him and highly exalted him.
2 Chronicles 1:2 Then Solomon spoke to all
Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the
judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the heads of the
families.
2 Chronicles 1:3 And Solomon and the whole
assembly went to the high place at Gibeon because it was the
location of God’s Tent of Meeting, which Moses the servant of the
LORD had made in the wilderness.
2 Chronicles 1:4 Now David had brought the ark
of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it,
because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 1:5 But the bronze altar made by
Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before the
tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly inquired of
Him there.
2 Chronicles 1:6 Solomon offered sacrifices
there before the LORD on the bronze altar in the Tent of Meeting,
where he offered a thousand burnt offerings.
2 Chronicles 1:7 That night God appeared to
Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
2 Chronicles 1:8 Solomon replied to God: “You
have shown much loving devotion to my father David, and You have
made me king in his place.
2 Chronicles 1:9 Now, O LORD God, let Your
promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king
over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.
2 Chronicles 1:10 Now grant me wisdom and
knowledge, so that I may lead this people. For who is able to
govern this great people of Yours?”
2 Chronicles 1:11 God said to Solomon, “Since
this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or
glory for yourself or death for your enemies—and since you have
not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and
knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king—
2 Chronicles 1:12 therefore wisdom and knowledge
have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and
wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or
after you.”
2 Chronicles 1:13 So Solomon went to Jerusalem
from the high place in Gibeon before the Tent of Meeting, and he
reigned over Israel.
2 Chronicles 1:14 Solomon accumulated 1,400
chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot
cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 1:15 The king made silver and gold
as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as
sycamore in the foothills.
2 Chronicles 1:16 Solomon’s horses were imported
from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
2 Chronicles 1:17 A chariot could be imported
from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a
hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings
of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
2 Chronicles 2:1 Now Solomon purposed to build a
house for the Name of the LORD and a royal palace for himself.
2 Chronicles 2:2 So he conscripted 70,000
porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600
supervisors.
2 Chronicles 2:3 Then Solomon sent word to Hiram
king of Tyre: “Do for me as you did for my father David when you
sent him cedars to build himself a house to live in.
2 Chronicles 2:4 Behold, I am about to build a
house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for
burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread
continuously, and for making burnt offerings every morning and
evening as well as on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed
feasts of the LORD our God. This is ordained for Israel forever.
2 Chronicles 2:5 The house that I am building
will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
2 Chronicles 2:6 But who is able to build a
house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot
contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him,
except as a place to burn sacrifices before Him?
2 Chronicles 2:7 Send me, therefore, a craftsman
skilled in engraving to work with gold and silver, with bronze and
iron, and with purple, crimson, and blue yarn. He will work with
my craftsmen in Judah and Jerusalem, whom my father David
provided.
2 Chronicles 2:8 Send me also cedar, cypress,
and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants have
skill to cut timber there. And indeed, my servants will work with
yours
2 Chronicles 2:9 to prepare for me timber in
abundance, because the temple I am building will be great and
wonderful.
2 Chronicles 2:10 I will pay your servants, the
woodcutters, 20,000 cors of ground wheat, 20,000 cors of barley,
20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil.”
2 Chronicles 2:11 Then Hiram king of Tyre wrote
a letter in reply to Solomon: “Because the LORD loves His people,
He has set you over them as king.”
2 Chronicles 2:12 And Hiram added: “Blessed be
the LORD, the God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth!
He has given King David a wise son with insight and understanding,
who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for
himself.
2 Chronicles 2:13 So now I am sending you
Huram-abi, a skillful man endowed with creativity.
2 Chronicles 2:14 He is the son of a woman from
the daughters of Dan, and his father is a man of Tyre. He is
skilled in work with gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and
wood, purple, blue, and crimson yarn, and fine linen. He is
experienced in every kind of engraving and can execute any design
that is given him. He will work with your craftsmen and with those
of my lord, your father David.
2 Chronicles 2:15 Now let my lord send to his
servants the wheat, barley, olive oil, and wine he promised.
2 Chronicles 2:16 We will cut logs from Lebanon,
as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea
down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”
2 Chronicles 2:17 Solomon numbered all the
foreign men in the land of Israel following the census his father
David had conducted, and there were found to be 153,600 in all.
2 Chronicles 2:18 Solomon made 70,000 of them
porters, 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, and 3,600
supervisors.
2 Chronicles 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the
house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had
appeared to his father David. This was the place that David had
prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
2 Chronicles 3:2 Solomon began construction on
the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his
reign.
2 Chronicles 3:3 The foundation that Solomon
laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits
wide, according to the old standard.
2 Chronicles 3:4 The portico at the front,
extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits long
and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
2 Chronicles 3:5 He paneled the main room with
cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm
trees and chains.
2 Chronicles 3:6 He adorned the temple with
precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim.
2 Chronicles 3:7 He overlaid its beams,
thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on
the walls.
2 Chronicles 3:8 Then he made the Most Holy
Place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty
cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside
with six hundred talents of fine gold.
2 Chronicles 3:9 The weight of the nails was
fifty shekels of gold. He also overlaid the upper area with gold.
2 Chronicles 3:10 In the Most Holy Place he made
two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold.
2 Chronicles 3:11 The total wingspan of the
cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five
cubits long and touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing
was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub.
2 Chronicles 3:12 The wing of the second cherub
also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple,
while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of
the first cherub.
2 Chronicles 3:13 So the total wingspan of these
cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the
main room.
2 Chronicles 3:14 He made the veil of blue,
purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into
it.
2 Chronicles 3:15 In front of the temple he made
two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high, each
with a capital on top measuring five cubits.
2 Chronicles 3:16 He made interwoven chains and
put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and
fastened them into the chainwork.
2 Chronicles 3:17 Then he set up the pillars in
front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The
pillar on the south he named Jachin, and the pillar on the north
he named Boaz.
2 Chronicles 4:1 He made a bronze altar twenty
cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.
2 Chronicles 4:2 He also made the Sea of cast
metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to
rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
2 Chronicles 4:3 Below the rim, figures of oxen
encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in
two rows as a part of the Sea.
2 Chronicles 4:4 The Sea stood on twelve oxen,
three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and
three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their
hindquarters toward the center.
2 Chronicles 4:5 It was a handbreadth thick, and
its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom.
It could hold three thousand baths.
2 Chronicles 4:6 He also made ten basins for
washing and placed five on the south side and five on the north.
The parts of the burnt offering were rinsed in them, but the
priests used the Sea for washing.
2 Chronicles 4:7 He made ten gold lampstands
according to their specifications and placed them in the temple,
five on the south side and five on the north.
2 Chronicles 4:8 Additionally, he made ten
tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and
five on the north. He also made a hundred gold bowls.
2 Chronicles 4:9 He made the courtyard of the
priests and the large court with its doors, and he overlaid the
doors with bronze.
2 Chronicles 4:10 He put the Sea on the south
side, at the southeast corner.
2 Chronicles 4:11 Additionally, Huram made the
pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls. So Huram finished the work
that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of God:
2 Chronicles 4:12 the two pillars; the two
bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars; the two sets of network
covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;
2 Chronicles 4:13 the four hundred pomegranates
for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each
network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);
2 Chronicles 4:14 the stands; the basins on the
stands;
2 Chronicles 4:15 the Sea; the twelve oxen
underneath the Sea;
2 Chronicles 4:16 and the pots, shovels, meat
forks, and all the other articles. All these objects that
Huram-abi made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of
polished bronze.
2 Chronicles 4:17 The king had them cast in clay
molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zeredah.
2 Chronicles 4:18 Solomon made all these
articles in such great abundance that the weight of the bronze
could not be determined.
2 Chronicles 4:19 Solomon also made all the
furnishings for the house of God: the golden altar; the tables on
which was placed the Bread of the Presence;
2 Chronicles 4:20 the lampstands of pure gold
and their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as
prescribed;
2 Chronicles 4:21 the flowers, lamps, and tongs
of gold—of purest gold;
2 Chronicles 4:22 the wick trimmers, sprinkling
bowls, ladles, and censers of purest gold; and the gold doors of
the temple: the inner doors to the Most Holy Place as well as the
doors of the main hall.
2 Chronicles 5:1 So all the work that Solomon
had performed for the house of the LORD was completed. Then
Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the
silver, the gold, and all the furnishings—and he placed them in
the treasuries of the house of God.
2 Chronicles 5:2 At that time Solomon assembled
in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family
leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of
the LORD from Zion, the City of David.
2 Chronicles 5:3 So all the men of Israel came
together to the king at the feast in the seventh month.
2 Chronicles 5:4 When all the elders of Israel
had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,
2 Chronicles 5:5 and they brought up the ark and
the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. The Levitical
priests carried them up.
2 Chronicles 5:6 There, before the ark, King
Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled
with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be
counted or numbered.
2 Chronicles 5:7 Then the priests brought the
ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner
sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of
the cherubim.
2 Chronicles 5:8 For the cherubim spread their
wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its
poles.
2 Chronicles 5:9 The poles of the ark extended
far enough that their ends were visible from in front of the inner
sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there
to this day.
2 Chronicles 5:10 There was nothing in the ark
except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where
the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had
come out of Egypt.
2 Chronicles 5:11 Now all the priests who were
present had consecrated themselves regardless of their divisions.
And when the priests came out of the Holy Place,
2 Chronicles 5:12 all the Levitical
singers—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives—stood
on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing
cymbals, harps, and lyres, accompanied by 120 priests sounding
trumpets.
2 Chronicles 5:13 The trumpeters and singers
joined together to praise and thank the LORD with one voice. They
lifted up their voices, accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and
musical instruments, in praise to the LORD: “For He is good; His
loving devotion endures forever.” And the temple, the house of the
LORD, was filled with a cloud
2 Chronicles 5:14 so that the priests could not
stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the
LORD filled the house of God.
2 Chronicles 6:1 Then Solomon declared: “The
LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud;
2 Chronicles 6:2 and I have built You an exalted
house, a place for You to dwell forever.”
2 Chronicles 6:3 And as the whole assembly of
Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all
2 Chronicles 6:4 and said: “Blessed be the LORD,
the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He
spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying,
2 Chronicles 6:5 ‘Since the day I brought My
people out of the land of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any
tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be
there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over My people Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem
for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My
people Israel.’
2 Chronicles 6:7 Now it was in the heart of my
father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of
Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:8 But the LORD said to my father
David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name,
you have done well to have this in your heart.
2 Chronicles 6:9 Nevertheless, you are not the
one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the
house for My Name.’
2 Chronicles 6:10 Now the LORD has fulfilled the
word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on
the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house
for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 6:11 And there I have provided a
place for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He
made with the children of Israel.”
2 Chronicles 6:12 Then Solomon stood before the
altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel and
spread out his hands.
2 Chronicles 6:13 Now Solomon had made a bronze
platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits
high, and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood
on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out
his hands toward heaven,
2 Chronicles 6:14 and said: “O LORD, God of
Israel, there is no God like You in heaven or on earth, keeping
Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk
before You with all their hearts.
2 Chronicles 6:15 You have kept Your promise to
Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You
have fulfilled with Your hand this day.
2 Chronicles 6:16 Therefore now, O LORD, God of
Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised
when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me
on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way
to walk in My law as you have walked before Me.’
2 Chronicles 6:17 And now, O LORD, God of
Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant David.
2 Chronicles 6:18 But will God indeed dwell with
man upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot
contain You, much less this temple I have built.
2 Chronicles 6:19 Yet regard the prayer and plea
of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and
the prayer that Your servant is praying before You.
2 Chronicles 6:20 May Your eyes be open toward
this temple day and night, toward the place where You said You
would put Your Name, so that You may hear the prayer that Your
servant prays toward this place.
2 Chronicles 6:21 Hear the plea of Your servant
and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May
You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and
forgive.
2 Chronicles 6:22 When a man sins against his
neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an
oath before Your altar in this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:23 then may You hear from heaven
and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by
bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the
righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.
2 Chronicles 6:24 When Your people Israel are
defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and
they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading
before You in this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:25 then may You hear from heaven
and forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to
the land You gave to them and their fathers.
2 Chronicles 6:26 When the skies are shut and
there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and
they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn
from their sins because You have afflicted them,
2 Chronicles 6:27 then may You hear from heaven
and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that
You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You
send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.
2 Chronicles 6:28 When famine or plague comes
upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or
when their enemies besiege them in their cities, whatever plague
or sickness may come,
2 Chronicles 6:29 then may whatever prayer or
petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions
and spreading out his hands toward this temple—
2 Chronicles 6:30 be heard by You from heaven,
Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and repay each man
according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone
know the hearts of men—
2 Chronicles 6:31 so that they may fear You and
walk in Your ways all the days they live in the land that You gave
to our fathers.
2 Chronicles 6:32 And as for the foreigner who
is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land
because of Your great name and Your mighty hand and outstretched
arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,
2 Chronicles 6:33 then may You hear from heaven,
Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the
foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will
know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they
will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.
2 Chronicles 6:34 When Your people go to war
against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray
to You in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house
I have built for Your Name,
2 Chronicles 6:35 then may You hear from heaven
their prayer and their plea, and may You uphold their cause.
2 Chronicles 6:36 When they sin against You—for
there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them
and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to a land
far or near,
2 Chronicles 6:37 and when they come to their
senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and
plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have
sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’
2 Chronicles 6:38 and when they return to You
with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took
them captive, and when they pray in the direction of the land that
You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house
I have built for Your Name,
2 Chronicles 6:39 then may You hear from heaven,
Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold
their cause. May You forgive Your people who sinned against You.
2 Chronicles 6:40 Now, my God, may Your eyes be
open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
2 Chronicles 6:41 Now therefore, arise, O LORD
God, and enter Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might.
May Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and may
Your godly ones rejoice in goodness.
2 Chronicles 6:42 O LORD God, do not reject Your
anointed one. Remember Your loving devotion to Your servant
David.”
2 Chronicles 7:1 When Solomon had finished
praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt
offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the
temple.
2 Chronicles 7:2 The priests were unable to
enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had
filled it.
2 Chronicles 7:3 When all the Israelites saw the
fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they
bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and
they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD: “For He is good; His
loving devotion endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 7:4 Then the king and all the
people offered sacrifices before the LORD.
2 Chronicles 7:5 And King Solomon offered a
sacrifice of 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all
the people dedicated the house of God.
2 Chronicles 7:6 The priests stood at their
posts, as did the Levites with the musical instruments of the
LORD, which King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD and
with which David had offered praise, saying, “For His loving
devotion endures forever.” Across from the Levites, the priests
sounded trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
2 Chronicles 7:7 Then Solomon consecrated the
middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and
there he offered the burnt offerings and the fat of the peace
offerings, since the bronze altar he had made could not contain
all these offerings.
2 Chronicles 7:8 So at that time Solomon and all
Israel with him—a very great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath
to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast for seven days.
2 Chronicles 7:9 On the eighth day they held a
solemn assembly, for the dedication of the altar had lasted seven
days, and the feast seven days more.
2 Chronicles 7:10 On the twenty-third day of the
seventh month, Solomon sent the people away to their homes, joyful
and glad of heart for the good things that the LORD had done for
David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.
2 Chronicles 7:11 When Solomon had finished the
house of the LORD and the royal palace, successfully carrying out
all that was in his heart to do for the house of the LORD and for
his own palace,
2 Chronicles 7:12 the LORD appeared to him at
night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen
this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
2 Chronicles 7:13 If I close the sky so there is
no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I
send a plague among My people,
2 Chronicles 7:14 and if My people who are
called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive
their sin, and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:15 Now My eyes will be open and
My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:16 For I have now chosen and
consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My
eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
2 Chronicles 7:17 And as for you, if you walk
before Me as your father David walked, doing all I have commanded
you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,
2 Chronicles 7:18 then I will establish your
royal throne, as I covenanted with your father David when I said,
‘You will never fail to have a man to rule over Israel.’
2 Chronicles 7:19 But if you turn away and
forsake the statutes and commandments I have set before you, and
if you go off to serve and worship other gods,
2 Chronicles 7:20 then I will uproot Israel from
the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence
this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an
object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.
2 Chronicles 7:21 And when this temple has
become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and
say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this
temple?’
2 Chronicles 7:22 And others will answer,
‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers,
who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other
gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, He has brought
all this disaster upon them.’”
2 Chronicles 8:1 Now at the end of the twenty
years during which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his
own palace,
2 Chronicles 8:2 Solomon rebuilt the cities
Hiram had given him and settled Israelites there.
2 Chronicles 8:3 Then Solomon went to
Hamath-zobah and captured it.
2 Chronicles 8:4 He built Tadmor in the
wilderness, in addition to all the store cities that he had built
in Hamath.
2 Chronicles 8:5 He rebuilt Upper and Lower
Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,
2 Chronicles 8:6 as well as Baalath, all the
store cities that belonged to Solomon, and all the cities for his
chariots and horses—whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem,
Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
2 Chronicles 8:7 As for all the people who
remained of the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)—
2 Chronicles 8:8 their descendants who remained
in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to
destroy—Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as
they are to this day.
2 Chronicles 8:9 But Solomon did not consign any
of the Israelites to slave labor, because they were his men of
war, his officers and captains, and the commanders of his chariots
and cavalry.
2 Chronicles 8:10 They were also the chief
officers for King Solomon: 250 supervisors.
2 Chronicles 8:11 Solomon brought the daughter
of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the palace he had built
for her. For he said, “My wife must not live in the house of David
king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered
are holy.”
2 Chronicles 8:12 At that time Solomon offered
burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD he had built
in front of the portico.
2 Chronicles 8:13 He observed the daily
requirement for offerings according to the commandment of Moses
for Sabbaths, New Moons, and the three annual appointed feasts—the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of
Tabernacles.
2 Chronicles 8:14 In keeping with the ordinances
of his father David, Solomon appointed the divisions of the
priests over their service, and the Levites for their duties to
offer praise and to minister before the priests according to the
daily requirement. He also appointed gatekeepers by their
divisions at each gate, for this had been the command of David,
the man of God.
2 Chronicles 8:15 They did not turn aside from
the king’s command regarding the priests or the Levites or any
matter concerning the treasuries.
2 Chronicles 8:16 Thus all the work of Solomon
was carried out, from the day the foundation was laid for the
house of the LORD until it was finished. So the house of the LORD
was completed.
2 Chronicles 8:17 Then Solomon went to
Ezion-geber and to Eloth on the coast of Edom.
2 Chronicles 8:18 So Hiram sent him ships
captained by his servants, along with crews of experienced
sailors. They went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir and acquired
from there 450 talents of gold, which they delivered to King
Solomon.
2 Chronicles 9:1 Now when the queen of Sheba
heard about the fame of Solomon, she came to test him with
difficult questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large
caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in abundance, and
precious stones. So she came to Solomon and spoke with him about
all that was on her mind.
2 Chronicles 9:2 And Solomon answered all her
questions; nothing was too difficult for him to explain.
2 Chronicles 9:3 When the queen of Sheba saw the
wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,
2 Chronicles 9:4 the food at his table, the
seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants
and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house
of the LORD, it took her breath away.
2 Chronicles 9:5 She said to the king, “The
report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is
true.
2 Chronicles 9:6 But I did not believe the
reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not half of
the greatness of your wisdom was told to me. You have far exceeded
the report I heard.
2 Chronicles 9:7 How blessed are your men! How
blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before
you and hear your wisdom!
2 Chronicles 9:8 Blessed be the LORD your God,
who has delighted in you to set you on His throne to be king for
the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel enough to
establish them forever, He has made you king over them to carry
out justice and righteousness.”
2 Chronicles 9:9 Then she gave the king 120
talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones.
There had never been such spices as those the queen of Sheba gave
to King Solomon.
2 Chronicles 9:10 (The servants of Hiram and of
Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and
precious stones.
2 Chronicles 9:11 The king made the algum wood
into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace,
and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had
anything like them been seen in the land of Judah.)
2 Chronicles 9:12 King Solomon gave the queen of
Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—far more than she had
brought the king. Then she left and returned to her own country,
along with her servants.
2 Chronicles 9:13 The weight of gold that came
to Solomon each year was 666 talents,
2 Chronicles 9:14 not including the revenue from
the merchants and traders. And all the Arabian kings and governors
of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
2 Chronicles 9:15 King Solomon made two hundred
large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of hammered
gold went into each shield.
2 Chronicles 9:16 He also made three hundred
small shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went
into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest
of Lebanon.
2 Chronicles 9:17 Additionally, the king made a
great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.
2 Chronicles 9:18 The throne had six steps, and
a footstool of gold was attached to it. There were armrests on
both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.
2 Chronicles 9:19 Twelve lions stood on the six
steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever
been made for any kingdom.
2 Chronicles 9:20 All King Solomon’s drinking
cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of
Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was
accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
2 Chronicles 9:21 For the king had the ships of
Tarshish that went with Hiram’s servants, and once every three
years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver,
ivory, apes, and peacocks.
2 Chronicles 9:22 So King Solomon surpassed all
the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
2 Chronicles 9:23 All the kings of the earth
sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had
put in his heart.
2 Chronicles 9:24 Year after year, each visitor
would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing,
weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
2 Chronicles 9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for
horses and chariots, and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the
chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 9:26 He reigned over all the kings
from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the
border of Egypt.
2 Chronicles 9:27 The king made silver as common
in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the
foothills.
2 Chronicles 9:28 Solomon’s horses were imported
from Egypt and from all the lands.
2 Chronicles 9:29 As for the rest of the acts of
Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the
Records of Nathan the Prophet, in the Prophecy of Ahijah the
Shilonite, and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer concerning Jeroboam
son of Nebat?
2 Chronicles 9:30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem
over all Israel forty years.
2 Chronicles 9:31 And Solomon rested with his
fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his
son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 10:1 Then Rehoboam went to Shechem,
for all Israel had gone there to make him king.
2 Chronicles 10:2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat
heard about this, he returned from Egypt, where he had fled from
King Solomon.
2 Chronicles 10:3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and
he and all Israel came to Rehoboam and said,
2 Chronicles 10:4 “Your father put a heavy yoke
on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s
service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
2 Chronicles 10:5 Rehoboam answered, “Come back
to me in three days.” So the people departed.
2 Chronicles 10:6 Then King Rehoboam consulted
with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his
lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he
asked.
2 Chronicles 10:7 They replied, “If you will be
kind to these people and please them by speaking kind words to
them, they will be your servants forever.”
2 Chronicles 10:8 But Rehoboam rejected the
advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had
grown up with him and served him.
2 Chronicles 10:9 He asked them, “What message
do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to
me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
2 Chronicles 10:10 The young men who had grown
up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people
who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should
make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little
finger is thicker than my father’s waist!
2 Chronicles 10:11 Whereas my father burdened
you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father
scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
2 Chronicles 10:12 After three days, Jeroboam
and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said,
“Come back to me on the third day.”
2 Chronicles 10:13 And the king answered them
harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders
2 Chronicles 10:14 and spoke to them as the
young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke
heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you
with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”
2 Chronicles 10:15 So the king did not listen to
the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order
that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through
Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
2 Chronicles 10:16 When all Israel saw that the
king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What
portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of
Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O
David!” So all the Israelites went home,
2 Chronicles 10:17 but Rehoboam still reigned
over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.
2 Chronicles 10:18 Then King Rehoboam sent out
Hadoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but the Israelites
stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in
haste and escaped to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 10:19 So to this day Israel has
been in rebellion against the house of David.
2 Chronicles 11:1 When Rehoboam arrived in
Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—180,000
chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to
Rehoboam.
2 Chronicles 11:2 But the word of the LORD came
to Shemaiah the man of God:
2 Chronicles 11:3 “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon
king of Judah and all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin
2 Chronicles 11:4 that this is what the LORD
says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers. Each
of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’” So they
listened to the words of the LORD and turned back from going
against Jeroboam.
2 Chronicles 11:5 Rehoboam continued to live in
Jerusalem, and he built up cities for defense in Judah.
2 Chronicles 11:6 He built up Bethlehem, Etam,
Tekoa,
2 Chronicles 11:7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
2 Chronicles 11:8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
2 Chronicles 11:9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
2 Chronicles 11:10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron,
the fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
2 Chronicles 11:11 He strengthened their
fortresses and put officers in them, with supplies of food, oil,
and wine.
2 Chronicles 11:12 He also put shields and
spears in all the cities and strengthened them greatly. So Judah
and Benjamin belonged to him.
2 Chronicles 11:13 Moreover, the priests and
Levites from all their districts throughout Israel stood with
Rehoboam.
2 Chronicles 11:14 For the Levites left their
pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and
Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as
priests of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 11:15 And Jeroboam appointed his
own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf
idols he had made.
2 Chronicles 11:16 Those from every tribe of
Israel who had set their hearts to seek the LORD their God
followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the
God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 11:17 So they strengthened the
kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three
years, because they walked for three years in the way of David and
Solomon.
2 Chronicles 11:18 And Rehoboam married
Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of
Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
2 Chronicles 11:19 She bore sons to him: Jeush,
Shemariah, and Zaham.
2 Chronicles 11:20 After her, he married Maacah
daughter of Absalom, and she bore to him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and
Shelomith.
2 Chronicles 11:21 Rehoboam loved Maacah
daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. In
all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he was the
father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
2 Chronicles 11:22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son
of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, intending to make
him king.
2 Chronicles 11:23 Rehoboam also acted wisely by
dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and
Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant
provisions and sought many wives for them.
2 Chronicles 12:1 After Rehoboam had established
his sovereignty and royal power, he and all Israel with him
forsook the Law of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 12:2 In the fifth year of
Rehoboam’s reign, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD,
Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 12:3 with 1,200 chariots, 60,000
horsemen, and countless troops who came with him out of
Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites.
2 Chronicles 12:4 He captured the fortified
cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 12:5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came
to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem
because of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD
says: ‘You have forsaken Me; therefore, I have forsaken you into
the hand of Shishak.’”
2 Chronicles 12:6 So the leaders of Israel and
the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.”
2 Chronicles 12:7 When the LORD saw that they
had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah,
saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them,
but will soon grant them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured
out on Jerusalem through Shishak.
2 Chronicles 12:8 Nevertheless, they will become
his servants, so that they may learn the difference between
serving Me and serving the kings of other lands.”
2 Chronicles 12:9 So King Shishak of Egypt
attacked Jerusalem and seized the treasures of the house of the
LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including the
gold shields that Solomon had made.
2 Chronicles 12:10 Then King Rehoboam made
bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of
the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal
palace.
2 Chronicles 12:11 And whenever the king entered
the house of the LORD, the guards would go with him, bearing the
shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.
2 Chronicles 12:12 Because Rehoboam humbled
himself, the anger of the LORD turned away from him, and He did
not destroy him completely. Indeed, conditions were good in Judah.
2 Chronicles 12:13 Thus King Rehoboam
established himself in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when
he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the
city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to
put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.
2 Chronicles 12:14 And Rehoboam did evil because
he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.
2 Chronicles 12:15 Now the acts of Rehoboam,
from first to last, are they not written in the records of
Shemaiah the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer concerning the
genealogies? There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam
throughout their days.
2 Chronicles 12:16 And Rehoboam rested with his
fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Abijah
reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 13:1 In the eighteenth year of
Jeroboam’s reign, Abijah became king of Judah,
2 Chronicles 13:2 and he reigned in Jerusalem
three years. His mother’s name was Micaiah daughter of Uriel; she
was from Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
2 Chronicles 13:3 Abijah went into battle with
an army of 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in formation
against him with 800,000 chosen and mighty men of valor.
2 Chronicles 13:4 Then Abijah stood on Mount
Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O
Jeroboam and all Israel!
2 Chronicles 13:5 Do you not know that the LORD,
the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and
his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?
2 Chronicles 13:6 Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a
servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his
master.
2 Chronicles 13:7 Then worthless and wicked men
gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was
young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.
2 Chronicles 13:8 And now you think you can
resist the kingdom of the LORD, which is in the hands of David’s
descendants. You are indeed a vast army, and you have with you the
golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.
2 Chronicles 13:9 But did you not drive out the
priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did
you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other
lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull
and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.
2 Chronicles 13:10 But as for us, the LORD is
our God. We have not forsaken Him; the priests who minister to the
LORD are sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.
2 Chronicles 13:11 Every morning and every
evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the
LORD. They set out the rows of showbread on the ceremonially clean
table, and every evening they light the lamps of the gold
lampstand. We are carrying out the requirements of the LORD our
God, while you have forsaken Him.
2 Chronicles 13:12 Now behold, God Himself is
with us as our head, and His priests with their trumpets sound the
battle call against you. O children of Israel, do not fight
against the LORD, the God of your fathers, for you will not
succeed.”
2 Chronicles 13:13 Now Jeroboam had sent troops
around to ambush from the rear, so that while he was in front of
Judah, the ambush was behind them.
2 Chronicles 13:14 When Judah turned and
discovered that the battle was both before and behind them, they
cried out to the LORD. Then the priests blew the trumpets,
2 Chronicles 13:15 and the men of Judah raised
the battle cry. And when they raised the cry, God routed Jeroboam
and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.
2 Chronicles 13:16 So the Israelites fled before
Judah, and God delivered them into their hands.
2 Chronicles 13:17 Then Abijah and his people
struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel
fell slain.
2 Chronicles 13:18 Thus the Israelites were
subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed because they
relied on the LORD, the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 13:19 Abijah pursued Jeroboam and
captured some cities from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along
with their villages.
2 Chronicles 13:20 Jeroboam did not again
recover his power during the days of Abijah, and the LORD struck
him down and he died.
2 Chronicles 13:21 But Abijah grew strong,
married fourteen wives, and became the father of twenty-two sons
and sixteen daughters.
2 Chronicles 13:22 Now the rest of the acts of
Abijah, along with his ways and his words, are written in the
Treatise of the Prophet Iddo.
2 Chronicles 14:1 Then Abijah rested with his
fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Asa
reigned in his place, and in his days the land was at peace for
ten years.
2 Chronicles 14:2 And Asa did what was good and
right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
2 Chronicles 14:3 He removed the foreign altars
and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down
the Asherah poles.
2 Chronicles 14:4 He commanded the people of
Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to observe
the law and the commandments.
2 Chronicles 14:5 He also removed the high
places and incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and under
him the kingdom was at peace.
2 Chronicles 14:6 Because the land was at peace,
Asa built fortified cities in Judah. In those days no one made war
with him, because the LORD had given him rest.
2 Chronicles 14:7 So he said to the people of
Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and
towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we
have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him and He has given
us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
2 Chronicles 14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men
from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from
Benjamin bearing small shields and drawing the bow. All these were
mighty men of valor.
2 Chronicles 14:9 Then Zerah the Cushite came
against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and
they advanced as far as Mareshah.
2 Chronicles 14:10 So Asa marched out against
him and lined up in battle formation in the Valley of Zephathah
near Mareshah.
2 Chronicles 14:11 Then Asa cried out to the
LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the
powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely
on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O
LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against
You.”
2 Chronicles 14:12 So the LORD struck down the
Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled.
2 Chronicles 14:13 Then Asa and his army pursued
them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell and could not recover, for
they were crushed before the LORD and His army. So the people of
Judah carried off a great amount of plunder
2 Chronicles 14:14 and attacked all the cities
around Gerar, because the terror of the LORD had fallen upon them.
They plundered all the cities, since there was much plunder there.
2 Chronicles 14:15 They also attacked the tents
of the herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they
returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 15:1 Now the Spirit of God came
upon Azariah son of Oded.
2 Chronicles 15:2 So he went out to meet Asa and
said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The
LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will
be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
2 Chronicles 15:3 For many years Israel has been
without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and
without the law.
2 Chronicles 15:4 But in their distress they
turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was
found by them.
2 Chronicles 15:5 In those days there was no
safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many
conflicts.
2 Chronicles 15:6 Nation was crushed by nation,
and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of
adversity.
2 Chronicles 15:7 But as for you, be strong; do
not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”
2 Chronicles 15:8 When Asa heard these words and
the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage
and removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and
Benjamin and from the cities he had captured in the hill country
of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD that was in
front of the portico of the LORD’s temple.
2 Chronicles 15:9 And he assembled all Judah and
Benjamin, along with those from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh,
and Simeon who had settled among them, for great numbers had come
over to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was
with him.
2 Chronicles 15:10 So they gathered together in
Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.
2 Chronicles 15:11 At that time they sacrificed
to the LORD seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep from all
the plunder they had brought back.
2 Chronicles 15:12 Then they entered into a
covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all
their heart and soul.
2 Chronicles 15:13 And whoever would not seek
the LORD, the God of Israel, would be put to death, whether young
or old, man or woman.
2 Chronicles 15:14 They took an oath to the LORD
with a loud voice, with shouting, trumpets, and rams’ horns.
2 Chronicles 15:15 And all Judah rejoiced over
the oath, for they had sworn it with all their heart. They had
sought Him earnestly, and He was found by them. So the LORD gave
them rest on every side.
2 Chronicles 15:16 King Asa also removed his
grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she
had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole,
crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
2 Chronicles 15:17 The high places were not
removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his
days.
2 Chronicles 15:18 And he brought into the house
of God the silver and gold articles that he and his father had
dedicated.
2 Chronicles 15:19 And there was no war until
the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
2 Chronicles 16:1 In the thirty-sixth year of
Asa’s reign, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and
fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the
territory of Asa king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 16:2 So Asa withdrew the silver and
gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal
palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-hadad king of
Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
2 Chronicles 16:3 “Let there be a treaty between
me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent
you silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king
of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”
2 Chronicles 16:4 And Ben-hadad listened to King
Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of
Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities
of Naphtali.
2 Chronicles 16:5 When Baasha learned of this,
he stopped fortifying Ramah and abandoned his work.
2 Chronicles 16:6 Then King Asa brought all the
men of Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the
timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials he
built up Geba and Mizpah.
2 Chronicles 16:7 At that time Hanani the seer
came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied
on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the
king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
2 Chronicles 16:8 Were not the Cushites and
Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? Yet because
you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD roam
to and fro over all the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of
those whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. You have acted
foolishly in this matter. From now on, therefore, you will be at
war.”
2 Chronicles 16:10 Asa was angry with the seer
and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in
prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.
2 Chronicles 16:11 Now the rest of the acts of
Asa, from beginning to end, are indeed written in the Book of the
Kings of Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 16:12 In the thirty-ninth year of
his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady became
increasingly severe. Yet even in his illness he did not seek the
LORD, but only the physicians.
2 Chronicles 16:13 So in the forty-first year of
his reign, Asa died and rested with his fathers.
2 Chronicles 16:14 And he was buried in the tomb
that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid
him on a bier that was full of spices and various blended
perfumes; then they made a great fire in his honor.
2 Chronicles 17:1 Asa’s son Jehoshaphat reigned
in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel.
2 Chronicles 17:2 He stationed troops in every
fortified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and
in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.
2 Chronicles 17:3 Now the LORD was with
Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father
David. He did not seek out the Baals,
2 Chronicles 17:4 but he sought the God of his
father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of
Israel.
2 Chronicles 17:5 So the LORD established the
kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him tribute, so that he
had an abundance of riches and honor.
2 Chronicles 17:6 And his heart took delight in
the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and
Asherah poles from Judah.
2 Chronicles 17:7 In the third year of his
reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah,
Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah,
2 Chronicles 17:8 accompanied by certain
Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth,
Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah—along with the
priests Elishama and Jehoram.
2 Chronicles 17:9 They taught throughout Judah,
taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD. They went
throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
2 Chronicles 17:10 And the dread of the LORD
fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so
that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.
2 Chronicles 17:11 Some Philistines also brought
gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought
him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.
2 Chronicles 17:12 Jehoshaphat grew stronger and
stronger, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah
2 Chronicles 17:13 and kept vast supplies in the
cities of Judah. He also had warriors in Jerusalem who were mighty
men of valor.
2 Chronicles 17:14 These are their numbers
according to the houses of their fathers: From Judah, the
commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000
mighty men of valor;
2 Chronicles 17:15 next to him, Jehohanan the
commander, and with him 280,000;
2 Chronicles 17:16 and next to him, Amasiah son
of Zichri, the volunteer for the LORD, and with him 200,000 mighty
men of valor.
2 Chronicles 17:17 From Benjamin: Eliada, a
mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and
shields;
2 Chronicles 17:18 and next to him, Jehozabad,
and with him 180,000 armed for battle.
2 Chronicles 17:19 These were the men who served
the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities
throughout Judah.
2 Chronicles 18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and
honor in abundance, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage.
2 Chronicles 18:2 And some years later he went
down to visit Ahab in Samaria, where Ahab sacrificed many sheep
and cattle for him and the people with him, and urged him to march
up to Ramoth-gilead.
2 Chronicles 18:3 Ahab king of Israel asked
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against
Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat replied, “I am like you, and my
people are your people; we will join you in the war.”
2 Chronicles 18:4 But Jehoshaphat also said to
the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the
LORD.”
2 Chronicles 18:5 So the king of Israel
assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and asked them, “Should
we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go
up,” they replied, “and God will deliver it into the hand of the
king.”
2 Chronicles 18:6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is
there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can
inquire?”
2 Chronicles 18:7 The king of Israel answered,
“There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him
because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He
is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!”
Jehoshaphat replied.
2 Chronicles 18:8 So the king of Israel called
one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at
once.”
2 Chronicles 18:9 Dressed in royal attire, the
king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their
thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of
Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.
2 Chronicles 18:10 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah
had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the
LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are
finished off.’”
2 Chronicles 18:11 And all the prophets were
prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper,
for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
2 Chronicles 18:12 Then the messenger who had
gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold, with one accord the
words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let
your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
2 Chronicles 18:13 But Micaiah said, “As surely
as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever my God tells me.”
2 Chronicles 18:14 When Micaiah arrived, the
king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against
Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah
replied, “for they will be given into your hand.”
2 Chronicles 18:15 But the king said to him,
“How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but
the truth in the name of the LORD?”
2 Chronicles 18:16 So Micaiah declared: “I saw
all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd.
And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one
return home in peace.’”
2 Chronicles 18:17 Then the king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good
for me, but only bad?”
2 Chronicles 18:18 Micaiah continued, “Therefore
hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne,
and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left.
2 Chronicles 18:19 And the LORD said, ‘Who will
entice Ahab king of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’
And one suggested this, and another that.
2 Chronicles 18:20 Then a spirit came forward,
stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what
means?’ asked the LORD.
2 Chronicles 18:21 And he replied, ‘I will go
out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You
will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do
it.’
2 Chronicles 18:22 So you see, the LORD has put
a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the
LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
2 Chronicles 18:23 Then Zedekiah son of
Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded,
“Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me
to speak with you?”
2 Chronicles 18:24 Micaiah replied, “You will
soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
2 Chronicles 18:25 And the king of Israel
declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the
city and to Joash the king’s son,
2 Chronicles 18:26 and tell them that this is
what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only
bread and water until I return safely.’”
2 Chronicles 18:27 But Micaiah replied, “If you
ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he
added, “Take heed, all you people!”
2 Chronicles 18:28 So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
2 Chronicles 18:29 And the king of Israel said
to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but
you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised
himself and went into battle.
2 Chronicles 18:30 Now the king of Aram had
ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small
or great, except the king of Israel.”
2 Chronicles 18:31 When the chariot commanders
saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “This is the king of Israel!” So they
turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the
LORD helped him. God drew them away from him.
2 Chronicles 18:32 And when the chariot
commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned
back from pursuing him.
2 Chronicles 18:33 However, a certain man drew
his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of
Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his
charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am
badly wounded!”
2 Chronicles 18:34 The battle raged throughout
that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot
facing the Arameans until evening. And at sunset he died.
2 Chronicles 19:1 When Jehoshaphat king of Judah
had returned safely to his home in Jerusalem,
2 Chronicles 19:2 Jehu son of Hanani the seer
went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you
help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this,
the wrath of the LORD is upon you.
2 Chronicles 19:3 However, some good is found in
you, for you have removed the Asherah poles from the land and have
set your heart on seeking God.”
2 Chronicles 19:4 Jehoshaphat lived in
Jerusalem, and once again he went out among the people from
Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to
the LORD, the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 19:5 He appointed judges in the
land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah.
2 Chronicles 19:6 Then he said to the judges,
“Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man,
but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.
2 Chronicles 19:7 And now, may the fear of the
LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our
God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
2 Chronicles 19:8 Moreover, Jehoshaphat
appointed in Jerusalem some of the Levites, priests, and heads of
the Israelite families to judge on behalf of the LORD and to
settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 19:9 He commanded them, saying,
“You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the
LORD.
2 Chronicles 19:10 For every dispute that comes
before you from your brothers who dwell in their cities—whether it
regards bloodshed or some other violation of law, commandments,
statutes, or ordinances—you are to warn them, so that they will
not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath will not come upon you
and your brothers. Do this, and you will not incur guilt.
2 Chronicles 19:11 Note that Amariah, the chief
priest, will be over you in all that pertains to the LORD, and
Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all
that pertains to the king. And the Levites will serve as officers
before you. Act resolutely; may the LORD be with the upright!”
2 Chronicles 20:1 After this, the Moabites and
Ammonites, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war
against Jehoshaphat.
2 Chronicles 20:2 Then some men came and told
Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from
beyond the Sea; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is,
En-gedi).
2 Chronicles 20:3 Jehoshaphat was alarmed and
set his face to seek the LORD. And he proclaimed a fast throughout
Judah.
2 Chronicles 20:4 So the people of Judah
gathered to seek the LORD, and indeed, they came from all the
cities of Judah to seek Him.
2 Chronicles 20:5 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the
assembly of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the LORD in front
of the new courtyard
2 Chronicles 20:6 and said, “O LORD, God of our
fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule
over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your
hand, and no one can stand against You.
2 Chronicles 20:7 Our God, did You not drive out
the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it
forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend?
2 Chronicles 20:8 They have lived in the land
and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying,
2 Chronicles 20:9 ‘If disaster comes upon
us—whether sword or judgment, plague or famine—we will stand
before this temple and before You, for Your Name is in this
temple. We will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear
us and save us.’
2 Chronicles 20:10 And now, here are the men of
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel invade
when they came out of the land of Egypt; but Israel turned away
from them and did not destroy them.
2 Chronicles 20:11 See how they are repaying us
by coming to drive us out of the possession that You gave us as an
inheritance.
2 Chronicles 20:12 Our God, will You not judge
them? For we are powerless before this vast army that comes
against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
2 Chronicles 20:13 Meanwhile all the men of
Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, were
standing before the LORD.
2 Chronicles 20:14 Then the Spirit of the LORD
came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son
of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite from Asaph’s descendants,
as he stood in the midst of the assembly.
2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, “Listen, all you
people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is
what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of
this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.
2 Chronicles 20:16 Tomorrow you are to march
down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz,
and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the
Wilderness of Jeruel.
2 Chronicles 20:17 You need not fight this
battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation
of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be
afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the LORD
is with you.’”
2 Chronicles 20:18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed
facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down
before the LORD to worship Him.
2 Chronicles 20:19 And the Levites from the
Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the LORD, the God of
Israel, shouting in a very loud voice.
2 Chronicles 20:20 Early in the morning they got
up and left for the Wilderness of Tekoa. As they set out,
Jehoshaphat stood up and said, “Hear me, O people of Judah and
Jerusalem. Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld;
believe in His prophets, and you will succeed.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 Then Jehoshaphat consulted
with the people and appointed those who would sing to the LORD and
praise the splendor of His holiness. As they went out before the
army, they were singing: “Give thanks to the LORD, for His loving
devotion endures forever.”
2 Chronicles 20:22 The moment they began their
shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against the men of
Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they
were defeated.
2 Chronicles 20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites
rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to
destruction. And when they had made an end to the inhabitants of
Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
2 Chronicles 20:24 When the men of Judah came to
a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked for the vast army,
but there were only corpses lying on the ground; no one had
escaped.
2 Chronicles 20:25 Then Jehoshaphat and his
people went to carry off the plunder, and they found on the bodies
an abundance of goods and valuables—more than they could carry
away. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there
was so much.
2 Chronicles 20:26 On the fourth day they
assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they blessed the LORD.
Therefore that place is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.
2 Chronicles 20:27 Then all the men of Judah and
Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat at their head, returned joyfully to
Jerusalem, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.
2 Chronicles 20:28 So they entered Jerusalem and
went into the house of the LORD with harps, lyres, and trumpets.
2 Chronicles 20:29 And the fear of God came upon
all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had
fought against the enemies of Israel.
2 Chronicles 20:30 Then Jehoshaphat’s kingdom
was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.
2 Chronicles 20:31 So Jehoshaphat reigned over
Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he
reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was
Azubah daughter of Shilhi.
2 Chronicles 20:32 And Jehoshaphat walked in the
way of his father Asa and did not turn away from it; he did what
was right in the eyes of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 20:33 The high places, however,
were not removed; the people had not yet set their hearts on the
God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 20:34 As for the rest of the acts
of Jehoshaphat, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in
the Chronicles of Jehu son of Hanani, which are recorded in the
Book of the Kings of Israel.
2 Chronicles 20:35 Later, Jehoshaphat king of
Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted
wickedly.
2 Chronicles 20:36 They agreed to make ships to
go to Tarshish, and these were built in Ezion-geber.
2 Chronicles 20:37 Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu
of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you
have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your
works.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to
Tarshish.
2 Chronicles 21:1 And Jehoshaphat rested with
his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And his
son Jehoram reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 21:2 Jehoram’s brothers, the sons
of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael,
and Shephatiah; these were all sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:3 Their father had given them
many gifts of silver and gold and precious things, as well as the
fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram
because he was the firstborn.
2 Chronicles 21:4 When Jehoram had established
himself over his father’s kingdom, he strengthened himself by
putting to the sword all his brothers along with some of the
princes of Israel.
2 Chronicles 21:5 Jehoram was thirty-two years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
2 Chronicles 21:6 And Jehoram walked in the ways
of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he
married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 21:7 Yet the LORD was unwilling to
destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made
with David, and since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David
and his descendants forever.
2 Chronicles 21:8 In the days of Jehoram, Edom
rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king.
2 Chronicles 21:9 So Jehoram crossed into Edom
with his officers and all his chariots. When the Edomites
surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked
by night.
2 Chronicles 21:10 So to this day Edom has been
in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled
against his rule at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken
the LORD, the God of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 21:11 Jehoram had also built high
places on the hills of Judah; he had caused the people of
Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
2 Chronicles 21:12 Then a letter came to Jehoram
from Elijah the prophet, which stated: “This is what the LORD, the
God of your father David, says: ‘You have not walked in the ways
of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah,
2 Chronicles 21:13 but you have walked in the
ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people
of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab
prostituted itself. You have also killed your brothers, your
father’s family, who were better than you.
2 Chronicles 21:14 So behold, the LORD is about
to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your
possessions with a serious blow.
2 Chronicles 21:15 And day after day you
yourself will suffer from a severe illness, a disease of your
bowels, until it causes your bowels to come out.’”
2 Chronicles 21:16 Then the LORD stirred against
Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and Arabs who lived near the
Cushites.
2 Chronicles 21:17 So they went to war against
Judah, invaded it, and carried off all the possessions found in
the king’s palace, along with his sons and wives; not a son was
left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest.
2 Chronicles 21:18 After all this, the LORD
afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels.
2 Chronicles 21:19 This continued day after day
until two full years had passed. Finally, his intestines came out
because of his disease, and he died in severe pain. And his people
did not make a fire in his honor as they had done for his fathers.
2 Chronicles 21:20 Jehoram was thirty-two years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years.
He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David,
but not in the tombs of the kings.
2 Chronicles 22:1 Then the people of Jerusalem
made Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king in his place,
since the raiders who had come into the camp with the Arabs had
killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king
of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:2 Ahaziah was twenty-two years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His
mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
2 Chronicles 22:3 Ahaziah also walked in the
ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in
wickedness.
2 Chronicles 22:4 And he did evil in the sight
of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for to his destruction
they were his counselors after the death of his father.
2 Chronicles 22:5 Ahaziah also followed their
counsel and went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to fight
against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans
wounded Joram;
2 Chronicles 22:6 so he returned to Jezreel to
recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramah when he
fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram
king of Judah went down to Jezreel to visit Joram son of Ahab,
because Joram had been wounded.
2 Chronicles 22:7 Ahaziah’s downfall came from
God when he went to visit Joram. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out
with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed
to destroy the house of Ahab.
2 Chronicles 22:8 So while Jehu was executing
judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the rulers of Judah and
the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers who were serving Ahaziah, and he
killed them.
2 Chronicles 22:9 Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah,
and Jehu’s soldiers captured him while he was hiding in Samaria.
So Ahaziah was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him,
for they said, “He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat, who sought the
LORD with all his heart.” So no one was left from the house of
Ahaziah with the strength to rule the kingdom.
2 Chronicles 22:10 When Athaliah the mother of
Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all
the royal heirs of the house of Judah.
2 Chronicles 22:11 But Jehoshabeath daughter of
King Jehoram took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from
among the sons of the king who were being murdered, and she put
him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehoshabeath, the daughter
of King Jehoram and the wife of Jehoiada the priest, was Ahaziah’s
sister, she hid Joash from Athaliah so that she could not kill
him.
2 Chronicles 22:12 And Joash remained hidden
with them in the house of God for six years while Athaliah ruled
the land.
2 Chronicles 23:1 Then in the seventh year,
Jehoiada strengthened himself and made a covenant with the
commanders of hundreds—with Azariah son of Jeroham, Ishmael son of
Jehohanan, Azariah son of Obed, Maaseiah son of Adaiah, and
Elishaphat son of Zichri.
2 Chronicles 23:2 So they went throughout Judah
and gathered the Levites from all the cities of Judah and the
heads of the families of Israel. And when they came to Jerusalem,
2 Chronicles 23:3 the whole assembly made a
covenant with the king in the house of God. “Behold, the king’s
son!” said Jehoiada. “He must reign, just as the LORD promised
concerning the descendants of David.
2 Chronicles 23:4 This is what you are to do: A
third of you priests and Levites who come on duty on the Sabbath
shall keep watch at the doors,
2 Chronicles 23:5 a third shall be at the royal
palace, and a third at the Foundation Gate, while all the others
are in the courtyards of the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 23:6 No one is to enter the house
of the LORD except the priests and those Levites who serve; they
may enter because they are consecrated, but all the people are to
obey the requirement of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 23:7 The Levites must surround the
king with weapons in hand, and anyone who enters the temple must
be put to death. You must stay close to the king wherever he
goes.”
2 Chronicles 23:8 So the Levites and all Judah
did everything that Jehoiada the priest had ordered. Each of them
took his men—those coming on duty on the Sabbath and those going
off duty—for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the
divisions.
2 Chronicles 23:9 Then Jehoiada the priest gave
to the commanders of hundreds the spears and the large and small
shields of King David that were in the house of God.
2 Chronicles 23:10 He stationed all the troops,
with their weapons in hand, surrounding the king by the altar and
the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
2 Chronicles 23:11 Then Jehoiada and his sons
brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, presented him
with the Testimony, and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and
shouted, “Long live the king!”
2 Chronicles 23:12 When Athaliah heard the noise
of the people running and cheering the king, she went out to them
in the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 23:13 And she looked out and saw
the king standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and
trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land
were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, while the singers with
musical instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore
her clothes and screamed, “Treason, treason!”
2 Chronicles 23:14 And Jehoiada the priest sent
out the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army, saying,
“Bring her out between the ranks, and put to the sword anyone who
follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to
death in the house of the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 23:15 So they seized Athaliah as
she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate to the palace grounds,
and there they put her to death.
2 Chronicles 23:16 Then Jehoiada made a covenant
between himself and the king and the people that they would be the
LORD’s people.
2 Chronicles 23:17 So all the people went to the
temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols
to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the
altars.
2 Chronicles 23:18 Moreover, Jehoiada put the
oversight of the house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical
priests, whom David had appointed over the house of the LORD, to
offer burnt offerings to the LORD as is written in the Law of
Moses, with rejoicing and song, as ordained by David.
2 Chronicles 23:19 He stationed gatekeepers at
the gates of the house of the LORD, so that nothing unclean could
enter for any reason.
2 Chronicles 23:20 He also took with him the
commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and
all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from
the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace through the
Upper Gate. They seated King Joash on the royal throne,
2 Chronicles 23:21 and all the people of the
land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been
put to the sword.
2 Chronicles 24:1 Joash was seven years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His
mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.
2 Chronicles 24:2 And Joash did what was right
in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
2 Chronicles 24:3 Jehoiada took for him two
wives, and he had sons and daughters.
2 Chronicles 24:4 Some time later, Joash set his
heart on repairing the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 24:5 So he gathered the priests and
Levites and said, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect the
money due annually from all Israel, to repair the house of your
God. Do it quickly.” The Levites, however, did not make haste.
2 Chronicles 24:6 So the king called Jehoiada
the high priest and said, “Why have you not required the Levites
to bring from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the
servant of the LORD and by the assembly of Israel for the Tent of
the Testimony?”
2 Chronicles 24:7 For the sons of that wicked
woman Athaliah had broken into the house of God and had even used
the sacred objects of the house of the LORD for the Baals.
2 Chronicles 24:8 At the king’s command a chest
was made and placed outside, at the gate of the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 24:9 And a proclamation was issued
in Judah and Jerusalem that they were to bring to the LORD the tax
imposed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness.
2 Chronicles 24:10 All the officers and all the
people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped
them in the chest until it was full.
2 Chronicles 24:11 Whenever the chest was
brought by the Levites to the king’s overseers and they saw that
there was a large amount of money, the royal scribe and the
officer of the high priest would come and empty the chest and
carry it back to its place. They did this daily and gathered the
money in abundance.
2 Chronicles 24:12 Then the king and Jehoiada
would give the money to those who supervised the labor on the
house of the LORD to hire stonecutters and carpenters to restore
the house of the LORD, as well as workers in iron and bronze to
repair the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 24:13 So the workmen labored, and
in their hands the repair work progressed. They restored the house
of God according to its specifications, and they reinforced it.
2 Chronicles 24:14 When they were finished, they
brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada to make
with it the articles for the house of the LORD—utensils for the
service and for the burnt offerings, dishes, and other objects of
gold and silver. Throughout the days of Jehoiada, burnt offerings
were presented regularly in the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 24:15 When Jehoiada was old and
full of years, he died at the age of 130.
2 Chronicles 24:16 And Jehoiada was buried with
the kings in the City of David, because he had done what was good
in Israel for God and His temple.
2 Chronicles 24:17 After the death of Jehoiada,
however, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king,
and he listened to them.
2 Chronicles 24:18 They abandoned the house of
the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles
and idols. So wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt
of theirs.
2 Chronicles 24:19 Nevertheless, the LORD sent
prophets to bring the people back to Him and to testify against
them; but they would not listen.
2 Chronicles 24:20 Then the Spirit of God came
upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the
people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you
transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot
prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken
you.’”
2 Chronicles 24:21 But they conspired against
Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the
courtyard of the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 24:22 Thus King Joash failed to
remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had
extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay
dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to
account.”
2 Chronicles 24:23 In the spring, the army of
Aram went to war against Joash. They entered Judah and Jerusalem
and destroyed all the leaders of the people, and they sent all the
plunder to their king in Damascus.
2 Chronicles 24:24 Although the Aramean army had
come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a
very great army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of
their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.
2 Chronicles 24:25 And when the Arameans had
withdrawn, they left Joash severely wounded. His own servants
conspired against him for shedding the blood of the son of
Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him on his bed. So he died
and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the
kings.
2 Chronicles 24:26 Those who conspired against
Joash were Zabad son of Shimeath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son
of Shimrith the Moabitess.
2 Chronicles 24:27 The accounts of the sons of
Joash, as well as the many pronouncements about him and about the
restoration of the house of God, are indeed written in the
Treatise of the Book of the Kings. And his son Amaziah reigned in
his place.
2 Chronicles 25:1 Amaziah was twenty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine
years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 25:2 And he did what was right in
the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
2 Chronicles 25:3 As soon as the kingdom was
firmly in his grasp, Amaziah executed the servants who had
murdered his father the king.
2 Chronicles 25:4 Yet he did not put their sons
to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in
the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be
put to death for their children, and children must not be put to
death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
2 Chronicles 25:5 Then Amaziah gathered the
people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to
commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those
twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and
found 300,000 chosen men able to serve in the army, bearing the
spear and shield.
2 Chronicles 25:6 He also hired 100,000 mighty
warriors from Israel for a hundred talents of silver.
2 Chronicles 25:7 But a man of God came to him
and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for
the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the Ephraimites.
2 Chronicles 25:8 Even if you go and fight
bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for
God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
2 Chronicles 25:9 Amaziah asked the man of God,
“What should I do about the hundred talents I have given to the
army of Israel?” And the man of God replied, “The LORD is able to
give you much more than this.”
2 Chronicles 25:10 So Amaziah dismissed the
troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home. And
they were furious with Judah and returned home in great anger.
2 Chronicles 25:11 Amaziah, however, summoned
his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he
struck down 10,000 men of Seir,
2 Chronicles 25:12 and the army of Judah also
captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff
and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.
2 Chronicles 25:13 Meanwhile the troops that
Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from
Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried
off a great deal of plunder.
2 Chronicles 25:14 When Amaziah returned from
the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the
Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and
burned sacrifices to them.
2 Chronicles 25:15 Therefore the anger of the
LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet, who said,
“Why have you sought this people’s gods, which could not deliver
them from your hand?”
2 Chronicles 25:16 While he was still speaking,
the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop!
Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know
that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this
and have not heeded my advice.”
2 Chronicles 25:17 Then Amaziah king of Judah
took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash son of
Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he
said.
2 Chronicles 25:18 But Jehoash king of Israel
replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a
message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my
son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and
trampled the thistle.
2 Chronicles 25:19 You have said, ‘Look, I have
defeated Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and boastful. Now
stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you
and Judah with you?”
2 Chronicles 25:20 But Amaziah would not listen,
for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand
of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom.
2 Chronicles 25:21 So Jehoash king of Israel
advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at
Beth-shemesh in Judah.
2 Chronicles 25:22 And Judah was routed before
Israel, and every man fled to his own home.
2 Chronicles 25:23 There at Beth-shemesh,
Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of
Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem
and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the
Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits.
2 Chronicles 25:24 He took all the gold and
silver and all the articles found in the house of God with
Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as
some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
2 Chronicles 25:25 Amaziah son of Joash king of
Judah lived for fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of
Jehoahaz king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 25:26 As for the rest of the acts
of Amaziah, from beginning to end, are they not written in the
Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel?
2 Chronicles 25:27 From the time that Amaziah
turned from following the LORD, a conspiracy was formed against
him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. But men were sent after
him to Lachish, and they killed him there.
2 Chronicles 25:28 They carried him back on
horses and buried him with his fathers in the City of Judah.
2 Chronicles 26:1 All the people of Judah took
Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of
his father Amaziah.
2 Chronicles 26:2 Uzziah was the one who rebuilt
Eloth and restored it to Judah after King Amaziah rested with his
fathers.
2 Chronicles 26:3 Uzziah was sixteen years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years.
His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 26:4 And he did what was right in
the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
2 Chronicles 26:5 He sought God throughout the
days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. And as
long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
2 Chronicles 26:6 Uzziah went out to wage war
against the Philistines, and he tore down the walls of Gath,
Jabneh, and Ashdod. Then he built cities near Ashdod and among the
Philistines.
2 Chronicles 26:7 God helped him against the
Philistines, against the Arabs living in Gur-baal, and against the
Meunites.
2 Chronicles 26:8 The Ammonites brought tribute
to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, for
he had become exceedingly powerful.
2 Chronicles 26:9 Uzziah built towers in
Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, the Valley Gate, and the angle in
the wall, and he fortified them.
2 Chronicles 26:10 Since he had much livestock
in the foothills and in the plain, he built towers in the desert
and dug many cisterns. And since he was a lover of the soil, he
had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the
fertile fields.
2 Chronicles 26:11 Uzziah had an army ready for
battle that went out to war by assigned divisions, as recorded by
Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of
Hananiah, one of the royal officers.
2 Chronicles 26:12 The total number of family
leaders of the mighty men of valor was 2,600.
2 Chronicles 26:13 Under their authority was an
army of 307,500 trained for war, a powerful force to support the
king against his enemies.
2 Chronicles 26:14 Uzziah supplied the entire
army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones.
2 Chronicles 26:15 And in Jerusalem he made
skillfully designed devices to shoot arrows and catapult large
stones from the towers and corners. So his fame spread far and
wide, for he was helped tremendously so that he became powerful.
2 Chronicles 26:16 But when Uzziah grew
powerful, his arrogance led to his own destruction. He was
unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the
LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.
2 Chronicles 26:17 Then Azariah the priest,
along with eighty brave priests of the LORD, went in after him.
2 Chronicles 26:18 They took their stand against
King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense
to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are
consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have
acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.”
2 Chronicles 26:19 Uzziah, with a censer in his
hand to offer incense, was enraged. But while he raged against the
priests in their presence in the house of the LORD before the
altar of incense, leprosy broke out on his forehead.
2 Chronicles 26:20 When Azariah the chief priest
and all the priests turned to him and saw his leprous forehead,
they rushed him out. Indeed, he himself hurried to get out,
because the LORD had afflicted him.
2 Chronicles 26:21 So King Uzziah was a leper
until the day of his death. He lived in isolation, leprous and cut
off from the house of the LORD, while his son Jotham had charge of
the royal palace to govern the people of the land.
2 Chronicles 26:22 As for the rest of the acts
of Uzziah, from beginning to end, they are recorded by the prophet
Isaiah son of Amoz.
2 Chronicles 26:23 And Uzziah rested with his
fathers and was buried near them in a field of burial that
belonged to the kings; for the people said, “He was a leper.” And
his son Jotham reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 27:1 Jotham was twenty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen
years. His mother’s name was Jerushah daughter of Zadok.
2 Chronicles 27:2 And he did what was right in
the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Uzziah had done. In
addition, he did not enter the temple of the LORD. But the people
still behaved corruptly.
2 Chronicles 27:3 Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate
of the house of the LORD, and he worked extensively on the wall at
the hill of Ophel.
2 Chronicles 27:4 He also built cities in the
hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests.
2 Chronicles 27:5 Jotham waged war against the
king of the Ammonites and defeated them, and that year they gave
him a hundred talents of silver, ten thousand cors of wheat, and
ten thousand cors of barley. They paid him the same in the second
and third years.
2 Chronicles 27:6 So Jotham grew powerful
because he ordered his ways before the LORD his God.
2 Chronicles 27:7 As for the rest of the acts of
Jotham, along with all his wars and his ways, they are indeed
written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles 27:8 He was twenty-five years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.
2 Chronicles 27:9 And Jotham rested with his
fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Ahaz
reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 28:1 Ahaz was twenty years old when
he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And
unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes
of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:2 Instead, he walked in the ways
of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.
2 Chronicles 28:3 Moreover, Ahaz burned incense
in the Valley of Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire,
according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had
driven out before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 28:4 And he sacrificed and burned
incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green
tree.
2 Chronicles 28:5 So the LORD his God delivered
Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took
many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand
of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.
2 Chronicles 28:6 For in one day Pekah son of
Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened
because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 28:7 Zichri, a mighty man of
Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the governor
of the palace, and Elkanah the second to the king.
2 Chronicles 28:8 Then the Israelites took
200,000 captives from their kinsmen—women, sons, and daughters.
They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to
Samaria.
2 Chronicles 28:9 But a prophet of the LORD
named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army that
returned to Samaria. “Look,” he said to them, “because of His
wrath against Judah, the LORD, the God of your fathers, has
delivered them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a
rage that reaches up to heaven.
2 Chronicles 28:10 And now you intend to reduce
to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you
not also guilty before the LORD your God?
2 Chronicles 28:11 Now therefore, listen to me
and return the captives you took from your kinsmen, for the fierce
anger of the LORD is upon you.”
2 Chronicles 28:12 Then some of the leaders of
the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of
Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of
Hadlai—stood in opposition to those arriving from the war.
2 Chronicles 28:13 “You must not bring the
captives here,” they said, “for you are proposing to bring guilt
upon us from the LORD and to add to our sins and our guilt. For
our guilt is great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”
2 Chronicles 28:14 So the armed men left the
captives and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly.
2 Chronicles 28:15 Then the men who were
designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and
provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed
them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds,
and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to
Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned
to Samaria.
2 Chronicles 28:16 At that time King Ahaz sent
for help from the king of Assyria.
2 Chronicles 28:17 The Edomites had again come
and attacked Judah and carried away captives.
2 Chronicles 28:18 The Philistines had also
raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah,
capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as
well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages.
2 Chronicles 28:19 For the LORD humbled Judah
because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and
had been most unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:20 Then Tiglath-pileser king of
Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening
him.
2 Chronicles 28:21 Although Ahaz had taken a
portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and
from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it
did not help him.
2 Chronicles 28:22 In the time of his distress,
King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 28:23 Since Damascus had defeated
him, he sacrificed to their gods and said, “Because the gods of
the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that
they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of
all Israel.
2 Chronicles 28:24 Then Ahaz gathered up the
articles of the house of God, cut them into pieces, shut the doors
of the house of the LORD, and set up altars of his own on every
street corner in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 28:25 In every city of Judah he
built high places to offer incense to other gods, and so he
provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 28:26 As for the rest of the acts
of Ahaz and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are indeed
written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 28:27 And Ahaz rested with his
fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not
placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah
reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 29:1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine
years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
2 Chronicles 29:2 And he did what was right in
the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.
2 Chronicles 29:3 In the first month of the
first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of
the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 29:4 Then he brought in the priests
and Levites and gathered them in the square on the east side.
2 Chronicles 29:5 “Listen to me, O Levites,” he
said. “Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the house of the
LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove from the Holy Place every
impurity.
2 Chronicles 29:6 For our fathers were
unfaithful and did evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They
abandoned Him, turned their faces away from the dwelling place of
the LORD, and turned their backs on Him.
2 Chronicles 29:7 They also shut the doors of
the portico and extinguished the lamps. They did not burn incense
or present burnt offerings in the Holy Place of the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 29:8 Therefore, the wrath of the
LORD has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an
object of terror, horror, and mockery, as you can see with your
own eyes.
2 Chronicles 29:9 For behold, this is why our
fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and daughters and
wives are in captivity.
2 Chronicles 29:10 Now it is in my heart to make
a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, so that His fierce
anger will turn away from us.
2 Chronicles 29:11 Now, my sons, do not be
negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to
serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”
2 Chronicles 29:12 Then the Levites set to work:
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites;
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites;
Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
2 Chronicles 29:13 Shimri and Jeuel from the
Elizaphanites; Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
2 Chronicles 29:14 Jehiel and Shimei from the
Hemanites; and Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
2 Chronicles 29:15 When they had assembled their
brothers and consecrated themselves, they went in to cleanse the
house of the LORD, according to the command of the king by the
words of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 29:16 So the priests went inside
the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and they brought out to the
courtyard all the unclean things that they found in the temple of
the LORD. Then the Levites took these things and carried them out
to the Kidron Valley.
2 Chronicles 29:17 They began the consecration
on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the
month they reached the portico of the LORD. For eight more days
they consecrated the house of the LORD itself, finishing on the
sixteenth day of the first month.
2 Chronicles 29:18 Then they went in to King
Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the
LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the
table of the showbread with all its utensils.
2 Chronicles 29:19 Moreover, we have prepared
and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz in his
unfaithfulness cast aside during his reign. They are now in front
of the altar of the LORD.”
2 Chronicles 29:20 Early the next morning King
Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of
the LORD.
2 Chronicles 29:21 They brought seven bulls,
seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering
for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And the king
commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer them on
the altar of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 29:22 So they slaughtered the
bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the
altar. They slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the
altar. And they slaughtered the lambs and sprinkled the blood on
the altar.
2 Chronicles 29:23 Then they brought the goats
for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, who laid
their hands on them.
2 Chronicles 29:24 And the priests slaughtered
the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to
make atonement for all Israel, because the king had ordered the
burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.
2 Chronicles 29:25 Hezekiah stationed the
Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, harps, and lyres
according to the command of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of
Nathan the prophet. For the command had come from the LORD through
His prophets.
2 Chronicles 29:26 The Levites stood with the
instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
2 Chronicles 29:27 And Hezekiah ordered that the
burnt offering be sacrificed on the altar. When the burnt offering
began, the song of the LORD and the trumpets began as well,
accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 29:28 The whole assembly was
worshiping, the singers were singing, and the trumpeters were
playing. All this continued until the burnt offering was
completed.
2 Chronicles 29:29 When the offerings were
completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and
worshiped.
2 Chronicles 29:30 Then King Hezekiah and his
officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the LORD in the
words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with
gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.
2 Chronicles 29:31 Then Hezekiah said, “Now that
you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring
sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” So the
assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose
hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.
2 Chronicles 29:32 The number of burnt offerings
the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams, and two
hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 29:33 And the consecrated offerings
were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.
2 Chronicles 29:34 However, since there were not
enough priests to skin all the burnt offerings, their Levite
brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the
priests had been consecrated. For the Levites had been more
diligent in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.
2 Chronicles 29:35 Furthermore, the burnt
offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the peace offerings
and the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. So the service of
the house of the LORD was established.
2 Chronicles 29:36 Then Hezekiah and all the
people rejoiced at what God had prepared for the people, because
everything had been accomplished so quickly.
2 Chronicles 30:1 Then Hezekiah sent word
throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to
Ephraim and Manasseh inviting them to come to the house of the
LORD in Jerusalem to keep the Passover of the LORD, the God of
Israel.
2 Chronicles 30:2 For the king and his officials
and the whole assembly in Jerusalem had decided to keep the
Passover in the second month,
2 Chronicles 30:3 since they had been unable to
observe it at the regular time, because not enough priests had
consecrated themselves and the people had not been gathered in
Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 30:4 This proposal pleased the king
and the whole assembly.
2 Chronicles 30:5 So they established a decree
to circulate a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to
Dan, that the people should come to keep the Passover of the LORD,
the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. For they had not observed it as a
nation as prescribed.
2 Chronicles 30:6 So the couriers went
throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his
officials, which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to
those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings
of Assyria.
2 Chronicles 30:7 Do not be like your fathers
and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their
fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, as you can see.
2 Chronicles 30:8 Now do not stiffen your necks
as your fathers did. Submit to the LORD and come to His sanctuary,
which He has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that
His fierce anger will turn away from you.
2 Chronicles 30:9 For if you return to the LORD,
your brothers and sons will receive mercy in the presence of their
captors and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is
gracious and merciful; He will not turn His face away from you if
you return to Him.”
2 Chronicles 30:10 And the couriers traveled
from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far
as Zebulun; but the people scorned and mocked them.
2 Chronicles 30:11 Nevertheless, some from
Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to
Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 30:12 Moreover, the power of God
was on the people in Judah to give them one heart to obey the
command of the king and his officials according to the word of the
LORD.
2 Chronicles 30:13 In the second month, a very
great assembly gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of
Unleavened Bread.
2 Chronicles 30:14 They proceeded to remove the
altars in Jerusalem and to take away the incense altars and throw
them into the Kidron Valley.
2 Chronicles 30:15 And on the fourteenth day of
the second month they slaughtered the Passover lamb. The priests
and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and
brought burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 30:16 They stood at their
prescribed posts, according to the Law of Moses the man of God.
The priests sprinkled the blood, which they received from the hand
of the Levites.
2 Chronicles 30:17 Since there were many in the
assembly who had not consecrated themselves, the Levites were in
charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person
to consecrate the lambs to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 30:18 A large number of the
people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not
purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what
was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the
LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone
2 Chronicles 30:19 who sets his heart on seeking
God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not cleansed
according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”
2 Chronicles 30:20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah
and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:21 The Israelites who were
present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for
seven days with great joy, and the Levites and priests praised the
LORD day after day, accompanied by loud instruments of praise to
the LORD.
2 Chronicles 30:22 And Hezekiah encouraged all
the Levites who performed skillfully before the LORD. For seven
days they ate their assigned portion, sacrificing fellowship
offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 30:23 The whole assembly agreed to
observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy.
2 Chronicles 30:24 For Hezekiah king of Judah
contributed a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the
assembly, and the officials contributed a thousand bulls and ten
thousand sheep for the assembly, and a great number of priests
consecrated themselves.
2 Chronicles 30:25 Then the whole assembly of
Judah rejoiced along with the priests and Levites and the whole
assembly that had come from Israel, including the foreigners who
had come from Israel and those who lived in Judah.
2 Chronicles 30:26 So there was great rejoicing
in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened there since the
days of Solomon son of David king of Israel.
2 Chronicles 30:27 Then the priests and the
Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard their voice, and
their prayer came into His holy dwelling place in heaven.
2 Chronicles 31:1 When all this had ended, the
Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke
up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore
down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as
well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed
them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each
to his own property.
2 Chronicles 31:2 Hezekiah reestablished the
divisions of the priests and Levites—each of them according to
their duties as priests or Levites—for the burnt offerings and
peace offerings, for ministry, for giving thanks, and for singing
praises at the gates of the LORD’s dwelling.
2 Chronicles 31:3 The king contributed from his
own possessions for the regular morning and evening burnt
offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons,
and appointed feasts, as written in the Law of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 31:4 Moreover, he commanded the
people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests
and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the
LORD.
2 Chronicles 31:5 As soon as the order went out,
the Israelites generously provided the firstfruits of the grain,
new wine, oil, and honey, and of all the produce of the field, and
they brought in an abundance—a tithe of everything.
2 Chronicles 31:6 And the Israelites and
Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah also brought a tithe of
their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things consecrated
to the LORD their God, and they laid them in large heaps.
2 Chronicles 31:7 In the third month they began
building up the heaps, and they finished in the seventh month.
2 Chronicles 31:8 When Hezekiah and his
officials came and viewed the heaps, they blessed the LORD and His
people Israel.
2 Chronicles 31:9 Then Hezekiah questioned the
priests and Levites about the heaps,
2 Chronicles 31:10 and Azariah, the chief priest
of the household of Zadok, answered him, “Since the people began
to bring their contributions into the house of the LORD, we have
had enough to eat and there is plenty left over, because the LORD
has blessed His people; this great abundance is what is left
over.”
2 Chronicles 31:11 Then Hezekiah commanded them
to prepare storerooms in the house of the LORD, and they did so.
2 Chronicles 31:12 And they faithfully brought
in the contributions, tithes, and dedicated gifts. Conaniah the
Levite was the officer in charge of them, and his brother Shimei
was second.
2 Chronicles 31:13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath,
Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah
were overseers under the authority of Conaniah and his brother
Shimei, by appointment of King Hezekiah and of Azariah the chief
official of the house of God.
2 Chronicles 31:14 Kore son of Imnah the Levite,
the keeper of the East Gate, was in charge of the freewill
offerings given to God, distributing the contributions to the LORD
and the consecrated gifts.
2 Chronicles 31:15 Under his authority, Eden,
Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah faithfully
distributed portions to their fellow priests in their cities,
according to their divisions, old and young alike.
2 Chronicles 31:16 In addition, they distributed
portions to the males registered by genealogy who were three years
of age or older—to all who would enter the house of the LORD for
their daily duties for service in the responsibilities of their
divisions—
2 Chronicles 31:17 and to the priests enrolled
according to their families in the genealogy, as well as to the
Levites twenty years of age or older, according to their duties
and divisions.
2 Chronicles 31:18 The genealogy included all
the little ones, wives, sons, and daughters in the whole assembly.
For they had faithfully consecrated themselves as holy.
2 Chronicles 31:19 As for the priests, the
descendants of Aaron, who lived on the farmlands around each of
their cities or in any other city, men were designated by name to
distribute a portion to every male among the priests and to every
Levite listed by the genealogies.
2 Chronicles 31:20 So this is what Hezekiah did
throughout Judah. He did what was good and upright and true before
the LORD his God.
2 Chronicles 31:21 He was diligent in every work
that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law
and the commandments, in order to seek his God. And so he
prospered.
2 Chronicles 32:1 After all these acts of
faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah.
He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them
for himself.
2 Chronicles 32:2 When Hezekiah saw that
Sennacherib had come to make war against Jerusalem,
2 Chronicles 32:3 he consulted with his leaders
and commanders about stopping up the waters of the springs outside
the city, and they helped him carry it out.
2 Chronicles 32:4 Many people assembled and
stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the
land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of
water?” they said.
2 Chronicles 32:5 Then Hezekiah worked
resolutely to rebuild all the broken sections of the wall and to
raise up towers on it. He also built an outer wall and reinforced
the supporting terraces of the City of David, and he produced an
abundance of weapons and shields.
2 Chronicles 32:6 Hezekiah appointed military
commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square
of the city gate. Then he encouraged them, saying,
2 Chronicles 32:7 “Be strong and courageous! Do
not be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria and the
vast army with him, for there is a greater One with us than with
him.
2 Chronicles 32:8 With him is only the arm of
flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our
battles.” So the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah
king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 32:9 Later, as Sennacherib king of
Assyria and all his forces besieged Lachish, he sent his servants
to Jerusalem with a message for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the
people of Judah who were in Jerusalem:
2 Chronicles 32:10 “This is what Sennacherib
king of Assyria says: What is the basis of your confidence, that
you remain in Jerusalem under siege?
2 Chronicles 32:11 Is not Hezekiah misleading
you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says,
‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of
Assyria?’
2 Chronicles 32:12 Did not Hezekiah himself
remove His high places and His altars and say to Judah and
Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar, and on it you shall
burn sacrifices’?
2 Chronicles 32:13 Do you not know what I and my
fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods
of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my
hand?
2 Chronicles 32:14 Who among all the gods of
these nations that my fathers devoted to destruction has been able
to deliver his people from my hand? How then can your God deliver
you from my hand?
2 Chronicles 32:15 So now, do not let Hezekiah
deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not
believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to
deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers.
How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”
2 Chronicles 32:16 And the servants of
Sennacherib spoke further against the LORD God and against His
servant Hezekiah.
2 Chronicles 32:17 He also wrote letters mocking
the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying against Him: “Just as the
gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so
the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”
2 Chronicles 32:18 Then the Assyrians called out
loudly in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall,
to frighten and terrify them in order to capture the city.
2 Chronicles 32:19 They spoke against the God of
Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of
the earth—the work of human hands.
2 Chronicles 32:20 In response, King Hezekiah
and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer,
2 Chronicles 32:21 and the LORD sent an angel
who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and
commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to
his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his
god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.
2 Chronicles 32:22 So the LORD saved Hezekiah
and the people of Jerusalem from the hands of King Sennacherib of
Assyria and all the others, and He gave them rest on every side.
2 Chronicles 32:23 Many brought offerings to
Jerusalem for the LORD and valuable gifts for Hezekiah king of
Judah, and from then on he was exalted in the eyes of all nations.
2 Chronicles 32:24 In those days Hezekiah became
mortally ill. So he prayed to the LORD, who spoke to him and gave
him a sign.
2 Chronicles 32:25 But because his heart was
proud, Hezekiah did not repay the favor shown to him. Therefore
wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 32:26 Then Hezekiah humbled the
pride of his heart—he and the people of Jerusalem—so that the
wrath of the LORD did not come upon them during the days of
Hezekiah.
2 Chronicles 32:27 Hezekiah had very great
riches and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver, gold,
precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuable
articles.
2 Chronicles 32:28 He also made storehouses for
the harvest of grain and new wine and oil, stalls for all kinds of
livestock, and pens for the flocks.
2 Chronicles 32:29 He made cities for himself,
and he acquired herds of sheep and cattle in abundance, for God
gave him very great wealth.
2 Chronicles 32:30 It was Hezekiah who blocked
the upper outlet of the Spring of Gihon and channeled it down to
the west side of the City of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all
that he did.
2 Chronicles 32:31 And so when ambassadors of
the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder
that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him,
that He might know all that was in Hezekiah’s heart.
2 Chronicles 32:32 As for the rest of the acts
of Hezekiah and his deeds of loving devotion, they are indeed
written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the
Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
2 Chronicles 32:33 And Hezekiah rested with his
fathers and was buried in the upper tombs of David’s descendants.
All Judah and the people of Jerusalem paid him honor at his death.
And his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.
2 Chronicles 33:2 And he did evil in the sight
of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the
LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 33:3 For he rebuilt the high places
that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars
for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served
all the host of heaven.
2 Chronicles 33:4 Manasseh also built altars in
the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will
remain in Jerusalem forever.”
2 Chronicles 33:5 In both courtyards of the
house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
2 Chronicles 33:6 He sacrificed his sons in the
fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination,
and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great
evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
2 Chronicles 33:7 Manasseh even took the carved
image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God
had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in
Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I
will establish My Name forever.
2 Chronicles 33:8 I will never again cause the
feet of the Israelites to leave the land that I assigned to your
fathers, if only they are careful to do all that I have commanded
them through Moses—all the laws, statutes, and judgments.”
2 Chronicles 33:9 So Manasseh led the people of
Judah and Jerusalem astray, so that they did greater evil than the
nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
2 Chronicles 33:10 And the LORD spoke to
Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen.
2 Chronicles 33:11 So the LORD brought against
them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured
Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles,
and took him to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 33:12 And in his distress, Manasseh
sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself
before the God of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 33:13 And when he prayed to Him,
the LORD received his plea and heard his petition; so He brought
him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that
the LORD is God.
2 Chronicles 33:14 After this, Manasseh rebuilt
the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the
valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around
the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also
stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of
Judah.
2 Chronicles 33:15 He removed the foreign gods
and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars
he had built on the temple mount and in Jerusalem, and he dumped
them outside the city.
2 Chronicles 33:16 Then he restored the altar of
the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it,
and he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 33:17 Nevertheless, the people
still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their
God.
2 Chronicles 33:18 As for the rest of the acts
of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the
seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel,
they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
2 Chronicles 33:19 His prayer and how God
received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and
the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and
idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the
Records of the Seers.
2 Chronicles 33:20 And Manasseh rested with his
fathers and was buried at his palace. And his son Amon reigned in
his place.
2 Chronicles 33:21 Amon was twenty-two years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.
2 Chronicles 33:22 And he did evil in the sight
of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon served and
sacrificed to all the idols that his father Manasseh had made,
2 Chronicles 33:23 but he did not humble himself
before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done; instead, Amon
increased his guilt.
2 Chronicles 33:24 Then the servants of Amon
conspired against him and killed him in his palace.
2 Chronicles 33:25 But the people of the land
killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they
made his son Josiah king in his place.
2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
2 Chronicles 34:2 And he did what was right in
the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David;
he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
2 Chronicles 34:3 In the eighth year of his
reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of
his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse
Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the
carved idols, and the cast images.
2 Chronicles 34:4 Then in his presence the
altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the
incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah
poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to
dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had
sacrificed to them.
2 Chronicles 34:5 Then he burned the bones of
the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:6 Josiah did the same in the
cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and
in the ruins around them.
2 Chronicles 34:7 He tore down the altars and
Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all
the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned
to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of
his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah
sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city,
and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the
LORD his God.
2 Chronicles 34:9 So they went to Hilkiah the
high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the
house of God, which the Levites at the doors had collected from
the people of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of
Israel, Judah, and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:10 They put it into the hands of
the supervisors of those doing the work of the house of the LORD,
who in turn gave it to the workmen restoring and repairing the
house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 34:11 They also gave money to the
carpenters and builders to buy dressed stone, as well as timbers
for couplings and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah
had allowed to deteriorate.
2 Chronicles 34:12 And the men did the work
faithfully. The Levites overseeing them were Jahath and Obadiah,
descendants of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descendants of
Kohath. Other Levites, all skilled with musical instruments,
2 Chronicles 34:13 were over the laborers and
supervised all who did the work, task by task. Some of the Levites
were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
2 Chronicles 34:14 While they were bringing out
the money that had been taken into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah
the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD written by Moses.
2 Chronicles 34:15 And Hilkiah said to Shaphan
the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the
LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan.
2 Chronicles 34:16 Then Shaphan brought the book
to the king and reported, “Your servants are doing all that has
been placed in their hands.
2 Chronicles 34:17 They have paid out the money
that was found in the house of the LORD and have put it into the
hands of the supervisors and workers.”
2 Chronicles 34:18 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe
told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And
Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
2 Chronicles 34:19 When the king heard the words
of the Law, he tore his clothes
2 Chronicles 34:20 and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam
son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah
the servant of the king:
2 Chronicles 34:21 “Go and inquire of the LORD
for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah concerning the
words in the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of
the LORD that has been poured out on us because our fathers have
not kept the word of the LORD by doing all that is written in this
book.”
2 Chronicles 34:22 So Hilkiah and those the king
had designated went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife
of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the
wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.
2 Chronicles 34:23 And Huldah said to them,
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who
sent you
2 Chronicles 34:24 that this is what the LORD
says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its
people, according to all the curses written in the book that has
been read in the presence of the king of Judah,
2 Chronicles 34:25 because they have forsaken Me
and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to
anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured
out upon this place and will not be quenched.’
2 Chronicles 34:26 But as for the king of Judah,
who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what
the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you
heard,
2 Chronicles 34:27 because your heart was tender
and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words
against this place and against its people, and because you have
humbled yourself before Me and you have torn your clothes and wept
before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
2 Chronicles 34:28 ‘Now I will indeed gather you
to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace.
Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this
place and on its inhabitants.’” So they brought her answer back to
the king.
2 Chronicles 34:29 Then the king summoned all
the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:30 And he went up to the house
of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as
the priests and the Levites—all the people small and great—and in
their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant
that had been found in the house of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 34:31 So the king stood by the
pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and
to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart
and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that
were written in this book.
2 Chronicles 34:32 Then he had everyone in
Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand in agreement to it. So all the
people of Jerusalem carried out the covenant of God, the God of
their fathers.
2 Chronicles 34:33 And Josiah removed all the
abominations from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and
he required everyone in Israel to serve the LORD their God.
Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following the
LORD, the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 35:1 Then Josiah celebrated the
Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was
slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 Chronicles 35:2 He appointed the priests to
their duties and encouraged them in the service of the house of
the LORD.
2 Chronicles 35:3 To the Levites who taught all
Israel and were holy to the LORD, Josiah said: “Put the holy ark
in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. It is
not to be carried around on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD
your God and His people Israel.
2 Chronicles 35:4 Prepare yourselves by families
in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David
king of Israel and Solomon his son.
2 Chronicles 35:5 Moreover, stand in the Holy
Place by the divisions of the families of your kinsmen the lay
people, and by the divisions of the families of the Levites.
2 Chronicles 35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs,
consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your fellow
countrymen to carry out the word of the LORD given by Moses.”
2 Chronicles 35:7 From his own flocks and herds
Josiah contributed 30,000 lambs and goats plus 3,000 bulls for the
Passover offerings for all the people who were present.
2 Chronicles 35:8 His officials also contributed
willingly to the people and priests and Levites. Hilkiah,
Zechariah, and Jehiel, the administrators of the house of God,
gave the priests 2,600 Passover offerings and 300 bulls.
2 Chronicles 35:9 Additionally, Conaniah and his
brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, as well as Hashabiah, Jeiel, and
Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated to the Levites 5,000
Passover offerings and 500 bulls.
2 Chronicles 35:10 So the service was prepared;
the priests stood in their places and the Levites in their
divisions according to the king’s command.
2 Chronicles 35:11 And they slaughtered the
Passover lambs, while the priests sprinkled the blood handed to
them and the Levites skinned the animals.
2 Chronicles 35:12 They set aside the burnt
offerings to be given to the divisions of the families of the
people to offer to the LORD, as is written in the Book of Moses;
and they did the same with the bulls.
2 Chronicles 35:13 They roasted the Passover
animals on the fire according to the regulation, and they boiled
the other holy offerings in pots, kettles, and bowls and quickly
brought them to all the people.
2 Chronicles 35:14 Afterward, they made
preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the
priests, the descendants of Aaron, were offering up burnt
offerings and fat until nightfall. So the Levites made
preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants
of Aaron.
2 Chronicles 35:15 The singers, the descendants
of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of
David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. And the
gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their position,
because their fellow Levites made preparations for them.
2 Chronicles 35:16 So on that day the entire
service of the LORD was carried out for celebrating the Passover
and offering burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according
to the command of King Josiah.
2 Chronicles 35:17 The Israelites who were
present also observed the Passover at that time, as well as the
Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days.
2 Chronicles 35:18 No such Passover had been
observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of
the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that
Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the
Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 35:19 In the eighteenth year of
Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.
2 Chronicles 35:20 After all this, when Josiah
had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt marched up to
fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to
confront him.
2 Chronicles 35:21 But Neco sent messengers to
him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, O king of
Judah? I have not come against you today, but I am fighting
another dynasty. God told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who
is with me, or He will destroy you!”
2 Chronicles 35:22 Josiah, however, did not turn
away from him; instead, in order to engage him in battle, he
disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the
mouth of God, but went to fight him on the Plain of Megiddo.
2 Chronicles 35:23 There the archers shot King
Josiah, who said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly
wounded!”
2 Chronicles 35:24 So his servants took him out
of his chariot, put him in his second chariot, and brought him to
Jerusalem, where he died. And Josiah was buried in the tomb of his
fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
2 Chronicles 35:25 Then Jeremiah lamented over
Josiah, and to this day all the choirs of men and women sing
laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for
Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.
2 Chronicles 35:26 As for the rest of the acts
of Josiah, along with his deeds of loving devotion according to
what is written in the Law of the LORD—
2 Chronicles 35:27 his acts from beginning to
end—they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and
Judah.
2 Chronicles 36:1 Then the people of the land
took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in
place of his father.
2 Chronicles 36:2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three
years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three
months.
2 Chronicles 36:3 And the king of Egypt
dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a
hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
2 Chronicles 36:4 Then Neco king of Egypt made
Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he
changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim’s
brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
2 Chronicles 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five
years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven
years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
2 Chronicles 36:6 Then Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze
shackles to take him to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:7 Nebuchadnezzar also took to
Babylon some of the articles from the house of the LORD, and he
put them in his temple in Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:8 As for the rest of the acts of
Jehoiakim, the abominations he committed, and all that was found
against him, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of
Israel and Judah. And his son Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months
and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Chronicles 36:10 In the spring, King
Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon,
along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And
he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and
Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years
old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
2 Chronicles 36:12 And he did evil in the sight
of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the
prophet, who spoke for the LORD.
2 Chronicles 36:13 He also rebelled against King
Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. But Zedekiah
stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the
LORD, the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 36:14 Furthermore, all the leaders
of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds,
following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled
the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:15 Again and again the LORD, the
God of their fathers, sent word to His people through His
messengers because He had compassion on them and on His dwelling
place.
2 Chronicles 36:16 But they mocked the
messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His
prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was
stirred up beyond remedy.
2 Chronicles 36:17 So He brought up against them
the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in
the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither
elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar,
2 Chronicles 36:18 who carried off everything to
Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and
small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king
and his officials.
2 Chronicles 36:19 Then the Chaldeans set fire
to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They
burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.
2 Chronicles 36:20 Those who escaped the sword
were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they
became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia
came to power.
2 Chronicles 36:21 So the land enjoyed its
Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years
were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD through
Jeremiah.
2 Chronicles 36:22 In the first year of Cyrus
king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through
Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to
send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in
writing as follows:
2 Chronicles 36:23 “This is what Cyrus king of
Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all
the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for
Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His
people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’”
EZRA
Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of
Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah,
the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a
proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as
follows:
Ezra 1:2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia
says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the
kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him
at Jerusalem in Judah.
Ezra 1:3 Whoever among you belongs to His
people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in
Judah and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is
the God who is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:4 And let every survivor, wherever he
lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold,
goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house
of God in Jerusalem.’”
Ezra 1:5 So the family heads of Judah and
Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit
God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the
LORD in Jerusalem.
Ezra 1:6 And all their neighbors supported them
with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and
with valuables, in addition to all their freewill offerings.
Ezra 1:7 King Cyrus also brought out the
articles belonging to the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar
had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the temple of his
gods.
Ezra 1:8 Cyrus king of Persia had them brought
out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out
to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.
Ezra 1:9 This was the inventory: 30 gold dishes,
1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils,
Ezra 1:10 30 gold bowls, 410 matching silver
bowls, and 1,000 other articles.
Ezra 1:11 In all, there were 5,400 gold and
silver articles. Sheshbazzar brought all these along when the
exiles went up from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Ezra 2:1 Now these are the people of the
province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away
to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem
and Judah, each to his own town,
Ezra 2:2 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua,
Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai,
Rehum, and Baanah. This is the count of the men of Israel:
Ezra 2:3 the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
Ezra 2:4 the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
Ezra 2:5 the descendants of Arah, 775;
Ezra 2:6 the descendants of Pahath-moab (through
the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,812;
Ezra 2:7 the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
Ezra 2:8 the descendants of Zattu, 945;
Ezra 2:9 the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
Ezra 2:10 the descendants of Bani, 642;
Ezra 2:11 the descendants of Bebai, 623;
Ezra 2:12 the descendants of Azgad, 1,222;
Ezra 2:13 the descendants of Adonikam, 666;
Ezra 2:14 the descendants of Bigvai, 2,056;
Ezra 2:15 the descendants of Adin, 454;
Ezra 2:16 the descendants of Ater (through
Hezekiah), 98;
Ezra 2:17 the descendants of Bezai, 323;
Ezra 2:18 the descendants of Jorah, 112;
Ezra 2:19 the descendants of Hashum, 223;
Ezra 2:20 the descendants of Gibbar, 95;
Ezra 2:21 the men of Bethlehem, 123;
Ezra 2:22 the men of Netophah, 56;
Ezra 2:23 the men of Anathoth, 128;
Ezra 2:24 the descendants of Azmaveth, 42;
Ezra 2:25 the men of Kiriath-jearim, Chephirah,
and Beeroth, 743;
Ezra 2:26 the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
Ezra 2:27 the men of Michmash, 122;
Ezra 2:28 the men of Bethel and Ai, 223;
Ezra 2:29 the descendants of Nebo, 52;
Ezra 2:30 the descendants of Magbish, 156;
Ezra 2:31 the descendants of the other Elam,
1,254;
Ezra 2:32 the descendants of Harim, 320;
Ezra 2:33 the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725;
Ezra 2:34 the men of Jericho, 345;
Ezra 2:35 and the descendants of Senaah, 3,630.
Ezra 2:36 The priests: The descendants of
Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
Ezra 2:37 the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
Ezra 2:38 the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
Ezra 2:39 and the descendants of Harim, 1,017.
Ezra 2:40 The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua
and Kadmiel (through the line of Hodaviah), 74.
Ezra 2:41 The singers: the descendants of Asaph,
128.
Ezra 2:42 The gatekeepers: the descendants of
Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the
descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the
descendants of Shobai, 139 in all.
Ezra 2:43 The temple servants: the descendants
of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
Ezra 2:44 the descendants of Keros, the
descendants of Siaha, the descendants of Padon,
Ezra 2:45 the descendants of Lebanah, the
descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Akkub,
Ezra 2:46 the descendants of Hagab, the
descendants of Shalmai, the descendants of Hanan,
Ezra 2:47 the descendants of Giddel, the
descendants of Gahar, the descendants of Reaiah,
Ezra 2:48 the descendants of Rezin, the
descendants of Nekoda, the descendants of Gazzam,
Ezra 2:49 the descendants of Uzza, the
descendants of Paseah, the descendants of Besai,
Ezra 2:50 the descendants of Asnah, the
descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephusim,
Ezra 2:51 the descendants of Bakbuk, the
descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,
Ezra 2:52 the descendants of Bazluth, the
descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,
Ezra 2:53 the descendants of Barkos, the
descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah,
Ezra 2:54 the descendants of Neziah, and the
descendants of Hatipha.
Ezra 2:55 The descendants of the servants of
Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Peruda,
Ezra 2:56 the descendants of Jaala, the
descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,
Ezra 2:57 the descendants of Shephatiah, the
descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and
the descendants of Ami.
Ezra 2:58 The temple servants and descendants of
the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
Ezra 2:59 The following came up from Tel-melah,
Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but could not prove that
their families were descended from Israel:
Ezra 2:60 the descendants of Delaiah, the
descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 652 in all.
Ezra 2:61 And from among the priests: the
descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the
descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai
the Gileadite and was called by their name).
Ezra 2:62 These men searched for their family
records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from
the priesthood as unclean.
Ezra 2:63 The governor ordered them not to eat
the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the Urim
and Thummim.
Ezra 2:64 The whole assembly numbered 42,360,
Ezra 2:65 in addition to their 7,337 menservants
and maidservants, as well as their 200 male and female singers.
Ezra 2:66 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
Ezra 2:67 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Ezra 2:68 When they arrived at the house of the
LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill
offerings to rebuild the house of God on its original site.
Ezra 2:69 According to their ability, they gave
to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas
of silver, and 100 priestly garments.
Ezra 2:70 So the priests, the Levites, the
singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, along with some
of the people, settled in their own towns; and the rest of the
Israelites settled in their towns.
Ezra 3:1 By the seventh month, the Israelites
had settled in their towns, and the people assembled as one man in
Jerusalem.
Ezra 3:2 Then Jeshua son of Jozadak and his
fellow priests, along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his
associates, began to build the altar of the God of Israel to
sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of
Moses the man of God.
Ezra 3:3 They set up the altar on its foundation
and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD—both the morning
and evening burnt offerings—even though they feared the people of
the land.
Ezra 3:4 They also celebrated the Feast of
Tabernacles in accordance with what is written, and they offered
burnt offerings daily based on the number prescribed for each day.
Ezra 3:5 After that, they presented the regular
burnt offerings and those for New Moons and for all the appointed
sacred feasts of the LORD, as well as all the freewill offerings
brought to the LORD.
Ezra 3:6 On the first day of the seventh month,
the Israelites began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD,
although the foundation of the temple of the LORD had not been
laid.
Ezra 3:7 They gave money to the masons and
carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and
Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as
authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
Ezra 3:8 In the second month of the second year
after they had arrived at the house of God in Jerusalem,
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Jeshua son of Jozadak, and the rest
of their associates including the priests, the Levites, and all
who had returned to Jerusalem from the captivity, began the work.
They appointed Levites twenty years of age or older to supervise
the construction of the house of the LORD.
Ezra 3:9 So Jeshua and his sons and brothers,
Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Yehudah), and the sons of
Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together to
supervise those working on the house of God.
Ezra 3:10 When the builders had laid the
foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel
with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals,
took their positions to praise the LORD, as David king of Israel
had prescribed.
Ezra 3:11 And they sang responsively with praise
and thanksgiving to the LORD: “For He is good; for His loving
devotion to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a
great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the
house of the LORD had been laid.
Ezra 3:12 But many of the older priests,
Levites, and family heads who had seen the first temple wept
loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple. Still, many
others shouted joyfully.
Ezra 3:13 The people could not distinguish the
shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people were
making so much noise. And the sound was heard from afar.
Ezra 4:1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin
heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God
of Israel,
Ezra 4:2 they approached Zerubbabel and the
heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because,
like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since
the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other
heads of the families of Israel replied, “You have no part with us
in building a house for our God, since we alone must build it for
the LORD, the God of Israel, as Cyrus king of Persia has commanded
us.”
Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land set out to
discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.
Ezra 4:5 They hired counselors against them to
frustrate their plans throughout the reign of Cyrus king of Persia
and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Ezra 4:6 At the beginning of the reign of
Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and
Jerusalem.
Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of
Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his
associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic
and then translated.
Ezra 4:8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the
scribe wrote the letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as
follows:
Ezra 4:9 From Rehum the commander, Shimshai the
scribe, and the rest of their associates—the judges and officials
over Tripolis, Persia, Erech and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,
Ezra 4:10 and the rest of the peoples whom the
great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the
cities of Samaria and elsewhere west of the Euphrates.
Ezra 4:11 (This is the text of the letter they
sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west
of the Euphrates:
Ezra 4:12 Let it be known to the king that the
Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem. And they
are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city, restoring its
walls, and repairing its foundations.
Ezra 4:13 Let it now be known to the king that
if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not
pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
Ezra 4:14 Now because we are in the service of
the palace and it is not fitting for us to allow the king to be
dishonored, we have sent to inform the king
Ezra 4:15 that a search should be made of the
record books of your fathers. In these books you will discover and
verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and
provinces, inciting sedition from ancient times. That is why this
city was destroyed.
Ezra 4:16 We advise the king that if this city
is rebuilt and its walls are restored, you will have no dominion
west of the Euphrates.
Ezra 4:17 Then the king sent this reply: To
Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of your
associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of
the Euphrates: Greetings.
Ezra 4:18 The letter you sent us has been
translated and read in my presence.
Ezra 4:19 I issued a decree, and a search was
conducted. It was discovered that this city has revolted against
kings from ancient times, engaging in rebellion and sedition.
Ezra 4:20 And mighty kings have ruled over
Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of
the Euphrates; and tribute, duty, and toll were paid to them.
Ezra 4:21 Now, therefore, issue an order for
these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I
so order.
Ezra 4:22 See that you do not neglect this
matter. Why allow this threat to increase and the royal interests
to suffer?
Ezra 4:23 When the text of the letter from King
Artaxerxes was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their
associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and
forcibly stopped them.
Ezra 4:24 Thus the construction of the house of
God in Jerusalem ceased, and it remained at a standstill until the
second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Ezra 5:1 Later, the prophets Haggai and
Zechariah son of Iddo prophesied to the Jews in Judah and
Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them.
Ezra 5:2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and
Jeshua son of Jozadak rose up and began to rebuild the house of
God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping
them.
Ezra 5:3 At that time Tattenai the governor of
the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their
associates went to the Jews and asked, “Who authorized you to
rebuild this temple and restore this structure?”
Ezra 5:4 They also asked, “What are the names of
the men who are constructing this building?”
Ezra 5:5 But the eye of their God was on the
elders of the Jews, so that they were not stopped until a report
was sent to Darius and written instructions about this matter were
returned.
Ezra 5:6 This is the text of the letter that
Tattenai the governor of the region west of the Euphrates,
Shethar-bozenai, and their associates, the officials in the
region, sent to King Darius.
Ezra 5:7 The report they sent him read as
follows: To King Darius: All peace.
Ezra 5:8 Let it be known to the king that we
went into the province of Judah, to the house of the great God.
The people are rebuilding it with large stones, and placing
timbers in the walls. This work is being carried out diligently
and is prospering in their hands.
Ezra 5:9 So we questioned the elders and asked,
“Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this
structure?”
Ezra 5:10 We also asked for their names, so that
we could write down the names of their leaders for your
information.
Ezra 5:11 And this is the answer they returned:
“We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are
rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great
king of Israel built and completed.
Ezra 5:12 But since our fathers angered the God
of heaven, He delivered them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, the Chaldean who destroyed this temple and carried
away the people to Babylon.
Ezra 5:13 In his first year, however, Cyrus king
of Babylon issued a decree to rebuild this house of God.
Ezra 5:14 He also removed from the temple of
Babylon the gold and silver articles belonging to the house of
God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken and carried there from the
temple in Jerusalem. King Cyrus gave these articles to a man named
Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed governor
Ezra 5:15 and instructed, ‘Take these articles,
put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be
rebuilt on its original site.’
Ezra 5:16 So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the
foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time
until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been
completed.”
Ezra 5:17 Now, therefore, if it pleases the
king, let a search be made of the royal archives in Babylon to see
if King Cyrus did indeed issue a decree to rebuild the house of
God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this
matter.
Ezra 6:1 Thus King Darius ordered a search of
the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.
Ezra 6:2 And a scroll was found in the fortress
of Ecbatana, in the province of Media, with the following written
on it: Memorandum:
Ezra 6:3 In the first year of King Cyrus, he
issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the
house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its
foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and
sixty cubits wide,
Ezra 6:4 with three layers of cut stones and one
of timbers. The costs are to be paid from the royal treasury.
Ezra 6:5 Furthermore, the gold and silver
articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the
temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned
to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.
Ezra 6:6 Therefore Darius decreed: To Tattenai
governor of the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and
your associates and officials in the region: You must stay away
from that place!
Ezra 6:7 Leave this work on the house of God
alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house
of God on its original site.
Ezra 6:8 I hereby decree what you must do for
these elders of the Jews who are rebuilding this house of God: The
cost is to be paid in full to these men from the royal treasury
out of the taxes of the provinces west of the Euphrates, so that
the work will not be hindered.
Ezra 6:9 Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams,
and lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, as well as
wheat, salt, wine, and oil, as requested by the priests in
Jerusalem—must be given to them daily without fail.
Ezra 6:10 Then they will be able to offer
sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for
the lives of the king and his sons.
Ezra 6:11 I also decree that if any man
interferes with this directive, a beam is to be torn from his
house and raised up, and he is to be impaled on it. And his own
house shall be made a pile of rubble for this offense.
Ezra 6:12 May God, who has caused His Name to
dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to
alter this decree or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I,
Darius, have issued the decree. Let it be carried out with
diligence.
Ezra 6:13 In response, Tattenai the governor of
the region west of the Euphrates, Shethar-bozenai, and their
associates diligently carried out what King Darius had decreed.
Ezra 6:14 So the Jewish elders built and
prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and
Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building according to the
command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and
Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.
Ezra 6:15 And this temple was completed on the
third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of
King Darius.
Ezra 6:16 Then the people of Israel—the priests,
the Levites, and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication
of the house of God with joy.
Ezra 6:17 For the dedication of the house of God
they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred
lambs, and a sin offering for all Israel of twelve male goats, one
for each tribe of Israel.
Ezra 6:18 They also appointed the priests by
their divisions and the Levites by their groups to the service of
God in Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of
Moses.
Ezra 6:19 On the fourteenth day of the first
month, the exiles kept the Passover.
Ezra 6:20 All the priests and Levites had
purified themselves and were ceremonially clean. And the Levites
slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their
priestly brothers, and for themselves.
Ezra 6:21 The Israelites who had returned from
exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from
the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to seek the LORD, the
God of Israel.
Ezra 6:22 For seven days they kept the Feast of
Unleavened Bread with joy, because the LORD had made them joyful
and turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to
strengthen their hands in the work on the house of the God of
Israel.
Ezra 7:1 Many years later, during the reign of
Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, the son of
Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,
Ezra 7:2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok,
the son of Ahitub,
Ezra 7:3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah,
the son of Meraioth,
Ezra 7:4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi,
the son of Bukki,
Ezra 7:5 the son of Abishua, the son of
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest—
Ezra 7:6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was
a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of
Israel, had given. The king had granted Ezra all his requests, for
the hand of the LORD his God was upon him.
Ezra 7:7 So in the seventh year of King
Artaxerxes, he went up to Jerusalem with some of the Israelites,
including priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple
servants.
Ezra 7:8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth
month of the seventh year of the king.
Ezra 7:9 He had begun the journey from Babylon
on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem
on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his
God was upon him.
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study
the Law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach its statutes and
ordinances in Israel.
Ezra 7:11 This is the text of the letter King
Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in
the commandments and statutes of the LORD to Israel:
Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the
priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
Ezra 7:13 I hereby decree that any volunteers
among the Israelites in my kingdom, including the priests and
Levites, may go up with you to Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:14 You are sent by the king and his seven
counselors to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of
your God, which is in your hand.
Ezra 7:15 Moreover, you are to take with you the
silver and gold that the king and his counselors have freely
offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
Ezra 7:16 together with all the silver and gold
you may find in all the province of Babylon, as well as the
freewill offerings of the people and priests to the house of their
God in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:17 With this money, therefore, you are to
buy as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, together with their
grain offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar
at the house of your God in Jerusalem.
Ezra 7:18 You and your brothers may do whatever
seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the
will of your God.
Ezra 7:19 You must deliver to the God of
Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the
house of your God.
Ezra 7:20 And if anything else is needed for the
house of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may
pay for it from the royal treasury.
Ezra 7:21 I, King Artaxerxes, decree to all the
treasurers west of the Euphrates: Whatever Ezra the priest, the
scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it
must be provided promptly,
Ezra 7:22 up to a hundred talents of silver, a
hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of
olive oil, and salt without limit.
Ezra 7:23 Whatever is commanded by the God of
heaven must be done diligently for His house. For why should wrath
fall on the realm of the king and his sons?
Ezra 7:24 And be advised that you have no
authority to impose tribute, duty, or toll on any of the priests,
Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants
of this house of God.
Ezra 7:25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom
of your God which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and
judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates—all who know
the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to anyone
who does not know them.
Ezra 7:26 If anyone does not keep the law of
your God and the law of the king, let a strict judgment be
executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of
property, or imprisonment.
Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the LORD, the God of our
fathers, who has put into the heart of the king to so honor the
house of the LORD in Jerusalem,
Ezra 7:28 and who has shown me favor before the
king, his counselors, and all his powerful officials. And because
the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, I took courage and
gathered the leaders of Israel to return with me.
Ezra 8:1 These are the family heads and
genealogical records of those who returned with me from Babylon
during the reign of King Artaxerxes:
Ezra 8:2 from the descendants of Phinehas,
Gershom; from the descendants of Ithamar, Daniel; from the
descendants of David, Hattush
Ezra 8:3 of the descendants of Shecaniah; from
the descendants of Parosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered
150 men;
Ezra 8:4 from the descendants of Pahath-Moab,
Eliehoenai son of Zerahiah, and with him 200 men;
Ezra 8:5 from the descendants of Zattu,
Shecaniah son of Jahaziel, and with him 300 men;
Ezra 8:6 from the descendants of Adin, Ebed son
of Jonathan, and with him 50 men;
Ezra 8:7 from the descendants of Elam, Jeshaiah
son of Athaliah, and with him 70 men;
Ezra 8:8 from the descendants of Shephatiah,
Zebadiah son of Michael, and with him 80 men;
Ezra 8:9 from the descendants of Joab, Obadiah
son of Jehiel, and with him 218 men;
Ezra 8:10 from the descendants of Bani,
Shelomith son of Josiphiah, and with him 160 men;
Ezra 8:11 from the descendants of Bebai,
Zechariah son of Bebai, and with him 28 men;
Ezra 8:12 from the descendants of Azgad, Johanan
son of Hakkatan, and with him 110 men;
Ezra 8:13 from the later descendants of
Adonikam, these were their names: Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah,
and with them 60 men;
Ezra 8:14 and from the descendants of Bigvai,
both Uthai and Zaccur, and with them 70 men.
Ezra 8:15 Now I assembled these exiles at the
canal that flows to Ahava, and we camped there three days. And
when I searched among the people and priests, I found no Levites
there.
Ezra 8:16 Then I summoned the leaders: Eliezer,
Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and
Meshullam, as well as the teachers Joiarib and Elnathan.
Ezra 8:17 And I sent them to Iddo, the leader at
Casiphia, with a message for him and his kinsmen, the temple
servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for
the house of our God.
Ezra 8:18 And since the gracious hand of our God
was upon us, they brought us Sherebiah—a man of insight from the
descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel—along with his
sons and brothers, 18 men;
Ezra 8:19 also Hashabiah, together with
Jeshaiah, from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and
their sons, 20 men.
Ezra 8:20 They also brought 220 of the temple
servants, all designated by name. David and the officials had
appointed them to assist the Levites.
Ezra 8:21 And there by the Ahava Canal I
proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our
God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with
all our possessions.
Ezra 8:22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for
an escort of soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies
on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is
gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all
who forsake Him.”
Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and petitioned our God
about this, and He granted our request.
Ezra 8:24 Then I set apart twelve of the leading
priests, together with Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their
brothers,
Ezra 8:25 and I weighed out to them the
contribution of silver and gold and the articles that the king,
his counselors, his leaders, and all the Israelites there had
offered for the house of our God.
Ezra 8:26 I weighed out into their hands 650
talents of silver, articles of silver weighing 100 talents, 100
talents of gold,
Ezra 8:27 20 gold bowls valued at 1,000 darics,
and two articles of fine polished bronze, as precious as gold.
Ezra 8:28 Then I told them, “You are holy to the
LORD, and these articles are holy. The silver and gold are a
freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.
Ezra 8:29 Guard them carefully until you weigh
them out in the chambers of the house of the LORD in Jerusalem
before the leading priests, Levites, and heads of the Israelite
families.”
Ezra 8:30 So the priests and Levites took charge
of the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed
out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.
Ezra 8:31 On the twelfth day of the first month
we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem, and the hand
of our God was upon us to protect us from the hands of the enemies
and bandits along the way.
Ezra 8:32 So we arrived at Jerusalem and rested
there for three days.
Ezra 8:33 On the fourth day, in the house of our
God, we weighed out the silver and gold and sacred articles into
the hand of Meremoth son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of
Phinehas was with him, along with the Levites Jozabad son of
Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.
Ezra 8:34 Everything was verified by number and
weight, and the total weight was recorded at that time.
Ezra 8:35 Then the exiles who had returned from
captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: 12
bulls for all Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and a sin offering of 12
male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD.
Ezra 8:36 They also delivered the king’s edicts
to the royal satraps and governors of the region west of the
Euphrates, who proceeded to assist the people and the house of
God.
Ezra 9:1 After these things had been
accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of
Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept
themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose
abominations are like those of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and
Amorites.
Ezra 9:2 Indeed, the Israelites have taken some
of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, so that
the holy seed has been mixed with the people of the land. And the
leaders and officials have taken the lead in this unfaithfulness!”
Ezra 9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my
tunic and cloak, pulled out some hair from my head and beard, and
sat down in horror.
Ezra 9:4 Then everyone who trembled at the words
of the God of Israel gathered around me because of the
unfaithfulness of the exiles, while I sat there in horror until
the evening offering.
Ezra 9:5 At the evening offering, I got up from
my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my
knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
Ezra 9:6 and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and
embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our
iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached
the heavens.
Ezra 9:7 From the days of our fathers to this
day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and
our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the
kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity, to pillage
and humiliation, as we are this day.
Ezra 9:8 But now, for a brief moment, grace has
come from the LORD our God to preserve for us a remnant and to
give us a stake in His holy place. Even in our bondage, our God
has given us new life and light to our eyes.
Ezra 9:9 Though we are slaves, our God has not
forsaken us in our bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the
sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the
house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of
protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezra 9:10 And now, our God, what can we say
after this? For we have forsaken the commandments
Ezra 9:11 that You gave through Your servants
the prophets, saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess
is a land polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the
abominations with which they have filled it from end to end.
Ezra 9:12 Now, therefore, do not give your
daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for
your sons. Never seek their peace or prosperity, so that you may
be strong and may eat the good things of the land, leaving it as
an inheritance to your sons forever.’
Ezra 9:13 After all that has come upon us
because of our evil deeds and our great guilt (though You, our
God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve and have
given us such a remnant as this),
Ezra 9:14 shall we again break Your commandments
and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations?
Would You not become so angry with us as to wipe us out, leaving
no remnant or survivor?
Ezra 9:15 O LORD, God of Israel, You are
righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we are before
You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before
You.”
Ezra 10:1 While Ezra prayed and made this
confession, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God,
a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women, and
children—gathered around him, and the people wept bitterly as
well.
Ezra 10:2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an
Elamite, said to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by
marrying foreign women from the people of the land, yet in spite
of this, there is hope for Israel.
Ezra 10:3 So now let us make a covenant before
our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children,
according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at
the command of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.
Ezra 10:4 Get up, for this matter is your
responsibility, and we will support you. Be strong and take
action!”
Ezra 10:5 So Ezra got up and made the leading
priests, Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do what had been
said. And they took the oath.
Ezra 10:6 Then Ezra withdrew from before the
house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of
Eliashib. And while he stayed there, he ate no food and drank no
water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the
exiles.
Ezra 10:7 And a proclamation was issued
throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the exiles should gather
at Jerusalem.
Ezra 10:8 Whoever failed to appear within three
days would forfeit all his property, according to the counsel of
the leaders and elders, and would himself be expelled from the
assembly of the exiles.
Ezra 10:9 So within the three days, all the men
of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem, and on the twentieth
day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the square at the
house of God, trembling regarding this matter and because of the
heavy rain.
Ezra 10:10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and
said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women,
adding to the guilt of Israel.
Ezra 10:11 Now, therefore, make a confession to
the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate
yourselves from the people of the land and from your foreign
wives.”
Ezra 10:12 And the whole assembly responded in a
loud voice: “Truly we must do as you say!
Ezra 10:13 But there are many people here, and
it is the rainy season. We are not able to stay out in the open.
Nor is this the work of one or two days, for we have transgressed
greatly in this matter.
Ezra 10:14 Let our leaders represent the whole
assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign
woman come at an appointed time, together with the elders and
judges of each town, until the fierce anger of our God in this
matter is turned away from us.”
Ezra 10:15 (Only Jonathan son of Asahel and
Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the
Levite, opposed this plan.)
Ezra 10:16 So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra
the priest selected men who were family heads, each of them
identified by name, to represent their families. On the first day
of the tenth month they launched the investigation,
Ezra 10:17 and by the first day of the first
month they had dealt with all the men who had married foreign
women.
Ezra 10:18 Among the descendants of the priests
who had married foreign women were found these descendants of
Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib,
and Gedaliah.
Ezra 10:19 They pledged to send their wives
away, and for their guilt they presented a ram from the flock as a
guilt offering.
Ezra 10:20 From the descendants of Immer: Hanani
and Zebadiah.
Ezra 10:21 From the descendants of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
Ezra 10:22 From the descendants of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
Ezra 10:23 Among the Levites: Jozabad, Shimei,
Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
Ezra 10:24 From the singers: Eliashib. From the
gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
Ezra 10:25 And among the other Israelites, from
the descendants of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin,
Eleazar, Malchijah, and Benaiah.
Ezra 10:26 From the descendants of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
Ezra 10:27 From the descendants of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
Ezra 10:28 From the descendants of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
Ezra 10:29 From the descendants of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
Ezra 10:30 From the descendants of Pahath-moab:
Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and
Manasseh.
Ezra 10:31 From the descendants of Harim:
Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon,
Ezra 10:32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah.
Ezra 10:33 From the descendants of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and
Shimei.
Ezra 10:34 From the descendants of Bani: Maadai,
Amram, Uel,
Ezra 10:35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi,
Ezra 10:36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,
Ezra 10:37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
Ezra 10:38 From the descendants of Binnui:
Shimei,
Ezra 10:39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah,
Ezra 10:40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,
Ezra 10:41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah,
Ezra 10:42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
Ezra 10:43 And from the descendants of Nebo:
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
Ezra 10:44 All these men had married foreign
women, and some of them had children by these wives.
NEHEMIAH
Nehemiah 1:1 These are the words of Nehemiah son
of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while
I was in the citadel of Susa,
Nehemiah 1:2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived
with men from Judah. So I questioned them about the remnant of the
Jews who had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1:3 And they told me, “The remnant who
survived the exile are there in the province, in great trouble and
disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are
burned with fire.”
Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these words, I sat
down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the
God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:5 Then I said: “O LORD, God of
heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving
devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,
Nehemiah 1:6 let Your eyes be open and Your ears
attentive to hear the prayer that I, Your servant, now pray before
You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the
sins that we Israelites have committed against You. Both I and my
father’s house have sinned.
Nehemiah 1:7 We have behaved corruptly against
You and have not kept the commandments, statutes, and ordinances
that You gave Your servant Moses.
Nehemiah 1:8 Remember, I pray, the word that You
commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are
unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations,
Nehemiah 1:9 but if you return to Me and keep
and practice My commandments, then even if your exiles have been
banished to the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there
and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for My
Name.’
Nehemiah 1:10 They are Your servants and Your
people. You redeemed them by Your great power and mighty hand.
Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, may Your ear be attentive
to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to
revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and
grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the
cupbearer to the king.)
Nehemiah 2:1 Now in the month of Nisan, in the
twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I
took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his
presence,
Nehemiah 2:2 so the king said to me, “Why is
your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness
of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
Nehemiah 2:3 and replied to the king, “May the
king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my
fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been
destroyed by fire?”
Nehemiah 2:4 “What is your request?” replied the
king. So I prayed to the God of heaven
Nehemiah 2:5 and answered the king, “If it
pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your
sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city where my
fathers are buried, so that I may rebuild it.”
Nehemiah 2:6 Then the king, with the queen
seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and
when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I
set a time.
Nehemiah 2:7 I also said to him, “If it pleases
the king, may letters be given to me for the governors west of the
Euphrates, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach
Judah.
Nehemiah 2:8 And may I have a letter to Asaph,
keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to
make beams for the gates of the citadel to the temple, for the
city wall, and for the house I will occupy.” And because the
gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
Nehemiah 2:9 Then I went to the governors west
of the Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had
also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
Nehemiah 2:10 But when Sanballat the Horonite
and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were
deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of
the Israelites.
Nehemiah 2:11 After I had arrived in Jerusalem
and had been there three days,
Nehemiah 2:12 I set out at night with a few men.
I did not tell anyone what my God had laid on my heart to do for
Jerusalem. The only animal with me was the one on which I was
riding.
Nehemiah 2:13 So I went out at night through the
Valley Gate toward the Well of the Serpent and the Dung Gate, and
I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and
the gates that had been destroyed by fire.
Nehemiah 2:14 Then I went on to the Fountain
Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal
under me to get through;
Nehemiah 2:15 so I went up the valley by night
and inspected the wall. Then I headed back and reentered through
the Valley Gate.
Nehemiah 2:16 The officials did not know where I
had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews or
priests or nobles or officials or any other workers.
Nehemiah 2:17 Then I said to them, “You see the
trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have
been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so
that we will no longer be a disgrace.”
Nehemiah 2:18 I also told them about the
gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me.
“Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands
to this good work.
Nehemiah 2:19 But when Sanballat the Horonite,
Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about
this, they mocked us and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this you
are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Nehemiah 2:20 So I answered them and said, “The
God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His
servants, will start rebuilding, but you have no portion, right,
or claim in Jerusalem.”
Nehemiah 3:1 At the Sheep Gate, Eliashib the
high priest and his fellow priests began rebuilding. They
dedicated it and installed its doors. After building as far as the
Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated the
wall.
Nehemiah 3:2 The men of Jericho built next to
Eliashib, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.
Nehemiah 3:3 The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the
sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its doors,
bolts, and bars.
Nehemiah 3:4 Next to them, Meremoth son of
Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to him, Meshullam son
of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs; and next to
him, Zadok son of Baana made repairs as well.
Nehemiah 3:5 Next to him, the Tekoites made
repairs, but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work
under their supervisors.
Nehemiah 3:6 The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by
Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its
beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Nehemiah 3:7 Next to them, repairs were made by
Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of
Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the authority of the governor of
the region west of the Euphrates.
Nehemiah 3:8 Next to them, Uzziel son of
Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs, and next to him,
Hananiah son of the perfumer made repairs. They fortified
Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
Nehemiah 3:9 Next to them, Rephaiah son of Hur,
ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, made repairs;
Nehemiah 3:10 next to him, Jedaiah son of
Harumaph made repairs across from his house; and next to him,
Hattush son of Hashabneiah made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub
son of Pahath-moab repaired another section, as well as the Tower
of the Ovens.
Nehemiah 3:12 And next to them, Shallum son of
Hallohesh, ruler of the other half-district of Jerusalem, made
repairs, with the help of his daughters.
Nehemiah 3:13 The Valley Gate was repaired by
Hanun and the residents of Zanoah. They rebuilt it, installed its
doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall
as far as the Dung Gate.
Nehemiah 3:14 The Dung Gate was repaired by
Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem.
He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
Nehemiah 3:15 The Fountain Gate was repaired by
Shallun son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. He
rebuilt it, roofed it, and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
He also repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah near the king’s
garden, as far as the stairs that descend from the City of David.
Nehemiah 3:16 Beyond him, Nehemiah son of Azbuk,
ruler of a half-district of Beth-zur, made repairs up to a point
opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and the
House of the Mighty.
Nehemiah 3:17 Next to him, the Levites made
repairs under Rehum son of Bani, and next to him, Hashabiah, ruler
of a half-district of Keilah, made repairs for his district.
Nehemiah 3:18 Next to him, their countrymen made
repairs under Binnui son of Henadad, ruler of the other
half-district of Keilah.
Nehemiah 3:19 And next to him, Ezer son of
Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the
Ascent to the Armory, near the angle in the wall.
Nehemiah 3:20 Next to him, Baruch son of Zabbai
diligently repaired another section, from the angle to the doorway
of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
Nehemiah 3:21 Next to him, Meremoth son of
Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, repaired another section, from the
doorway of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house.
Nehemiah 3:22 And next to him, the priests from
the surrounding area made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:23 Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub
made repairs in front of their house, and next to them, Azariah
son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his
house.
Nehemiah 3:24 After him, Binnui son of Henadad
repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the angle
and the corner,
Nehemiah 3:25 and Palal son of Uzai made repairs
opposite the angle and the tower that juts out from the upper
palace of the king near the courtyard of the guard. Next to him,
Pedaiah son of Parosh
Nehemiah 3:26 and the temple servants living on
the hill of Ophel made repairs opposite the Water Gate toward the
east and the tower that juts out.
Nehemiah 3:27 And next to them, the Tekoites
repaired another section, from a point opposite the great tower
that juts out to the wall of Ophel.
Nehemiah 3:28 Above the Horse Gate, each of the
priests made repairs in front of his own house.
Nehemiah 3:29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer
made repairs opposite his house, and next to him, Shemaiah son of
Shecaniah, the guard of the East Gate, made repairs.
Nehemiah 3:30 Next to him, Hananiah son of
Shelemiah, as well as Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired
another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berechiah made
repairs opposite his own quarters.
Nehemiah 3:31 Next to him, Malchijah, one of the
goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple
servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as
far as the upper room above the corner.
Nehemiah 3:32 And between the upper room above
the corner and the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and merchants made
repairs.
Nehemiah 4:1 Now when Sanballat heard that we
were rebuilding the wall, he was furious and filled with
indignation. He ridiculed the Jews
Nehemiah 4:2 before his associates and the army
of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they
restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will
they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back
to life from the mounds of rubble?”
Nehemiah 4:3 Then Tobiah the Ammonite, who was
beside him, said, “If even a fox were to climb up on what they are
building, it would break down their wall of stones!”
Nehemiah 4:4 Hear us, O God, for we are
despised. Turn their scorn back upon their own heads, and let them
be taken as plunder to a land of captivity.
Nehemiah 4:5 Do not cover up their iniquity or
let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have
provoked the builders.
Nehemiah 4:6 So we rebuilt the wall until all of
it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a
mind to work.
Nehemiah 4:7 When Sanballat and Tobiah, together
with the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, heard that the repair
to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were
being closed, they were furious,
Nehemiah 4:8 and all of them conspired to come
and fight against Jerusalem and create a hindrance.
Nehemiah 4:9 So we prayed to our God and posted
a guard against them day and night.
Nehemiah 4:10 Meanwhile, the people of Judah
said: “The strength of the laborer fails, and there is so much
rubble that we will never be able to rebuild the wall.”
Nehemiah 4:11 And our enemies said, “Before they
know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and
put an end to the work.”
Nehemiah 4:12 At that time the Jews who lived
nearby came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they
will attack us.”
Nehemiah 4:13 So I stationed men behind the
lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed
them by families with their swords, spears, and bows.
Nehemiah 4:14 After I had made an inspection, I
stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of
the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is
great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your
daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Nehemiah 4:15 When our enemies heard that we
were aware of their scheme and that God had frustrated it, each of
us returned to his own work on the wall.
Nehemiah 4:16 And from that day on, half of my
servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields,
bows, and armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all the
people of Judah
Nehemiah 4:17 who were rebuilding the wall. The
laborers who carried materials worked with one hand and held a
weapon with the other.
Nehemiah 4:18 And each of the builders worked
with his sword strapped at his side. But the trumpeter stayed
beside me.
Nehemiah 4:19 Then I said to the nobles, the
officials, and the rest of the people: “The work is great and
extensive, and we are spread out far from one another along the
wall.
Nehemiah 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the
horn, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us!”
Nehemiah 4:21 So we continued the work, while
half of the men held spears from the break of dawn until the stars
came out.
Nehemiah 4:22 At that time I also said to the
people, “Let every man and his servant spend the night inside
Jerusalem, so that they can stand guard by night and work by day.”
Nehemiah 4:23 So neither I nor my brothers nor
my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes;
each carried his weapon, even to go for water.
Nehemiah 5:1 About that time there was a great
outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
Nehemiah 5:2 Some were saying, “We and our sons
and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and
stay alive.”
Nehemiah 5:3 Others were saying, “We are
mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain
during the famine.”
Nehemiah 5:4 Still others were saying, “We have
borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
Nehemiah 5:5 We and our children are just like
our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons
and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already
enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields
and vineyards belong to others.”
Nehemiah 5:6 When I heard their outcry and these
complaints, I became extremely angry,
Nehemiah 5:7 and after serious thought I rebuked
the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from
your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
Nehemiah 5:8 and said, “We have done our best to
buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now
you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to
us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
Nehemiah 5:9 So I continued, “What you are doing
is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid
the reproach of our foreign enemies?
Nehemiah 5:10 I, as well as my brothers and my
servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please,
let us stop this usury.
Nehemiah 5:11 Please restore to them immediately
their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the
percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have
been assessing them.”
Nehemiah 5:12 “We will restore it,” they
replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as
you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and
officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.
Nehemiah 5:13 I also shook out the folds of my
robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and
possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a
man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said,
“Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had
promised.
Nehemiah 5:14 Furthermore, from the day King
Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah,
from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years
total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the
governor.
Nehemiah 5:15 The governors before me had
heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus
forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people,
but I did not do this because of my fear of God.
Nehemiah 5:16 Instead, I devoted myself to the
construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there
for the work; we did not acquire any land.
Nehemiah 5:17 There were 150 Jews and officials
at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
Nehemiah 5:18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep,
and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an
abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand
the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the
people was so heavy.
Nehemiah 5:19 Remember me favorably, O my God,
for all that I have done for this people.
Nehemiah 6:1 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the
Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the
wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet
installed the doors in the gates—
Nehemiah 6:2 Sanballat and Geshem sent me this
message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the
plain of Ono.” But they were planning to harm me.
Nehemiah 6:3 So I sent messengers to them,
saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should
the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
Nehemiah 6:4 Four times they sent me the same
message, and each time I gave the same reply.
Nehemiah 6:5 The fifth time, Sanballat sent me
this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an
unsealed letter
Nehemiah 6:6 that read: “It is reported among
the nations—and Geshem agrees—that you and the Jews are plotting
to revolt, and this is why you are building the wall. According to
these reports, you are to become their king,
Nehemiah 6:7 and you have even appointed
prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king
in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So
come, let us confer together.”
Nehemiah 6:8 Then I sent him this reply: “There
is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are inventing
them in your own mind.”
Nehemiah 6:9 For they were all trying to
frighten us, saying, “Their hands will be weakened in the work,
and it will never be finished.” But now, my God, strengthen my
hands.
Nehemiah 6:10 Later, I went to the house of
Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was confined to
his house. He said: “Let us meet at the house of God inside the
temple. Let us shut the temple doors because they are coming to
kill you—by night they are coming to kill you!”
Nehemiah 6:11 But I replied, “Should a man like
me run away? Should one like me go into the temple to save his own
life? I will not go!”
Nehemiah 6:12 I realized that God had not sent
him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because
Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
Nehemiah 6:13 He had been hired to intimidate me
so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give
me a bad name in order to discredit me.
Nehemiah 6:14 O my God, remember Tobiah and
Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess
and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.
Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed in
fifty-two days, on the twenty-fifth of Elul.
Nehemiah 6:16 When all our enemies heard about
this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and disheartened,
for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.
Nehemiah 6:17 Also in those days, the nobles of
Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah’s letters came back
to them.
Nehemiah 6:18 For many in Judah were bound by
oath to him, since he was a son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah,
and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of
Berechiah.
Nehemiah 6:19 Moreover, these nobles kept
reporting to me Tobiah’s good deeds, and they relayed my words to
him. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.
Nehemiah 7:1 When the wall had been rebuilt and
I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers, singers, and
Levites were appointed.
Nehemiah 7:2 Then I put my brother Hanani in
charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the
fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than
most.
Nehemiah 7:3 And I told them, “Do not open the
gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot. While the guards are on
duty, keep the doors shut and securely fastened. And appoint the
residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at
their own homes.”
Nehemiah 7:4 Now the city was large and
spacious, but there were few people in it, and the houses had not
yet been rebuilt.
Nehemiah 7:5 Then my God put it into my heart to
assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be enrolled
by genealogy. I found the genealogical register of those who had
first returned, and I found the following written in it:
Nehemiah 7:6 These are the people of the
province who came up from the captivity of the exiles carried away
to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar its king. They returned to Jerusalem
and Judah, each to his own town,
Nehemiah 7:7 accompanied by Zerubbabel, Jeshua,
Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan,
Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. This is the count of the men
of Israel:
Nehemiah 7:8 the descendants of Parosh, 2,172;
Nehemiah 7:9 the descendants of Shephatiah, 372;
Nehemiah 7:10 the descendants of Arah, 652;
Nehemiah 7:11 the descendants of Pahath-moab
(through the line of Jeshua and Joab), 2,818;
Nehemiah 7:12 the descendants of Elam, 1,254;
Nehemiah 7:13 the descendants of Zattu, 845;
Nehemiah 7:14 the descendants of Zaccai, 760;
Nehemiah 7:15 the descendants of Binnui, 648;
Nehemiah 7:16 the descendants of Bebai, 628;
Nehemiah 7:17 the descendants of Azgad, 2,322;
Nehemiah 7:18 the descendants of Adonikam, 667;
Nehemiah 7:19 the descendants of Bigvai, 2,067;
Nehemiah 7:20 the descendants of Adin, 655;
Nehemiah 7:21 the descendants of Ater (through
Hezekiah), 98;
Nehemiah 7:22 the descendants of Hashum, 328;
Nehemiah 7:23 the descendants of Bezai, 324;
Nehemiah 7:24 the descendants of Hariph, 112;
Nehemiah 7:25 the descendants of Gibeon, 95;
Nehemiah 7:26 the men of Bethlehem and Netophah,
188;
Nehemiah 7:27 the men of Anathoth, 128;
Nehemiah 7:28 the men of Beth-azmaveth, 42;
Nehemiah 7:29 the men of Kiriath-jearim,
Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743;
Nehemiah 7:30 the men of Ramah and Geba, 621;
Nehemiah 7:31 the men of Michmash, 122;
Nehemiah 7:32 the men of Bethel and Ai, 123;
Nehemiah 7:33 the men of the other Nebo, 52;
Nehemiah 7:34 the descendants of the other Elam,
1,254;
Nehemiah 7:35 the descendants of Harim, 320;
Nehemiah 7:36 the men of Jericho, 345;
Nehemiah 7:37 the men of Lod, Hadid, and Ono,
721;
Nehemiah 7:38 and the descendants of Senaah,
3,930.
Nehemiah 7:39 The priests: the descendants of
Jedaiah (through the house of Jeshua), 973;
Nehemiah 7:40 the descendants of Immer, 1,052;
Nehemiah 7:41 the descendants of Pashhur, 1,247;
Nehemiah 7:42 and the descendants of Harim,
1,017.
Nehemiah 7:43 The Levites: the descendants of
Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodevah), 74.
Nehemiah 7:44 The singers: the descendants of
Asaph, 148.
Nehemiah 7:45 The gatekeepers: the descendants
of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon,
the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the
descendants of Shobai, 138 in all.
Nehemiah 7:46 The temple servants: the
descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants
of Tabbaoth,
Nehemiah 7:47 the descendants of Keros, the
descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon,
Nehemiah 7:48 the descendants of Lebanah, the
descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai,
Nehemiah 7:49 the descendants of Hanan, the
descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar,
Nehemiah 7:50 the descendants of Reaiah, the
descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda,
Nehemiah 7:51 the descendants of Gazzam, the
descendants of Uzza, the descendants of Paseah,
Nehemiah 7:52 the descendants of Besai, the
descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephushesim,
Nehemiah 7:53 the descendants of Bakbuk, the
descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur,
Nehemiah 7:54 the descendants of Bazlith, the
descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha,
Nehemiah 7:55 the descendants of Barkos, the
descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah,
Nehemiah 7:56 the descendants of Neziah, and the
descendants of Hatipha.
Nehemiah 7:57 The descendants of the servants of
Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth,
the descendants of Perida,
Nehemiah 7:58 the descendants of Jaala, the
descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel,
Nehemiah 7:59 the descendants of Shephatiah, the
descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pochereth-hazzebaim, and
the descendants of Amon.
Nehemiah 7:60 The temple servants and
descendants of the servants of Solomon numbered 392 in all.
Nehemiah 7:61 The following came up from
Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but could not
prove that their families were descended from Israel:
Nehemiah 7:62 the descendants of Delaiah, the
descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642 in all.
Nehemiah 7:63 And from among the priests: the
descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the
descendants of Barzillai (who had married a daughter of Barzillai
the Gileadite and was called by their name).
Nehemiah 7:64 These men searched for their
family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded
from the priesthood as unclean.
Nehemiah 7:65 The governor ordered them not to
eat the most holy things until there was a priest to consult the
Urim and Thummim.
Nehemiah 7:66 The whole assembly numbered
42,360,
Nehemiah 7:67 in addition to their 7,337
menservants and maidservants, as well as their 245 male and female
singers.
Nehemiah 7:68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,
Nehemiah 7:69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.
Nehemiah 7:70 Some of the heads of the families
contributed to the project. The governor gave to the treasury
1,000 darics of gold, 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments.
Nehemiah 7:71 And some of the heads of the
families gave to the treasury for the project 20,000 darics of
gold and 2,200 minas of silver.
Nehemiah 7:72 The rest of the people gave a
total of 20,000 darics of gold, 2,000 minas of silver, and 67
priestly garments.
Nehemiah 7:73 So the priests, Levites,
gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants, along with some of the
people and the rest of the Israelites, settled in their own towns.
And by the seventh month the Israelites had settled in their
towns.
Nehemiah 8:1 At that time all the people
gathered together in the square before the Water Gate, and they
asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,
which the LORD had commanded for Israel.
Nehemiah 8:2 On the first day of the seventh
month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men
and women and all who could listen and understand.
Nehemiah 8:3 So Ezra read it aloud from daybreak
until noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate, in front
of the men and women and those who could understand. And all the
people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Nehemiah 8:4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high
wooden platform built for this occasion. At his right side stood
Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, and at
his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah,
Zechariah, and Meshullam.
Nehemiah 8:5 Ezra opened the book in full view
of all the people, since he was standing above them all, and as he
opened it, all the people stood up.
Nehemiah 8:6 Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the
great God, and with their hands uplifted, all the people said,
“Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with
their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 8:7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani,
Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita,
Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—instructed the people in the
Law as they stood in their places.
Nehemiah 8:8 So they read from the Book of the
Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people
could understand what was being read.
Nehemiah 8:9 Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the
priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people
said to all of them, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do
not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard
the words of the Law.
Nehemiah 8:10 Then Nehemiah told them, “Go and
eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send out portions to
those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord.
Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:11 And the Levites calmed all the
people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.”
Nehemiah 8:12 Then all the people began to eat
and drink, to send out portions, and to rejoice greatly, because
they understood the words that had been made known to them.
Nehemiah 8:13 On the second day of the month,
the heads of all the families, along with the priests and Levites,
gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law.
Nehemiah 8:14 And they found written in the Law,
which the LORD had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites
were to dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month.
Nehemiah 8:15 So they proclaimed this message
and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go
out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild
olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it
is written.”
Nehemiah 8:16 And the people went out, brought
back branches, and made booths on their own rooftops, in their
courtyards, in the court of the house of God, and in the squares
by the Water Gate and by the Gate of Ephraim.
Nehemiah 8:17 The whole assembly who had
returned from exile made booths and lived in them. From the days
of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not
celebrated like this. And there was great rejoicing.
Nehemiah 8:18 Day after day, from the first day
to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The
Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day
they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.
Nehemiah 9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of the
same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing
sackcloth, with dust on their heads.
Nehemiah 9:2 Those of Israelite descent
separated themselves from all the foreigners, and they stood and
confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
Nehemiah 9:3 While they stood in their places,
they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a
quarter of the day, and they spent another quarter of the day in
confession and worship of the LORD their God.
Nehemiah 9:4 And the Levites—Jeshua, Bani,
Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani—stood on
the raised platform and cried out in a loud voice to the LORD
their God.
Nehemiah 9:5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel,
Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and
Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from
everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may
it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You created
the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth
and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give
life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.
Nehemiah 9:7 You are the LORD, the God who chose
Abram, who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the
name Abraham.
Nehemiah 9:8 You found his heart faithful before
You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the
Canaanites and Hittites, of the Amorites and Perizzites, of the
Jebusites and Girgashites—to give it to his descendants. You have
kept Your promise, because You are righteous.
Nehemiah 9:9 You saw the affliction of our
fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.
Nehemiah 9:10 You performed signs and wonders
against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his
land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our
fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day.
Nehemiah 9:11 You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their
pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.
Nehemiah 9:12 You led them with a pillar of
cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the
way in which they should travel.
Nehemiah 9:13 You came down on Mount Sinai and
spoke with them from heaven. You gave them just ordinances, true
laws, and good statutes and commandments.
Nehemiah 9:14 You revealed to them Your holy
Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through
Your servant Moses.
Nehemiah 9:15 In their hunger You gave them
bread from heaven; in their thirst You brought them water from the
rock. You told them to go in and possess the land which You had
sworn to give them.
Nehemiah 9:16 But they and our fathers became
arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments.
Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to listen and failed
to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened
their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage
in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake
them.
Nehemiah 9:18 Even when they cast for themselves
an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up
out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,
Nehemiah 9:19 You in Your great compassion did
not forsake them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud
never turned away from guiding them on their path; and by the
night the pillar of fire illuminated the way they should go.
Nehemiah 9:20 You gave Your good Spirit to
instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths,
and You gave them water for their thirst.
Nehemiah 9:21 For forty years You sustained them
in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did
not wear out and their feet did not swell.
Nehemiah 9:22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and allotted to them every corner of the land. So they took the
land of Sihon king of Heshbon and of Og king of Bashan.
Nehemiah 9:23 You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of heaven and brought them to the land You had told
their fathers to enter and possess.
Nehemiah 9:24 So their descendants went in and
possessed the land; You subdued before them the Canaanites
dwelling in the land. You delivered into their hands the kings and
peoples of the land, to do with them as they wished.
Nehemiah 9:25 They captured fortified cities and
fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug,
vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate
and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great
goodness.
Nehemiah 9:26 But they were disobedient and
rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They
killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
Nehemiah 9:27 So You delivered them into the
hands of enemies who oppressed them, and in their time of distress
they cried out to You. From heaven You heard them, and in Your
great compassion You gave them deliverers who saved them from the
hands of their enemies.
Nehemiah 9:28 But as soon as they had rest, they
again did evil in Your sight. So You abandoned them to the hands
of their enemies, who had dominion over them. When they cried out
to You again, You heard from heaven, and You delivered them many
times in Your compassion.
Nehemiah 9:29 You admonished them to turn back
to Your law, but they were arrogant and disobeyed Your
commandments. They sinned against Your ordinances, by which a man
will live if he practices them. They stubbornly shrugged their
shoulders; they stiffened their necks and would not obey.
Nehemiah 9:30 You were patient with them for
many years, and Your Spirit admonished them through Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen, so You gave them into the hands of the
neighboring peoples.
Nehemiah 9:31 But in Your great compassion, You
did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are
a gracious and compassionate God.
Nehemiah 9:32 So now, our God, the great and
mighty and awesome God who keeps His gracious covenant, do not
view lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, and upon our
kings and leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors and all
Your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.
Nehemiah 9:33 You are just in all that has
befallen us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have
acted wickedly.
Nehemiah 9:34 Our kings and leaders and priests
and fathers did not obey Your law or listen to Your commandments
and warnings that You gave them.
Nehemiah 9:35 For even while they were in their
kingdom, with the abundant goodness that You had given them, and
in the spacious and fertile land that You had set before them,
they would not serve You or turn from their wicked ways.
Nehemiah 9:36 So here we are today as slaves in
the land You gave our fathers to enjoy its fruit and goodness—here
we are as slaves!
Nehemiah 9:37 Its abundant harvest goes to the
kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over
our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great
distress.
Nehemiah 9:38 In view of all this, we make a
binding agreement, putting it in writing and sealing it with the
names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.”
Nehemiah 10:1 Now these were the ones who sealed
the document: Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, and also
Zedekiah,
Nehemiah 10:2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
Nehemiah 10:3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah,
Nehemiah 10:4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
Nehemiah 10:5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
Nehemiah 10:6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
Nehemiah 10:7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
Nehemiah 10:8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah.
These were the priests.
Nehemiah 10:9 The Levites: Jeshua son of
Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel,
Nehemiah 10:10 and their associates: Shebaniah,
Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
Nehemiah 10:11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
Nehemiah 10:12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
Nehemiah 10:13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
Nehemiah 10:14 And the leaders of the people:
Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
Nehemiah 10:15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
Nehemiah 10:16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
Nehemiah 10:17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
Nehemiah 10:18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
Nehemiah 10:19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
Nehemiah 10:20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
Nehemiah 10:21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
Nehemiah 10:22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
Nehemiah 10:23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
Nehemiah 10:24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
Nehemiah 10:25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
Nehemiah 10:26 Ahijah, Hanan, Anan,
Nehemiah 10:27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
Nehemiah 10:28 “The rest of the people—the
priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, temple servants, and all
who had separated themselves from the people of the land to obey
the Law of God—along with their wives and all their sons and
daughters who are able to understand,
Nehemiah 10:29 hereby join with their noble
brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law
of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all
the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
Nehemiah 10:30 We will not give our daughters in
marriage to the people of the land, and we will not take their
daughters for our sons.
Nehemiah 10:31 When the people of the land bring
merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we
will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh
year we will let the fields lie fallow, and will cancel every
debt.
Nehemiah 10:32 We also place ourselves under the
obligation to contribute a third of a shekel yearly for the
service of the house of our God:
Nehemiah 10:33 for the showbread, for the
regular grain offerings and burnt offerings, for the Sabbath
offerings, for the New Moons and appointed feasts, for the holy
offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and
for all the duties of the house of our God.
Nehemiah 10:34 We have cast lots among the
priests, Levites, and people for the donation of wood by our
families at the appointed times each year. They are to bring it to
the house of our God to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as
it is written in the Law.
Nehemiah 10:35 We will also bring the
firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of
the LORD year by year.
Nehemiah 10:36 And we will bring the firstborn
of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and
will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of
our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God.
Nehemiah 10:37 Moreover, we will bring to the
priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits
of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our
trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs
to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns
where we labor.
Nehemiah 10:38 A priest of Aaron’s line is to
accompany the Levites when they collect the tenth, and the Levites
are to bring a tenth of these tithes to the storerooms of the
treasury in the house of our God.
Nehemiah 10:39 For the Israelites and the
Levites are to bring the contributions of grain, new wine, and oil
to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are kept and
where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers
stay. Thus we will not neglect the house of our God.”
Nehemiah 11:1 Now the leaders of the people
settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots to
bring one out of ten to live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while
the remaining nine were to dwell in their own towns.
Nehemiah 11:2 And the people blessed all the men
who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 11:3 These are the heads of the
provinces who settled in Jerusalem. (In the villages of Judah,
however, each lived on his own property in their towns—the
Israelites, priests, Levites, temple servants, and descendants of
Solomon’s servants—
Nehemiah 11:4 while some of the descendants of
Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.) From the descendants of
Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of
Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant
of Perez;
Nehemiah 11:5 and Maaseiah son of Baruch, the
son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son
of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, a descendant of Shelah.
Nehemiah 11:6 The descendants of Perez who
settled in Jerusalem totaled 468 men of valor.
Nehemiah 11:7 From the descendants of Benjamin:
Sallu son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the
son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of
Jeshaiah;
Nehemiah 11:8 and his followers Gabbai and
Sallai—928 men.
Nehemiah 11:9 Joel son of Zichri was the officer
over them, and Judah son of Hassenuah was over the Second District
of the city.
Nehemiah 11:10 From the priests: Jedaiah son of
Joiarib; Jachin;
Nehemiah 11:11 Seraiah son of Hilkiah, the son
of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of
Ahitub, the chief official of the house of God;
Nehemiah 11:12 and their associates who did the
work at the temple—822 men; Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of
Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of
Pashhur, the son of Malchijah;
Nehemiah 11:13 and his associates, the leaders
of families—242 men; Amashai son of Azarel, the son of Ahzai, the
son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer;
Nehemiah 11:14 and his associates—128 mighty men
of valor. Zabdiel son of Haggedolim was their overseer.
Nehemiah 11:15 From the Levites: Shemaiah son of
Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of
Bunni;
Nehemiah 11:16 Shabbethai and Jozabad, two
leaders of the Levites, who supervised the work outside the house
of God;
Nehemiah 11:17 Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of
Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who led in thanksgiving and prayer;
Bakbukiah, second among his associates; and Abda son of Shammua,
the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
Nehemiah 11:18 The Levites in the holy city
totaled 284.
Nehemiah 11:19 And the gatekeepers: Akkub,
Talmon, and their associates, who kept watch at the gates—172 men.
Nehemiah 11:20 The rest of the Israelites, with
the priests and Levites, were in all the villages of Judah, each
on his own inheritance.
Nehemiah 11:21 The temple servants lived on the
hill of Ophel, with Ziha and Gishpa over them.
Nehemiah 11:22 Now the overseer of the Levites
in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son
of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. He was one of Asaph’s descendants,
who were the singers in charge of the service of the house of God.
Nehemiah 11:23 For there was a command from the
king concerning the singers, an ordinance regulating their daily
activities.
Nehemiah 11:24 Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a
descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every
matter concerning the people.
Nehemiah 11:25 As for the villages with their
fields, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba, Dibon,
Jekabzeel, and their villages;
Nehemiah 11:26 in Jeshua, Moladah, and
Beth-pelet;
Nehemiah 11:27 in Hazar-shual; in Beersheba and
its villages;
Nehemiah 11:28 in Ziklag; in Meconah and its
villages;
Nehemiah 11:29 in En-rimmon, Zorah, Jarmuth,
Nehemiah 11:30 Zanoah, Adullam, and their
villages; in Lachish and its fields; and in Azekah and its
villages. So they settled from Beersheba all the way to the Valley
of Hinnom.
Nehemiah 11:31 The descendants of Benjamin from
Geba lived in Michmash, Aija, and Bethel with its villages;
Nehemiah 11:32 in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,
Nehemiah 11:33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,
Nehemiah 11:34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,
Nehemiah 11:35 Lod, and Ono; and in the Valley
of the Craftsmen.
Nehemiah 11:36 And some divisions of the Levites
of Judah settled in Benjamin.
Nehemiah 12:1 Now these are the priests and
Levites who went up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and with
Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,
Nehemiah 12:2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,
Nehemiah 12:3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth,
Nehemiah 12:4 Iddo, Ginnethon, Abijah,
Nehemiah 12:5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah,
Nehemiah 12:6 Shemaiah, Joiarib, Jedaiah,
Nehemiah 12:7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah.
These were the leaders of the priests and their associates in the
days of Jeshua.
Nehemiah 12:8 The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui,
Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who, with his
associates, led the songs of thanksgiving.
Nehemiah 12:9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their
associates, stood across from them in the services.
Nehemiah 12:10 Jeshua was the father of Joiakim,
Joiakim was the father of Eliashib, Eliashib was the father of
Joiada,
Nehemiah 12:11 Joiada was the father of
Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.
Nehemiah 12:12 In the days of Joiakim, these
were the heads of the priestly families: of the family of Seraiah,
Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah;
Nehemiah 12:13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah,
Jehohanan;
Nehemiah 12:14 of Malluchi, Jonathan; of
Shebaniah, Joseph;
Nehemiah 12:15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth,
Helkai;
Nehemiah 12:16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon,
Meshullam;
Nehemiah 12:17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin
and of Moadiah, Piltai;
Nehemiah 12:18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah,
Jonathan;
Nehemiah 12:19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah,
Uzzi;
Nehemiah 12:20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;
Nehemiah 12:21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of
Jedaiah, Nethanel.
Nehemiah 12:22 In the days of Eliashib, Joiada,
Johanan, and Jaddua, during the reign of Darius the Persian, the
heads of the families of the Levites and priests were recorded.
Nehemiah 12:23 As for the descendants of Levi,
the family heads up to the days of Johanan son of Eliashib were
recorded in the Book of the Chronicles.
Nehemiah 12:24 The leaders of the Levites were
Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua son of Kadmiel, along with their
associates, who stood across from them to give praise and
thanksgiving as one section alternated with the other, as
prescribed by David the man of God.
Nehemiah 12:25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah,
Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers who guarded the
storerooms at the gates.
Nehemiah 12:26 They served in the days of
Joiakim son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of
Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
Nehemiah 12:27 At the dedication of the wall of
Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and
brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with
thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and
lyres.
Nehemiah 12:28 The singers were also assembled
from the region around Jerusalem, from the villages of the
Netophathites,
Nehemiah 12:29 from Beth-gilgal, and from the
fields of Geba and Azmaveth, for they had built villages for
themselves around Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 12:30 After the priests and Levites had
purified themselves, they purified the people, the gates, and the
wall.
Nehemiah 12:31 Then I brought the leaders of
Judah up on the wall, and I appointed two great thanksgiving
choirs. One was to proceed along the top of the wall to the right,
toward the Dung Gate.
Nehemiah 12:32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of
Judah followed,
Nehemiah 12:33 along with Azariah, Ezra,
Meshullam,
Nehemiah 12:34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah,
Jeremiah,
Nehemiah 12:35 and some of the priests with
trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah,
the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the
son of Asaph,
Nehemiah 12:36 and his associates—Shemaiah,
Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani—with
the musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra
the scribe led the procession.
Nehemiah 12:37 At the Fountain Gate they climbed
the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and
passed above the house of David to the Water Gate on the east.
Nehemiah 12:38 The second thanksgiving choir
proceeded to the left, and I followed it with half the people
along the top of the wall, past the Tower of the Ovens to the
Broad Wall,
Nehemiah 12:39 over the Gate of Ephraim, the
Jeshanah Gate, the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel, and the Tower
of the Hundred, as far as the Sheep Gate. And they stopped at the
Gate of the Guard.
Nehemiah 12:40 The two thanksgiving choirs then
stood in the house of God, as did I, along with the half of the
officials accompanying me,
Nehemiah 12:41 as well as the priests with their
trumpets—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai,
Zechariah, and Hananiah—
Nehemiah 12:42 and also Maaseiah, Shemaiah,
Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. Then the
choirs sang out under the direction of Jezrahiah.
Nehemiah 12:43 On that day they offered great
sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The
women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was
heard from afar.
Nehemiah 12:44 And on that same day men were
appointed over the rooms that housed the supplies, contributions,
firstfruits, and tithes. The portions specified by the Law for the
priests and Levites were gathered into these storerooms from the
fields of the villages, because Judah rejoiced over the priests
and Levites who were serving.
Nehemiah 12:45 They performed the service of
their God and the service of purification, along with the singers
and gatekeepers, as David and his son Solomon had prescribed.
Nehemiah 12:46 For long ago, in the days of
David and Asaph, there were directors for the singers and for the
songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
Nehemiah 12:47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and
Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the
singers and gatekeepers. They also set aside daily portions for
the Levites, and the Levites set aside daily portions for the
descendants of Aaron.
Nehemiah 13:1 At that time the Book of Moses was
read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the
passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the
assembly of God,
Nehemiah 13:2 because they had not met the
Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down
a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a
blessing).
Nehemiah 13:3 As soon as the people heard this
law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.
Nehemiah 13:4 Now before this, Eliashib the
priest, a relative of Tobiah, had been put in charge of the
storerooms of the house of our God
Nehemiah 13:5 and had prepared for Tobiah a
large room where they had previously stored the grain offerings,
the frankincense, the temple articles, and the tithes of grain,
new wine, and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers, and
gatekeepers, along with the contributions for the priests.
Nehemiah 13:6 While all this was happening, I
was not in Jerusalem, because I had returned to Artaxerxes king of
Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign. Some time later I
obtained leave from the king
Nehemiah 13:7 to return to Jerusalem. Then I
discovered the evil that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah by
providing him a room in the courts of the house of God.
Nehemiah 13:8 And I was greatly displeased and
threw all of Tobiah’s household goods out of the room.
Nehemiah 13:9 Then I ordered that the rooms be
purified, and I had the articles of the house of God restored to
them, along with the grain offerings and frankincense.
Nehemiah 13:10 I also learned that because the
portions for the Levites had not been given to them, all the
Levites and singers responsible for performing the service had
gone back to their own fields.
Nehemiah 13:11 So I rebuked the officials and
asked, “Why has the house of God been neglected?” Then I gathered
the Levites and singers together and stationed them at their
posts,
Nehemiah 13:12 and all Judah brought a tenth of
the grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms.
Nehemiah 13:13 I appointed as treasurers over
the storerooms Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah
of the Levites, with Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, to
assist them, because they were considered trustworthy. They were
responsible for distributing the supplies to their fellow Levites.
Nehemiah 13:14 Remember me for this, O my God,
and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of
my God and for its services.
Nehemiah 13:15 In those days I saw people in
Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain
and loading it on donkeys, along with wine, grapes, and figs. All
kinds of goods were being brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath
day. So I warned them against selling food on that day.
Nehemiah 13:16 Additionally, men of Tyre who
lived there were importing fish and all kinds of merchandise and
selling them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 13:17 Then I rebuked the nobles of
Judah and asked, “What is this evil you are doing—profaning the
Sabbath day?
Nehemiah 13:18 Did not your forefathers do the
same things, so that our God brought all this disaster on us and
on this city? And now you are rekindling His wrath against Israel
by profaning the Sabbath!”
Nehemiah 13:19 When the evening shadows began to
fall on the gates of Jerusalem, just before the Sabbath, I ordered
that the gates be shut and not opened until after the Sabbath. I
posted some of my servants at the gates so that no load could
enter on the Sabbath day.
Nehemiah 13:20 Once or twice, the merchants and
those who sell all kinds of goods camped outside Jerusalem,
Nehemiah 13:21 but I warned them, “Why are you
camping in front of the wall? If you do it again, I will lay hands
on you.” From that time on, they did not return on the Sabbath.
Nehemiah 13:22 Then I instructed the Levites to
purify themselves and guard the gates in order to keep the Sabbath
day holy. Remember me for this as well, O my God, and show me
mercy according to Your abundant loving devotion.
Nehemiah 13:23 In those days I also saw Jews who
had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
Nehemiah 13:24 Half of their children spoke the
language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak
the language of Judah.
Nehemiah 13:25 I rebuked them and called down
curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their
hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must
not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their
daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!
Nehemiah 13:26 Did not King Solomon of Israel
sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many
nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all
Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.
Nehemiah 13:27 Must we now hear that you too are
doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our
God by marrying foreign women?”
Nehemiah 13:28 Even one of the sons of Jehoiada
son of Eliashib the high priest had become a son-in-law to
Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.
Nehemiah 13:29 Remember them, O my God, because
they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the
priesthood and of the Levites.
Nehemiah 13:30 Thus I purified the priests and
Levites from everything foreign, and I assigned specific duties to
each of the priests and Levites.
Nehemiah 13:31 I also arranged for contributions
of wood at the appointed times, and for the firstfruits. Remember
me, O my God, with favor.
ESTHER
Esther 1:1 This is what happened in the days of
Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
Esther 1:2 In those days King Xerxes sat on his
royal throne in the citadel of Susa.
Esther 1:3 In the third year of his reign,
Xerxes held a feast for all his officials and servants. The
military leaders of Persia and Media were there, along with the
nobles and princes of the provinces.
Esther 1:4 And for a full 180 days he displayed
the glorious riches of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of
his greatness.
Esther 1:5 At the end of this time, in the
garden court of the royal palace, the king held a seven-day feast
for all the people in the citadel of Susa, from the least to the
greatest.
Esther 1:6 Hangings of white and blue linen were
fastened with cords of fine white and purple material to silver
rings on the marble pillars. Gold and silver couches were arranged
on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and
other costly stones.
Esther 1:7 Beverages were served in an array of
goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine
flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty.
Esther 1:8 By order of the king, no limit was
placed on the drinking, and every official of his household was to
serve each man whatever he desired.
Esther 1:9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for
the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.
Esther 1:10 On the seventh day, when the king’s
heart was merry with wine, he ordered the seven eunuchs who served
him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—
Esther 1:11 to bring Queen Vashti before him,
wearing her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and
officials. For she was beautiful to behold.
Esther 1:12 Queen Vashti, however, refused to
come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs. And the king
became furious, and his anger burned within him.
Esther 1:13 Then the king consulted the wise men
who knew the times, for it was customary for him to confer with
the experts in law and justice.
Esther 1:14 His closest advisors were Carshena,
Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven
princes of Persia and Media who had personal access to the king
and ranked highest in the kingdom.
Esther 1:15 “According to law,” he asked, “what
should be done with Queen Vashti, since she refused to obey the
command of King Xerxes delivered by the eunuchs?”
Esther 1:16 And in the presence of the king and
his princes, Memucan replied, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only
the king, but all the princes and the peoples in all the provinces
of King Xerxes.
Esther 1:17 For the conduct of the queen will
become known to all women, causing them to despise their husbands
and say, ‘King Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before
him, but she did not come.’
Esther 1:18 This very day the noble women of
Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say
the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much
contempt and wrath.
Esther 1:19 So if it pleases the king, let him
issue a royal decree, and let it be recorded in the laws of Persia
and Media so that it cannot be repealed, that Vashti shall never
again enter the presence of King Xerxes, and that her royal
position shall be given to a woman better than she.
Esther 1:20 The edict the king issues will be
heard throughout his vast kingdom—and so all women, from the least
to the greatest, will honor their husbands.”
Esther 1:21 The king and his princes were
pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan had advised.
Esther 1:22 He sent letters to all the provinces
of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each
people in their own language, proclaiming that every man should be
master of his own household.
Esther 2:1 Some time later, when the anger of
King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had
done, and what had been decreed against her.
Esther 2:2 Then the king’s attendants proposed,
“Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
Esther 2:3 and let the king appoint
commissioners in each province of his kingdom to assemble all the
beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let
them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in
charge of the women, and let them be given beauty treatments.
Esther 2:4 Then let the young woman who pleases
the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased
the king, and he acted accordingly.
Esther 2:5 Now there was at the citadel of Susa
a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of
Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.
Esther 2:6 He had been carried into exile from
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon among those taken
captive with Jeconiah king of Judah.
Esther 2:7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah
(that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not
have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and
appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had
taken her in as his own daughter.
Esther 2:8 When the king’s command and edict had
been proclaimed, many young women gathered at the citadel of Susa
under the care of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the palace and
placed under the care of Hegai, the custodian of the women.
Esther 2:9 And the young woman pleased him and
obtained his favor, so he quickly provided her with beauty
treatments and the special diet. He assigned to her seven select
maidservants from the palace and transferred her with them to the
best place in the harem.
Esther 2:10 Esther did not reveal her people or
her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.
Esther 2:11 And every day Mordecai would walk
back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn about
Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.
Esther 2:12 In the twelve months before her turn
to go to King Xerxes, the harem regulation required each young
woman to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six
months, and then with perfumes and cosmetics for another six
months.
Esther 2:13 When the young woman would go to the
king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from
the harem to the king’s palace.
Esther 2:14 She would go there in the evening,
and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the
care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the concubines.
She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and
summoned her by name.
Esther 2:15 Now Esther was the daughter of
Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own
daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not
ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in
charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the
eyes of everyone who saw her.
Esther 2:16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the
royal palace in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the
seventh year of his reign.
Esther 2:17 And the king loved Esther more than
all the other women, and she found grace and favor in his sight
more than all of the other virgins. So he placed the royal crown
upon her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.
Esther 2:18 Then the king held a great banquet,
Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and servants. He
proclaimed a tax holiday in the provinces and gave gifts worthy of
the king’s bounty.
Esther 2:19 When the virgins were assembled a
second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.
Esther 2:20 Esther still had not revealed her
lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed
Mordecai’s command, as she had done under his care.
Esther 2:21 In those days, while Mordecai was
sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s
eunuchs who guarded the entrance, grew angry and conspired to
assassinate King Xerxes.
Esther 2:22 When Mordecai learned of the plot,
he reported it to Queen Esther, and she informed the king on
Mordecai’s behalf.
Esther 2:23 After the report had been
investigated and verified, both officials were hanged on the
gallows. And all this was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles
in the presence of the king.
Esther 3:1 After these events, King Xerxes
honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a
position above all the princes who were with him.
Esther 3:2 All the royal servants at the king’s
gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had
commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow
down or pay homage.
Esther 3:3 Then the royal servants at the king’s
gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the command of the king?”
Esther 3:4 Day after day they warned him, but he
would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether
Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he
was a Jew.
Esther 3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would
not bow down or pay him homage, he was filled with rage.
Esther 3:6 And when he learned the identity of
Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on
Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s
people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.
Esther 3:7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes,
in the first month, the month of Nisan, the Pur (that is, the lot)
was cast before Haman to determine a day and month. And the lot
fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
Esther 3:8 Then Haman informed King Xerxes,
“There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the
peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are
different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s
laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.
Esther 3:9 If it pleases the king, let a decree
be issued to destroy them, and I will deposit ten thousand talents
of silver into the royal treasury to pay those who carry it out.”
Esther 3:10 So the king removed the signet ring
from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the
Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
Esther 3:11 “Keep your money,” said the king to
Haman. “These people are given to you to do with them as you
please.”
Esther 3:12 On the thirteenth day of the first
month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written
exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of
each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of
each province and the language of every people. It was written in
the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
Esther 3:13 And the letters were sent by
couriers to each of the royal provinces with the order to destroy,
kill, and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and
children—and to plunder their possessions on a single day, the
thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.
Esther 3:14 A copy of the text of the edict was
to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so
that they would be ready on that day.
Esther 3:15 The couriers left, spurred on by the
king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.
Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa
was in confusion.
Esther 4:1 When Mordecai learned of all that had
happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and
went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.
Esther 4:2 But he went only as far as the king’s
gate, because the law prohibited anyone wearing sackcloth from
entering that gate.
Esther 4:3 In every province to which the king’s
command and edict came, there was great mourning among the Jews.
They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and
ashes.
Esther 4:4 When Esther’s maidens and eunuchs
came and told her about Mordecai, the queen was overcome with
distress. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his
sackcloth, but he would not accept them.
Esther 4:5 Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of
the king’s eunuchs appointed to her, and she dispatched him to
Mordecai to learn what was troubling him and why.
Esther 4:6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in
the city square in front of the king’s gate,
Esther 4:7 and Mordecai told him all that had
happened to him, including the exact amount of money that Haman
had promised to pay into the royal treasury in order to destroy
the Jews.
Esther 4:8 Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of
the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews,
to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king,
implore his favor, and plead before him for her people.
Esther 4:9 So Hathach went back and relayed
Mordecai’s response to Esther.
Esther 4:10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and
instructed him to tell Mordecai,
Esther 4:11 “All the royal officials and the
people of the king’s provinces know that one law applies to every
man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without
being summoned—that he be put to death. Only if the king extends
the gold scepter may that person live. But I have not been
summoned to appear before the king for the past thirty days.”
Esther 4:12 When Esther’s words were relayed to
Mordecai,
Esther 4:13 he sent back to her this reply: “Do
not imagine that because you are in the king’s palace you alone
will escape the fate of all the Jews.
Esther 4:14 For if you remain silent at this
time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another
place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows
if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to
Mordecai:
Esther 4:16 “Go and assemble all the Jews who
can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for
three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast as you
do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against
the law. And if I perish, I perish!”
Esther 4:17 So Mordecai went and did all that
Esther had instructed him.
Esther 5:1 On the third day, Esther put on her
royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace across
from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne
in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance.
Esther 5:2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther
standing in the court, she found favor in his sight. The king
extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she
approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
Esther 5:3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king
inquired. “What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it
will be given to you.”
Esther 5:4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther
replied, “may the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have
prepared for the king.”
Esther 5:5 “Hurry,” commanded the king, “and
bring Haman, so we can do as Esther has requested.” So the king
and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Esther 5:6 And as they drank their wine, the
king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It will be given to
you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be
fulfilled.”
Esther 5:7 Esther replied, “This is my petition
and my request:
Esther 5:8 If I have found favor in the sight of
the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and
fulfill my request, may the king and Haman come tomorrow to the
banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s
question.”
Esther 5:9 That day Haman went out full of joy
and glad of heart. At the king’s gate, however, he saw Mordecai,
who did not rise or tremble in fear at his presence. And Haman was
filled with rage toward Mordecai.
Esther 5:10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained
himself and went home. And calling for his friends and his wife
Zeresh,
Esther 5:11 Haman recounted to them his glorious
wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored and
promoted him over the other officials and servants.
Esther 5:12 “What is more,” Haman added, “Queen
Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she
prepared, and I am invited back tomorrow along with the king.
Esther 5:13 Yet none of this satisfies me as
long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
Esther 5:14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends
told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high, and ask
the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to
the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased
Haman, and he had the gallows constructed.
Esther 6:1 That night sleep escaped the king; so
he ordered the Book of Records, the Chronicles, to be brought in
and read to him.
Esther 6:2 And there it was found recorded that
Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who
guarded the king’s entrance, when they had conspired to
assassinate King Xerxes.
Esther 6:3 The king inquired, “What honor or
dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this act?” “Nothing has
been done for him,” replied the king’s attendants.
Esther 6:4 “Who is in the court?” the king
asked. Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to
ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for
him.
Esther 6:5 So the king’s attendants answered
him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” “Bring him in,”
ordered the king.
Esther 6:6 Haman entered, and the king asked
him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted
to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be
delighted to honor more than me?”
Esther 6:7 And Haman told the king, “For the man
whom the king is delighted to honor,
Esther 6:8 have them bring a royal robe that the
king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has
ridden—one with a royal crest placed on its head.
Esther 6:9 Let the robe and the horse be
entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them array
the man the king wants to honor and parade him on the horse
through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is
done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!’”
Esther 6:10 “Hurry,” said the king to Haman,
“and do just as you proposed. Take the robe and the horse to
Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate. Do not
neglect anything that you have suggested.”
Esther 6:11 So Haman took the robe and the
horse, arrayed Mordecai, and paraded him through the city square,
crying out before him, “This is what is done for the man whom the
king is delighted to honor!”
Esther 6:12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s
gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief.
Esther 6:13 Haman told his wife Zeresh and all
his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his
wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your
downfall has begun, is Jewish, you will not prevail against
him—for surely you will fall before him.”
Esther 6:14 While they were still speaking with
Haman, the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed him to the banquet
that Esther had prepared.
Esther 7:1 So the king and Haman went to dine
with Esther the queen,
Esther 7:2 and as they drank their wine on that
second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your
petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up
to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”
Esther 7:3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have
found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king,
grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my
request.
Esther 7:4 For my people and I have been sold
out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been
sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained
silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the
king.”
Esther 7:5 Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked
Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devise
such a scheme?”
Esther 7:6 Esther replied, “The adversary and
enemy is this wicked man—Haman!” And Haman stood in terror before
the king and queen.
Esther 7:7 In his fury, the king arose from
drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman
stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized
that the king was planning a terrible fate for him.
Esther 7:8 Just as the king returned from the
palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch
where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually
assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words
had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
Esther 7:9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs
attending the king, said: “There is a gallows fifty cubits high at
Haman’s house. He had it built for Mordecai, who gave the report
that saved the king.” “Hang him on it!” declared the king.
Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows
he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.
Esther 8:1 That same day King Xerxes awarded
Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And
Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed
his relation to her.
Esther 8:2 The king removed the signet ring he
had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther
appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.
Esther 8:3 And once again, Esther addressed the
king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the
evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the
Jews.
Esther 8:4 The king extended the gold scepter
toward Esther, and she arose and stood before the king.
Esther 8:5 “If it pleases the king,” she said,
“and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems
proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order
be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of
Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the
king’s provinces.
Esther 8:6 For how could I bear to see the
disaster that would befall my people? How could I bear to see the
destruction of my kindred?”
Esther 8:7 So King Xerxes said to Esther the
Queen and Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Haman’s estate
to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked
the Jews.
Esther 8:8 Now you may write in the king’s name
as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal
signet ring. For a decree that is written in the name of the king
and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”
Esther 8:9 At once the royal scribes were
summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the
month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the
Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127
provinces from India to Cush—writing to each province in its own
script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in
their own script and language.
Esther 8:10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King
Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the
documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the
royal mares.
Esther 8:11 By these letters the king permitted
the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend
themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any
people or province hostile to them, including women and children,
and to plunder their possessions.
Esther 8:12 The single day appointed throughout
all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the
twelfth month, the month of Adar.
Esther 8:13 A copy of the text of the edict was
to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so
that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on
their enemies.
Esther 8:14 The couriers rode out in haste on
their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the
edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.
Esther 8:15 Mordecai went out from the presence
of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold
crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa
shouted and rejoiced.
Esther 8:16 For the Jews it was a time of light
and gladness, of joy and honor.
Esther 8:17 In every province and every city,
wherever the king’s edict and decree reached, there was joy and
gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many
of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear
of the Jews had fallen upon them.
Esther 9:1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth
month, the month of Adar, the king’s command and edict were to be
executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to
overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews
overpowered those who hated them.
Esther 9:2 In each of the provinces of King
Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who
sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear
of them had fallen upon all peoples.
Esther 9:3 And all the officials of the
provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s
administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had
fallen upon them.
Esther 9:4 For Mordecai exercised great power in
the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he
became more and more powerful.
Esther 9:5 The Jews put all their enemies to the
sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased
to those who hated them.
Esther 9:6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews
killed and destroyed five hundred men,
Esther 9:7 including Parshandatha, Dalphon,
Aspatha,
Esther 9:8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
Esther 9:9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and
Vaizatha.
Esther 9:10 They killed these ten sons of Haman
son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a
hand on the plunder.
Esther 9:11 On that day the number of those
killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king,
Esther 9:12 who said to Queen Esther, “In the
citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred
men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest
of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be
given to you. And what further do you request? It will be
fulfilled.”
Esther 9:13 Esther replied, “If it pleases the
king, may the Jews in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s
edict, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the
gallows.”
Esther 9:14 So the king commanded that this be
done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of
Haman.
Esther 9:15 On the fourteenth day of the month
of Adar, the Jews in Susa came together again and put to death
three hundred men there, but they did not lay a hand on the
plunder.
Esther 9:16 The rest of the Jews in the royal
provinces also assembled to defend themselves and rid themselves
of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but they did
not lay a hand on the plunder.
Esther 9:17 This was done on the thirteenth day
of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested,
making it a day of feasting and joy.
Esther 9:18 The Jews in Susa, however, had
assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month.
So they rested on the fifteenth day, making it a day of feasting
and joy.
Esther 9:19 This is why the rural Jews, who live
in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar
as a day of joy and feasting. It is a holiday for sending gifts to
one another.
Esther 9:20 Mordecai recorded these events and
sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes,
both near and far,
Esther 9:21 to establish among them an annual
celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of
Adar
Esther 9:22 as the days on which the Jews gained
rest from their enemies and the month in which their sorrow turned
to joy and their mourning into a holiday. He wrote that these were
to be days of feasting and joy, of sending gifts to one another
and to the poor.
Esther 9:23 So the Jews agreed to continue the
custom they had started, as Mordecai had written to them.
Esther 9:24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the
Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews
to destroy them and had cast the Pur (that is, the lot) to crush
and destroy them.
Esther 9:25 But when it came before the king, he
commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised
against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he
and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
Esther 9:26 Therefore these days are called
Purim, from the word Pur. Because of all the instructions in this
letter, and because of all they had seen and experienced,
Esther 9:27 the Jews bound themselves to
establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who
join them should not fail to celebrate these two days at the
appointed time each and every year, according to their regulation.
Esther 9:28 These days should be remembered and
celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so
that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the
Jews, nor should the memory of them fade from their descendants.
Esther 9:29 So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail,
along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm
this second letter concerning Purim.
Esther 9:30 And Mordecai sent letters with words
of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the
kingdom of Xerxes,
Esther 9:31 in order to confirm these days of
Purim at their appointed time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen
Esther had established them and had committed themselves and their
descendants to the times of fasting and lamentation.
Esther 9:32 So Esther’s decree confirmed these
regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.
Esther 10:1 Now King Xerxes imposed tribute
throughout the land, even to its farthest shores.
Esther 10:2 And all of Mordecai’s powerful and
magnificent accomplishments, together with the full account of the
greatness to which the king had raised him, are they not written
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?
Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was second only
to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews and highly favored by
his many kinsmen, seeking the good of his people and speaking
peace to all his countrymen.
JOB
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose
name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God
and shunning evil.
Job 1:2 He had seven sons and three daughters,
Job 1:3 and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels,
500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of
servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
Job 1:4 Job’s sons would take turns holding
feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters
to eat and drink with them.
Job 1:5 And when the days of feasting were over,
Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in
the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job
thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their
hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
Job 1:6 One day the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
Job 1:7 “Where have you come from?” said the
LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and
walking back and forth in it.”
Job 1:8 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you
considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him,
a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.”
Job 1:9 Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear
God for nothing?
Job 1:10 Have You not placed a hedge on every
side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have
blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased
in the land.
Job 1:11 But stretch out Your hand and strike
all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
Job 1:12 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan.
“Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand
on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the
LORD.
Job 1:13 One day, while Job’s sons and daughters
were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
Job 1:14 a messenger came and reported to Job:
“While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
Job 1:15 the Sabeans swooped down and took them
away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped
to tell you!”
Job 1:16 While he was still speaking, another
messenger came and reported: “The fire of God fell from heaven. It
burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have
escaped to tell you!”
Job 1:17 While he was still speaking, another
messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands,
raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to
the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
Job 1:18 While he was still speaking, another
messenger came and reported: “Your sons and daughters were eating
and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
Job 1:19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in
from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It
collapsed on the young people and they are dead, and I alone have
escaped to tell you!”
Job 1:20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and
shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
Job 1:21 saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s
womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has
taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job 1:22 In all this, Job did not sin or charge
God with wrongdoing.
Job 2:1 On another day the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them
to present himself before Him.
Job 2:2 “Where have you come from?” said the
LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and
walking back and forth in it.”
Job 2:3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you
considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him,
a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.
He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against
him to ruin him without cause.”
Job 2:4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man
will give up all he owns in exchange for his life.
Job 2:5 But stretch out Your hand and strike his
flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
Job 2:6 “Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He
is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”
Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of
the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of
his feet to the crown of his head.
Job 2:8 And Job took a piece of broken pottery
to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.
Job 2:9 Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you
still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
Job 2:10 “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,”
he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not
adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
Job 2:11 Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz
the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard
about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came
from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job
and comfort him.
Job 2:12 When they lifted up their eyes from
afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud,
and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his
head.
Job 2:13 Then they sat on the ground with him
for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him
because they saw how intense his suffering was.
Job 3:1 After this, Job opened his mouth and
cursed the day of his birth.
Job 3:2 And this is what he said:
Job 3:3 “May the day of my birth perish, and the
night it was said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
Job 3:4 If only that day had turned to darkness!
May God above disregard it; may no light shine upon it.
Job 3:5 May darkness and gloom reclaim it, and a
cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.
Job 3:6 If only darkness had taken that night
away! May it not appear among the days of the year; may it never
be entered in any of the months.
Job 3:7 Behold, may that night be barren; may no
joyful voice come into it.
Job 3:8 May it be cursed by those who curse the
day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.
Job 3:9 May its morning stars grow dark; may it
wait in vain for daylight; may it not see the breaking of dawn.
Job 3:10 For that night did not shut the doors
of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
Job 3:11 Why did I not perish at birth; why did
I not die as I came from the womb?
Job 3:12 Why were there knees to receive me, and
breasts that I should be nursed?
Job 3:13 For now I would be lying down in peace;
I would be asleep and at rest
Job 3:14 with kings and counselors of the earth,
who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
Job 3:15 or with princes who had gold, who
filled their houses with silver.
Job 3:16 Or why was I not hidden like a
stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?
Job 3:17 There the wicked cease from raging, and
there the weary find rest.
Job 3:18 The captives enjoy their ease; they do
not hear the voice of the oppressor.
Job 3:19 Both small and great are there, and the
slave is freed from his master.
Job 3:20 Why is light given to the miserable,
and life to the bitter of soul,
Job 3:21 who long for death that does not come,
and search for it like hidden treasure,
Job 3:22 who rejoice and greatly exult when they
can find the grave?
Job 3:23 Why is life given to a man whose way is
hidden, whom God has hedged in?
Job 3:24 I sigh when food is put before me, and
my groans pour out like water.
Job 3:25 For the thing I feared has overtaken
me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
Job 3:26 I am not at ease or quiet; I have no
rest, for trouble has come.”
Job 4:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Job 4:2 “If one ventures a word with you, will
you be wearied? Yet who can keep from speaking?
Job 4:3 Surely you have instructed many, and
have strengthened their feeble hands.
Job 4:4 Your words have steadied those who
stumbled; you have braced the knees that were buckling.
Job 4:5 But now trouble has come upon you, and
you are weary. It strikes you, and you are dismayed.
Job 4:6 Is your reverence not your confidence,
and the uprightness of your ways your hope?
Job 4:7 Consider now, I plead: Who, being
innocent, has ever perished? Or where have the upright been
destroyed?
Job 4:8 As I have observed, those who plow
iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.
Job 4:9 By the breath of God they perish, and by
the blast of His anger they are consumed.
Job 4:10 The lion may roar, and the fierce lion
may growl, yet the teeth of the young lions are broken.
Job 4:11 The old lion perishes for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
Job 4:12 Now a word came to me secretly; my ears
caught a whisper of it.
Job 4:13 In disquieting visions in the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
Job 4:14 fear and trembling came over me and
made all my bones shudder.
Job 4:15 Then a spirit glided past my face, and
the hair on my body bristled.
Job 4:16 It stood still, but I could not discern
its appearance; a form loomed before my eyes, and I heard a
whispering voice:
Job 4:17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than
God, or a man more pure than his Maker?
Job 4:18 If God puts no trust in His servants,
and He charges His angels with error,
Job 4:19 how much more those who dwell in houses
of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed
like a moth!
Job 4:20 They are smashed to pieces from dawn to
dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.
Job 4:21 Are not their tent cords pulled up, so
that they die without wisdom?’
Job 5:1 “Call out if you please, but who will
answer? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
Job 5:2 For resentment kills a fool, and envy
slays the simple.
Job 5:3 I have seen a fool taking root, but
suddenly his house was cursed.
Job 5:4 His sons are far from safety, crushed in
court without a defender.
Job 5:5 The hungry consume his harvest, taking
it even from the thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
Job 5:6 For distress does not spring from the
dust, and trouble does not sprout from the ground.
Job 5:7 Yet man is born to trouble as surely as
sparks fly upward.
Job 5:8 However, if I were you, I would appeal
to God and lay my cause before Him—
Job 5:9 the One who does great and unsearchable
things, wonders without number.
Job 5:10 He gives rain to the earth and sends
water upon the fields.
Job 5:11 He sets the lowly on high, so that
mourners are lifted to safety.
Job 5:12 He thwarts the schemes of the crafty,
so that their hands find no success.
Job 5:13 He catches the wise in their
craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
Job 5:14 They encounter darkness by day and
grope at noon as in the night.
Job 5:15 He saves the needy from the sword in
their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.
Job 5:16 So the poor have hope, and injustice
shuts its mouth.
Job 5:17 Blessed indeed is the man whom God
corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
Job 5:18 For He wounds, but He also binds; He
strikes, but His hands also heal.
Job 5:19 He will rescue you from six calamities;
no harm will touch you in seven.
Job 5:20 In famine He will redeem you from
death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword.
Job 5:21 You will be hidden from the scourge of
the tongue, and will not fear havoc when it comes.
Job 5:22 You will laugh at destruction and
famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
Job 5:23 For you will have a covenant with the
stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with
you.
Job 5:24 You will know that your tent is secure,
and find nothing amiss when inspecting your home.
Job 5:25 You will know that your offspring will
be many, your descendants like the grass of the earth.
Job 5:26 You will come to the grave in full
vigor, like a sheaf of grain gathered in season.
Job 5:27 Indeed, we have investigated, and it is
true! So hear it and know for yourself.”
Job 6:1 Then Job replied:
Job 6:2 “If only my grief could be weighed and
placed with my calamity on the scales.
Job 6:3 For then it would outweigh the sand of
the seas—no wonder my words have been rash.
Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty have
pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God
are arrayed against me.
Job 6:5 Does a wild donkey bray over fresh
grass, or an ox low over its fodder?
Job 6:6 Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or
is there flavor in the white of an egg?
Job 6:7 My soul refuses to touch them; they are
loathsome food to me.
Job 6:8 If only my request were granted and God
would fulfill my hope:
Job 6:9 that God would be willing to crush me,
to unleash His hand and cut me off!
Job 6:10 It still brings me comfort, and joy
through unrelenting pain, that I have not denied the words of the
Holy One.
Job 6:11 What strength do I have, that I should
still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient?
Job 6:12 Is my strength like that of stone, or
my flesh made of bronze?
Job 6:13 Is there any help within me now that
success is driven from me?
Job 6:14 A despairing man should have the
kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the
Almighty.
Job 6:15 But my brothers are as faithless as
wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow,
Job 6:16 darkened because of the ice and the
inflow of melting snow,
Job 6:17 but ceasing in the dry season and
vanishing from their channels in the heat.
Job 6:18 Caravans turn aside from their routes;
they go into the wasteland and perish.
Job 6:19 The caravans of Tema look for water;
the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.
Job 6:20 They are confounded because they had
hoped; their arrival brings disappointment.
Job 6:21 For now you are of no help; you see
terror, and you are afraid.
Job 6:22 Have I ever said, ‘Give me something;
offer me a bribe from your wealth;
Job 6:23 deliver me from the hand of the enemy;
redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless’?
Job 6:24 Teach me, and I will be silent. Help me
understand how I have erred.
Job 6:25 How painful are honest words! But what
does your argument prove?
Job 6:26 Do you intend to correct my words, and
treat as wind my cry of despair?
Job 6:27 You would even cast lots for an orphan
and barter away your friend.
Job 6:28 But now, please look at me. Would I lie
to your face?
Job 6:29 Reconsider; do not be unjust.
Reconsider, for my righteousness is at stake.
Job 6:30 Is there iniquity on my tongue? Can my
mouth not discern malice?
Job 7:1 “Is not man consigned to labor on earth?
Are not his days like those of a hired hand?
Job 7:2 Like a slave he longs for shade; like a
hireling he waits for his wages.
Job 7:3 So I am allotted months of futility, and
nights of misery are appointed me.
Job 7:4 When I lie down I think: ‘When will I
get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.
Job 7:5 My flesh is clothed with worms and
encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.
Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s
shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
Job 7:7 Remember that my life is but a breath.
My eyes will never again see happiness.
Job 7:8 The eye that beholds me will no longer
see me. You will look for me, but I will be no more.
Job 7:9 As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he
who goes down to Sheol does not come back up.
Job 7:10 He never returns to his house; his
place remembers him no more.
Job 7:11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the
bitterness of my soul.
Job 7:12 Am I the sea, or the monster of the
deep, that You must keep me under guard?
Job 7:13 When I think my bed will comfort me and
my couch will ease my complaint,
Job 7:14 then You frighten me with dreams and
terrify me with visions,
Job 7:15 so that I would prefer strangling and
death over my life in this body.
Job 7:16 I loathe my life! I would not live
forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
Job 7:17 What is man that You should exalt him,
that You should set Your heart upon him,
Job 7:18 that You attend to him every morning,
and test him every moment?
Job 7:19 Will You never look away from me, or
leave me alone to swallow my spittle?
Job 7:20 If I have sinned, what have I done to
You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so
that I am a burden to You?
Job 7:21 Why do You not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity? For soon I will lie down in the dust;
You will seek me, but I will be no more.”
Job 8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
Job 8:2 “How long will you go on saying such
things? The words of your mouth are a blustering wind.
Job 8:3 Does God pervert justice? Does the
Almighty pervert what is right?
Job 8:4 When your children sinned against Him,
He gave them over to their rebellion.
Job 8:5 But if you would earnestly seek God and
ask the Almighty for mercy,
Job 8:6 if you are pure and upright, even now He
will rouse Himself on your behalf and restore your righteous
estate.
Job 8:7 Though your beginnings were modest, your
latter days will flourish.
Job 8:8 Please inquire of past generations and
consider the discoveries of their fathers.
Job 8:9 For we were born yesterday and know
nothing; our days on earth are but a shadow.
Job 8:10 Will they not teach you and tell you,
and speak from their understanding?
Job 8:11 Does papyrus grow where there is no
marsh? Do reeds flourish without water?
Job 8:12 While the shoots are still uncut, they
dry up quicker than grass.
Job 8:13 Such is the destiny of all who forget
God; so the hope of the godless will perish.
Job 8:14 His confidence is fragile; his security
is in a spider’s web.
Job 8:15 He leans on his web, but it gives way;
he holds fast, but it does not endure.
Job 8:16 He is a well-watered plant in the
sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden.
Job 8:17 His roots wrap around the rock heap; he
looks for a home among the stones.
Job 8:18 If he is uprooted from his place, it
will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
Job 8:19 Surely this is the joy of his way; yet
others will spring from the dust.
Job 8:20 Behold, God does not reject the
blameless, nor will He strengthen the hand of evildoers.
Job 8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with
laughter, and your lips with a shout of joy.
Job 8:22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Job 9:1 Then Job answered:
Job 9:2 “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can
a mortal be righteous before God?
Job 9:3 If one wished to contend with God, he
could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
Job 9:4 God is wise in heart and mighty in
strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?
Job 9:5 He moves mountains without their
knowledge and overturns them in His anger.
Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place, so
that its foundations tremble.
Job 9:7 He commands the sun not to shine; He
seals off the stars.
Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and
treads on the waves of the sea.
Job 9:9 He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion,
of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
Job 9:10 He does great things beyond searching
out, and wonders without number.
Job 9:11 Were He to pass by me, I would not see
Him; were He to move, I would not recognize Him.
Job 9:12 If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who
dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
Job 9:13 God does not restrain His anger; the
helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him.
Job 9:14 How then can I answer Him or choose my
arguments against Him?
Job 9:15 For even if I were right, I could not
answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
Job 9:16 If I summoned Him and He answered me, I
do not believe He would listen to my voice.
Job 9:17 For He would crush me with a tempest
and multiply my wounds without cause.
Job 9:18 He does not let me catch my breath, but
overwhelms me with bitterness.
Job 9:19 If it is a matter of strength, He is
indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
Job 9:20 Even if I were righteous, my mouth
would condemn me; if I were blameless, it would declare me guilty.
Job 9:21 Though I am blameless, I have no
concern for myself; I despise my own life.
Job 9:22 It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He
destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
Job 9:23 When the scourge brings sudden death,
He mocks the despair of the innocent.
Job 9:24 The earth is given into the hand of the
wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it?
Job 9:25 My days are swifter than a runner; they
flee without seeing good.
Job 9:26 They sweep by like boats of papyrus,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
Job 9:27 If I were to say, ‘I will forget my
complaint and change my expression and smile,’
Job 9:28 I would still dread all my sufferings;
I know that You will not acquit me.
Job 9:29 Since I am already found guilty, why
should I labor in vain?
Job 9:30 If I should wash myself with snow and
cleanse my hands with lye,
Job 9:31 then You would plunge me into the pit,
and even my own clothes would despise me.
Job 9:32 For He is not a man like me, that I can
answer Him, that we can take each other to court.
Job 9:33 Nor is there a mediator between us, to
lay his hand upon us both.
Job 9:34 Let Him remove His rod from me, so that
His terror will no longer frighten me.
Job 9:35 Then I would speak without fear of Him.
But as it is, I am on my own.
Job 10:1 “I loathe my own life; I will express
my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Job 10:2 I will say to God: Do not condemn me!
Let me know why You prosecute me.
Job 10:3 Does it please You to oppress me, to
reject the work of Your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked?
Job 10:4 Do You have eyes of flesh? Do You see
as man sees?
Job 10:5 Are Your days like those of a mortal,
or Your years like those of a man,
Job 10:6 that You should seek my iniquity and
search out my sin—
Job 10:7 though You know that I am not guilty,
and there is no deliverance from Your hand?
Job 10:8 Your hands shaped me and altogether
formed me. Would You now turn and destroy me?
Job 10:9 Please remember that You molded me like
clay. Would You now return me to dust?
Job 10:10 Did You not pour me out like milk, and
curdle me like cheese?
Job 10:11 You clothed me with skin and flesh,
and knit me together with bones and sinews.
Job 10:12 You have granted me life and loving
devotion, and Your care has preserved my spirit.
Job 10:13 Yet You concealed these things in Your
heart, and I know that this was in Your mind:
Job 10:14 If I sinned, You would take note, and
would not acquit me of my iniquity.
Job 10:15 If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if
I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and
aware of my affliction.
Job 10:16 Should I hold my head high, You would
hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me.
Job 10:17 You produce new witnesses against me
and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me in wave
after wave.
Job 10:18 Why then did You bring me from the
womb? Oh, that I had died, and no eye had seen me!
Job 10:19 If only I had never come to be, but
had been carried from the womb to the grave.
Job 10:20 Are my days not few? Withdraw from me,
that I may have a little comfort,
Job 10:21 before I go—never to return—to a land
of darkness and gloom,
Job 10:22 to a land of utter darkness, of deep
shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”
Job 11:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
Job 11:2 “Should this stream of words go
unanswered and such a speaker be vindicated?
Job 11:3 Should your babbling put others to
silence? Will you scoff without rebuke?
Job 11:4 You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound,
and I am pure in Your sight.’
Job 11:5 But if only God would speak and open
His lips against you,
Job 11:6 and disclose to you the secrets of
wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts
from you less than your iniquity deserves.
Job 11:7 Can you fathom the deep things of God
or discover the limits of the Almighty?
Job 11:8 They are higher than the heavens—what
can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Job 11:9 Their measure is longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
Job 11:10 If He comes along to imprison you, or
convenes a court, who can stop Him?
Job 11:11 Surely He knows the deceit of men. If
He sees iniquity, does He not take note?
Job 11:12 But a witless man can no more become
wise than the colt of a wild donkey can be born a man!
Job 11:13 As for you, if you direct your heart
and lift up your hands to Him,
Job 11:14 if you put away the iniquity in your
hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents,
Job 11:15 then indeed you will lift up your face
without shame; you will stand firm and unafraid.
Job 11:16 For you will forget your misery,
recalling it only as waters gone by.
Job 11:17 Your life will be brighter than
noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
Job 11:18 You will be secure, because there is
hope, and you will look around and lie down in safety.
Job 11:19 You will lie down without fear, and
many will court your favor.
Job 11:20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail,
and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”
Job 12:1 Then Job answered:
Job 12:2 “Truly then you are the people with
whom wisdom itself will die!
Job 12:3 But I also have a mind; I am not
inferior to you. Who does not know such things as these?
Job 12:4 I am a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright
man is a laughingstock.
Job 12:5 The one at ease scorns misfortune as
the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
Job 12:6 The tents of robbers are safe, and
those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in
their hands.
Job 12:7 But ask the animals, and they will
instruct you; ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.
Job 12:8 Or speak to the earth, and it will
teach you; let the fish of the sea inform you.
Job 12:9 Which of all these does not know that
the hand of the LORD has done this?
Job 12:10 The life of every living thing is in
His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.
Job 12:11 Does not the ear test words as the
tongue tastes its food?
Job 12:12 Wisdom is found with the elderly, and
understanding comes with long life.
Job 12:13 Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are His.
Job 12:14 What He tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man He imprisons cannot be released.
Job 12:15 If He holds back the waters, they dry
up, and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.
Job 12:16 True wisdom and power belong to Him.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
Job 12:17 He leads counselors away barefoot and
makes fools of judges.
Job 12:18 He loosens the bonds placed by kings
and fastens a belt around their waists.
Job 12:19 He leads priests away barefoot and
overthrows the established.
Job 12:20 He deprives the trusted of speech and
takes away the discernment of elders.
Job 12:21 He pours out contempt on nobles and
disarms the mighty.
Job 12:22 He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into light.
Job 12:23 He makes nations great and destroys
them; He enlarges nations, then disperses them.
Job 12:24 He deprives the earth’s leaders of
reason and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
Job 12:25 They grope in the darkness without
light; He makes them stagger like drunkards.
Job 13:1 “Indeed, my eyes have seen all this; my
ears have heard and understood.
Job 13:2 What you know, I also know; I am not
inferior to you.
Job 13:3 Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty
and argue my case before God.
Job 13:4 You, however, smear with lies; you are
all worthless physicians.
Job 13:5 If only you would remain silent; for
that would be your wisdom!
Job 13:6 Hear now my argument, and listen to the
plea of my lips.
Job 13:7 Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf
or speak deceitfully for Him?
Job 13:8 Would you show Him partiality or argue
in His defense?
Job 13:9 Would it be well when He examined you?
Could you deceive Him like a man?
Job 13:10 Surely He would rebuke you if you
secretly showed partiality.
Job 13:11 Would His majesty not terrify you?
Would the dread of Him not fall upon you?
Job 13:12 Your maxims are proverbs of ashes;
your defenses are defenses of clay.
Job 13:13 Be silent, and I will speak. Then let
come to me what may.
Job 13:14 Why do I put myself at risk and take
my life in my own hands?
Job 13:15 Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.
I will still defend my ways to His face.
Job 13:16 Moreover, this will be my salvation,
for no godless man can appear before Him.
Job 13:17 Listen carefully to my words; let my
declaration ring in your ears.
Job 13:18 Behold, now that I have prepared my
case, I know that I will be vindicated.
Job 13:19 Can anyone indict me? If so, I will be
silent and die.
Job 13:20 Only grant these two things to me, so
that I need not hide from You:
Job 13:21 Withdraw Your hand from me, and do not
let Your terror frighten me.
Job 13:22 Then call me, and I will answer, or
let me speak, and You can reply.
Job 13:23 How many are my iniquities and sins?
Reveal to me my transgression and sin.
Job 13:24 Why do You hide Your face and consider
me as Your enemy?
Job 13:25 Would You frighten a windblown leaf?
Would You chase after dry chaff?
Job 13:26 For You record bitter accusations
against me and bequeath to me the iniquities of my youth.
Job 13:27 You put my feet in the stocks and
stand watch over all my paths; You set a limit for the soles of my
feet.
Job 13:28 So man wastes away like something
rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.
Job 14:1 “Man, who is born of woman, is short of
days and full of trouble.
Job 14:2 Like a flower, he comes forth, then
withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
Job 14:3 Do You open Your eyes to one like this?
Will You bring him into judgment before You?
Job 14:4 Who can bring out clean from unclean?
No one!
Job 14:5 Since his days are determined and the
number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits
that he cannot exceed,
Job 14:6 look away from him and let him rest, so
he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.
Job 14:7 For there is hope for a tree: If it is
cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not
fail.
Job 14:8 If its roots grow old in the ground and
its stump dies in the soil,
Job 14:9 at the scent of water it will bud and
put forth twigs like a sapling.
Job 14:10 But a man dies and is laid low; he
breathes his last, and where is he?
Job 14:11 As water disappears from the sea and a
river becomes parched and dry,
Job 14:12 so a man lies down and does not rise.
Until the heavens are no more, he will not be awakened or roused
from sleep.
Job 14:13 If only You would hide me in Sheol and
conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint
a time for me and then remember me!
Job 14:14 When a man dies, will he live again?
All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal
comes.
Job 14:15 You will call, and I will answer; You
will desire the work of Your hands.
Job 14:16 For then You would count my steps, but
would not keep track of my sin.
Job 14:17 My transgression would be sealed in a
bag, and You would cover over my iniquity.
Job 14:18 But as a mountain erodes and crumbles
and a rock is dislodged from its place,
Job 14:19 as water wears away the stones and
torrents wash away the soil, so You destroy a man’s hope.
Job 14:20 You forever overpower him, and he
passes on; You change his countenance and send him away.
Job 14:21 If his sons receive honor, he does not
know it; if they are brought low, he is unaware.
Job 14:22 He feels only the pain of his own body
and mourns only for himself.”
Job 15:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Job 15:2 “Does a wise man answer with empty
counsel or fill his belly with the hot east wind?
Job 15:3 Should he argue with useless words or
speeches that serve no purpose?
Job 15:4 But you even undermine the fear of God
and hinder meditation before Him.
Job 15:5 For your iniquity instructs your mouth,
and you choose the language of the crafty.
Job 15:6 Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you;
your own lips testify against you.
Job 15:7 Were you the first man ever born? Were
you brought forth before the hills?
Job 15:8 Do you listen in on the council of God
or limit wisdom to yourself?
Job 15:9 What do you know that we do not? What
do you understand that is not clear to us?
Job 15:10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are
on our side—men much older than your father.
Job 15:11 Are the consolations of God not enough
for you, even words spoken gently to you?
Job 15:12 Why has your heart carried you away,
and why do your eyes flash,
Job 15:13 as you turn your spirit against God
and pour such words from your mouth?
Job 15:14 What is man, that he should be pure,
or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 15:15 If God puts no trust in His holy ones,
if even the heavens are not pure in His eyes,
Job 15:16 how much less man, who is vile and
corrupt, who drinks injustice like water?
Job 15:17 Listen to me and I will inform you. I
will describe what I have seen,
Job 15:18 what was declared by wise men and was
not concealed from their fathers,
Job 15:19 to whom alone the land was given when
no foreigner passed among them.
Job 15:20 A wicked man writhes in pain all his
days; only a few years are reserved for the ruthless.
Job 15:21 Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his
prosperity the destroyer attacks him.
Job 15:22 He despairs of his return from
darkness; he is marked for the sword.
Job 15:23 He wanders about as food for vultures;
he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
Job 15:24 Distress and anguish terrify him,
overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.
Job 15:25 For he has stretched out his hand
against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,
Job 15:26 rushing headlong at Him with a thick,
studded shield.
Job 15:27 Though his face is covered with fat
and his waistline bulges with flesh,
Job 15:28 he will dwell in ruined cities, in
abandoned houses destined to become rubble.
Job 15:29 He will no longer be rich; his wealth
will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.
Job 15:30 He will not escape from the darkness;
the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth
will carry him away.
Job 15:31 Let him not deceive himself with trust
in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.
Job 15:32 It will be paid in full before his
time, and his branch will not flourish.
Job 15:33 He will be like a vine stripped of its
unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.
Job 15:34 For the company of the godless will be
barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
Job 15:35 They conceive trouble and give birth
to evil; their womb is pregnant with deceit.”
Job 16:1 Then Job answered:
Job 16:2 “I have heard many things like these;
miserable comforters are you all.
Job 16:3 Is there no end to your long-winded
speeches? What provokes you to continue testifying?
Job 16:4 I could also speak like you if you were
in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head
at you.
Job 16:5 But I would encourage you with my
mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.
Job 16:6 Even if I speak, my pain is not
relieved, and if I hold back, how will it go away?
Job 16:7 Surely He has now exhausted me; You
have devastated all my family.
Job 16:8 You have bound me, and it has become a
witness; my frailty rises up and testifies against me.
Job 16:9 His anger has torn me and opposed me;
He gnashes His teeth at me. My adversary pierces me with His eyes.
Job 16:10 They open their mouths against me and
strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.
Job 16:11 God has delivered me to unjust men; He
has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked.
Job 16:12 I was at ease, but He shattered me; He
seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His
target;
Job 16:13 His archers surround me. He pierces my
kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground.
Job 16:14 He breaks me with wound upon wound; He
rushes me like a mighty warrior.
Job 16:15 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I
have buried my horn in the dust.
Job 16:16 My face is red with weeping, and deep
shadows ring my eyes;
Job 16:17 yet my hands are free of violence and
my prayer is pure.
Job 16:18 O earth, do not cover my blood; may my
cry for help never be laid to rest.
Job 16:19 Even now my witness is in heaven, and
my advocate is on high.
Job 16:20 My friends are my scoffers as my eyes
pour out tears to God.
Job 16:21 Oh, that a man might plead with God as
he pleads with his neighbor!
Job 16:22 For when only a few years are past I
will go the way of no return.
Job 17:1 “My spirit is broken; my days are
extinguished; the grave awaits me.
Job 17:2 Surely mockers surround me, and my eyes
must gaze at their rebellion.
Job 17:3 Give me, I pray, the pledge You demand.
Who else will be my guarantor?
Job 17:4 You have closed their minds to
understanding; therefore You will not exalt them.
Job 17:5 If a man denounces his friends for a
price, the eyes of his children will fail.
Job 17:6 He has made me a byword among the
people, a man in whose face they spit.
Job 17:7 My eyes have grown dim with grief, and
my whole body is but a shadow.
Job 17:8 The upright are appalled at this, and
the innocent are stirred against the godless.
Job 17:9 Yet a righteous one holds to his way,
and the one with clean hands grows stronger.
Job 17:10 But come back and try again, all of
you. For I will not find a wise man among you.
Job 17:11 My days have passed; my plans are
broken off—even the desires of my heart.
Job 17:12 They have turned night into day,
making light seem near in the face of darkness.
Job 17:13 If I look for Sheol as my home, if I
spread out my bed in darkness,
Job 17:14 and say to corruption, ‘You are my
father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
Job 17:15 where then is my hope? Who can see any
hope for me?
Job 17:16 Will it go down to the gates of Sheol?
Will we go down together into the dust?”
Job 18:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
Job 18:2 “How long until you end these speeches?
Show some sense, and then we can talk.
Job 18:3 Why are we regarded as cattle, as
stupid in your sight?
Job 18:4 You who tear yourself in anger—should
the earth be forsaken on your account, or the rocks be moved from
their place?
Job 18:5 Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is
extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.
Job 18:6 The light in his tent grows dark, and
the lamp beside him goes out.
Job 18:7 His vigorous stride is shortened, and
his own schemes trip him up.
Job 18:8 For his own feet lead him into a net,
and he wanders into its mesh.
Job 18:9 A trap seizes his heel; a snare grips
him.
Job 18:10 A noose is hidden in the ground, and a
trap lies in his path.
Job 18:11 Terrors frighten him on every side and
harass his every step.
Job 18:12 His strength is depleted, and calamity
is ready at his side.
Job 18:13 It devours patches of his skin; the
firstborn of death devours his limbs.
Job 18:14 He is torn from the shelter of his
tent and is marched off to the king of terrors.
Job 18:15 Fire resides in his tent; burning
sulfur rains down on his dwelling.
Job 18:16 The roots beneath him dry up, and the
branches above him wither away.
Job 18:17 The memory of him perishes from the
earth, and he has no name in the land.
Job 18:18 He is driven from light into darkness
and is chased from the inhabited world.
Job 18:19 He has no offspring or posterity among
his people, no survivor where he once lived.
Job 18:20 Those in the west are appalled at his
fate, while those in the east tremble in horror.
Job 18:21 Surely such is the dwelling of the
wicked and the place of one who does not know God.”
Job 19:1 Then Job answered:
Job 19:2 “How long will you torment me and crush
me with your words?
Job 19:3 Ten times now you have reproached me;
you shamelessly mistreat me.
Job 19:4 Even if I have truly gone astray, my
error concerns me alone.
Job 19:5 If indeed you would exalt yourselves
above me and use my disgrace against me,
Job 19:6 then understand that it is God who has
wronged me and drawn His net around me.
Job 19:7 Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no
response; though I call for help, there is no justice.
Job 19:8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass;
He has veiled my paths with darkness.
Job 19:9 He has stripped me of my honor and
removed the crown from my head.
Job 19:10 He tears me down on every side until I
am gone; He uproots my hope like a tree.
Job 19:11 His anger burns against me, and He
counts me among His enemies.
Job 19:12 His troops advance together; they
construct a ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
Job 19:13 He has removed my brothers from me; my
acquaintances have abandoned me.
Job 19:14 My kinsmen have failed me, and my
friends have forgotten me.
Job 19:15 My guests and maidservants count me as
a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight.
Job 19:16 I call for my servant, but he does not
answer, though I implore him with my own mouth.
Job 19:17 My breath is repulsive to my wife, and
I am loathsome to my own family.
Job 19:18 Even little boys scorn me; when I
appear, they deride me.
Job 19:19 All my best friends despise me, and
those I love have turned against me.
Job 19:20 My skin and flesh cling to my bones; I
have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:21 Have pity on me, my friends, have
pity, for the hand of God has struck me.
Job 19:22 Why do you persecute me as God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
Job 19:23 I wish that my words were recorded and
inscribed in a book,
Job 19:24 by an iron stylus on lead, or chiseled
in stone forever.
Job 19:25 But I know that my Redeemer lives, and
in the end He will stand upon the earth.
Job 19:26 Even after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God.
Job 19:27 I will see Him for myself; my eyes
will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within
me!
Job 19:28 If you say, ‘Let us persecute him,
since the root of the matter lies with him,’
Job 19:29 then you should fear the sword
yourselves, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that
you may know there is a judgment.”
Job 20:1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
Job 20:2 “So my anxious thoughts compel me to
answer, because of the turmoil within me.
Job 20:3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me,
and my understanding prompts a reply.
Job 20:4 Do you not know that from antiquity,
since man was placed on the earth,
Job 20:5 the triumph of the wicked has been
brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
Job 20:6 Though his arrogance reaches the
heavens, and his head touches the clouds,
Job 20:7 he will perish forever, like his own
dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
Job 20:8 He will fly away like a dream, never to
be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.
Job 20:9 The eye that saw him will see him no
more, and his place will no longer behold him.
Job 20:10 His sons will seek the favor of the
poor, for his own hands must return his wealth.
Job 20:11 The youthful vigor that fills his
bones will lie down with him in the dust.
Job 20:12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth and
he conceals it under his tongue,
Job 20:13 though he cannot bear to let it go and
keeps it in his mouth,
Job 20:14 yet in his stomach his food sours into
the venom of cobras within him.
Job 20:15 He swallows wealth but vomits it out;
God will force it from his stomach.
Job 20:16 He will suck the poison of cobras; the
fangs of a viper will kill him.
Job 20:17 He will not enjoy the streams, the
rivers flowing with honey and cream.
Job 20:18 He must return the fruit of his labor
without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.
Job 20:19 For he has oppressed and forsaken the
poor; he has seized houses he did not build.
Job 20:20 Because his appetite is never
satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure.
Job 20:21 Nothing is left for him to consume;
thus his prosperity will not endure.
Job 20:22 In the midst of his plenty, he will be
distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.
Job 20:23 When he has filled his stomach, God
will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.
Job 20:24 Though he flees from an iron weapon, a
bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.
Job 20:25 It is drawn out of his back, the
gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.
Job 20:26 Total darkness is reserved for his
treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is
left in his tent.
Job 20:27 The heavens will expose his iniquity,
and the earth will rise up against him.
Job 20:28 The possessions of his house will be
removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.
Job 20:29 This is the wicked man’s portion from
God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”
Job 21:1 Then Job answered:
Job 21:2 “Listen carefully to my words; let this
be your consolation to me.
Job 21:3 Bear with me while I speak; then, after
I have spoken, you may go on mocking.
Job 21:4 Is my complaint against a man? Then why
should I not be impatient?
Job 21:5 Look at me and be appalled; put your
hand over your mouth.
Job 21:6 When I remember, terror takes hold, and
my body trembles in horror.
Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live on, growing old
and increasing in power?
Job 21:8 Their descendants are established
around them, and their offspring before their eyes.
Job 21:9 Their homes are safe from fear; no rod
of punishment from God is upon them.
Job 21:10 Their bulls breed without fail; their
cows bear calves and do not miscarry.
Job 21:11 They send forth their little ones like
a flock; their children skip about,
Job 21:12 singing to the tambourine and lyre and
making merry at the sound of the flute.
Job 21:13 They spend their days in prosperity
and go down to Sheol in peace.
Job 21:14 Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone!
For we have no desire to know Your ways.
Job 21:15 Who is the Almighty, that we should
serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’
Job 21:16 Still, their prosperity is not in
their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
Job 21:17 How often is the lamp of the wicked
put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger,
apportion destruction?
Job 21:18 Are they like straw before the wind,
like chaff swept away by a storm?
Job 21:19 It is said that God lays up one’s
punishment for his children. Let God repay the man himself, so he
will know it.
Job 21:20 Let his eyes see his own destruction;
let him drink for himself the wrath of the Almighty.
Job 21:21 For what does he care about his
household after him, when the number of his months has run out?
Job 21:22 Can anyone teach knowledge to God,
since He judges those on high?
Job 21:23 One man dies full of vigor, completely
secure and at ease.
Job 21:24 His body is well nourished, and his
bones are rich with marrow.
Job 21:25 Yet another man dies in the bitterness
of his soul, having never tasted prosperity.
Job 21:26 But together they lie down in the
dust, and worms cover them both.
Job 21:27 Behold, I know your thoughts full
well, the schemes by which you would wrong me.
Job 21:28 For you say, ‘Where now is the
nobleman’s house, and where are the tents in which the wicked
dwell?’
Job 21:29 Have you never asked those who travel
the roads? Do you not accept their reports?
Job 21:30 Indeed, the evil man is spared from
the day of calamity, delivered from the day of wrath.
Job 21:31 Who denounces his behavior to his
face? Who repays him for what he has done?
Job 21:32 He is carried to the grave, and watch
is kept over his tomb.
Job 21:33 The clods of the valley are sweet to
him; everyone follows behind him, and those before him are without
number.
Job 21:34 So how can you comfort me with empty
words? For your answers remain full of falsehood.”
Job 22:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Job 22:2 “Can a man be of use to God? Can even a
wise man benefit Him?
Job 22:3 Does it delight the Almighty that you
are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?
Job 22:4 Is it for your reverence that He
rebukes you and enters into judgment against you?
Job 22:5 Is not your wickedness great? Are not
your iniquities endless?
Job 22:6 For you needlessly demanded security
from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.
Job 22:7 You gave no water to the weary and
withheld food from the famished,
Job 22:8 while the land belonged to a mighty
man, and a man of honor lived on it.
Job 22:9 You sent widows away empty-handed, and
the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
Job 22:10 Therefore snares surround you, and
sudden peril terrifies you;
Job 22:11 it is so dark you cannot see, and a
flood of water covers you.
Job 22:12 Is not God as high as the heavens?
Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!
Job 22:13 Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does
He judge through thick darkness?
Job 22:14 Thick clouds veil Him so He does not
see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
Job 22:15 Will you stay on the ancient path that
wicked men have trod?
Job 22:16 They were snatched away before their
time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.
Job 22:17 They said to God, ‘Depart from us.
What can the Almighty do to us?’
Job 22:18 But it was He who filled their houses
with good things; so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
Job 22:19 The righteous see it and are glad; the
innocent mock them:
Job 22:20 ‘Surely our foes are destroyed, and
fire has consumed their excess.’
Job 22:21 Reconcile now and be at peace with
Him; thereby good will come to you.
Job 22:22 Receive instruction from His mouth,
and lay up His words in your heart.
Job 22:23 If you return to the Almighty, you
will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents
Job 22:24 and consign your gold to the dust and
the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,
Job 22:25 then the Almighty will be your gold
and the finest silver for you.
Job 22:26 Surely then you will delight in the
Almighty and lift up your face to God.
Job 22:27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear
you, and you will fulfill your vows.
Job 22:28 Your decisions will be carried out,
and light will shine on your ways.
Job 22:29 When men are brought low and you say,
‘Lift them up!’ then He will save the lowly.
Job 22:30 He will deliver even one who is not
innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
Job 23:1 Then Job answered:
Job 23:2 “Even today my complaint is bitter. His
hand is heavy despite my groaning.
Job 23:3 If only I knew where to find Him, so
that I could go to His seat.
Job 23:4 I would plead my case before Him and
fill my mouth with arguments.
Job 23:5 I would learn how He would answer, and
consider what He would say.
Job 23:6 Would He contend with me in His great
power? No, He would certainly take note of me.
Job 23:7 Then an upright man could reason with
Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
Job 23:8 If I go east, He is not there, and if I
go west, I cannot find Him.
Job 23:9 When He is at work in the north, I
cannot behold Him; when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him.
Job 23:10 Yet He knows the way I have taken;
when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
Job 23:11 My feet have followed in His tracks; I
have kept His way without turning aside.
Job 23:12 I have not departed from the command
of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my
daily bread.
Job 23:13 But He is unchangeable, and who can
oppose Him? He does what He desires.
Job 23:14 For He carries out His decree against
me, and He has many such plans.
Job 23:15 Therefore I am terrified in His
presence; when I consider this, I fear Him.
Job 23:16 God has made my heart faint; the
Almighty has terrified me.
Job 23:17 Yet I am not silenced by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Job 24:1 “Why does the Almighty not reserve
times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?
Job 24:2 Men move boundary stones; they pasture
stolen flocks.
Job 24:3 They drive away the donkey of the
fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
Job 24:4 They push the needy off the road and
force all the poor of the land into hiding.
Job 24:5 Indeed, like wild donkeys in the
desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is
food for their children.
Job 24:6 They gather fodder in the fields and
glean the vineyards of the wicked.
Job 24:7 Without clothing, they spend the night
naked; they have no covering against the cold.
Job 24:8 Drenched by mountain rains, they huddle
against the rocks for want of shelter.
Job 24:9 The fatherless infant is snatched from
the breast; the nursing child of the poor is seized for a debt.
Job 24:10 Without clothing, they wander about
naked. They carry the sheaves, but still go hungry.
Job 24:11 They crush olives within their walls;
they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.
Job 24:12 From the city, men groan, and the
souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with
wrongdoing.
Job 24:13 Then there are those who rebel against
the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths.
Job 24:14 When daylight is gone, the murderer
rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief.
Job 24:15 The eye of the adulterer watches for
twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face.
Job 24:16 In the dark they dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.
Job 24:17 For to them, deep darkness is their
morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!
Job 24:18 They are but foam on the surface of
the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one
turns toward their vineyards.
Job 24:19 As drought and heat consume the
melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.
Job 24:20 The womb forgets them; the worm feeds
on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is like a
broken tree.
Job 24:21 They prey on the barren and childless,
and show no kindness to the widow.
Job 24:22 Yet by His power, God drags away the
mighty; though rising up, they have no assurance of life.
Job 24:23 He gives them a sense of security, but
His eyes are on their ways.
Job 24:24 They are exalted for a moment, then
they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all
others; they are cut off like heads of grain.
Job 24:25 If this is not so, then who can prove
me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?”
Job 25:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
Job 25:2 “Dominion and awe belong to God; He
establishes harmony in the heights of heaven.
Job 25:3 Can His troops be numbered? On whom
does His light not rise?
Job 25:4 How then can a man be just before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
Job 25:5 If even the moon does not shine, and
the stars are not pure in His sight,
Job 25:6 how much less man, who is but a maggot,
and the son of man, who is but a worm!”
Job 26:1 Then Job answered:
Job 26:2 “How you have helped the powerless and
saved the arm that is feeble!
Job 26:3 How you have counseled the unwise and
provided fully sound insight!
Job 26:4 To whom have you uttered these words?
And whose spirit spoke through you?
Job 26:5 The dead tremble—those beneath the
waters and those who dwell in them.
Job 26:6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon
has no covering.
Job 26:7 He stretches out the north over empty
space; He hangs the earth upon nothing.
Job 26:8 He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.
Job 26:9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading over it His cloud.
Job 26:10 He has inscribed a horizon on the face
of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.
Job 26:11 The foundations of heaven quake,
astounded at His rebuke.
Job 26:12 By His power He stirred the sea; by
His understanding He shattered Rahab.
Job 26:13 By His breath the skies were cleared;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Job 26:14 Indeed, these are but the fringes of
His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can
understand the thunder of His power?”
Job 27:1 Job continued his discourse:
Job 27:2 “As surely as God lives, who has
deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—
Job 27:3 as long as my breath is still within me
and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,
Job 27:4 my lips will not speak wickedness, and
my tongue will not utter deceit.
Job 27:5 I will never say that you are right; I
will maintain my integrity until I die.
Job 27:6 I will cling to my righteousness and
never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.
Job 27:7 May my enemy be like the wicked and my
opponent like the unjust.
Job 27:8 For what is the hope of the godless
when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
Job 27:9 Will God hear his cry when distress
comes upon him?
Job 27:10 Will he delight in the Almighty? Will
he call upon God at all times?
Job 27:11 I will instruct you in the power of
God. I will not conceal the ways of the Almighty.
Job 27:12 Surely all of you have seen it for
yourselves. Why then do you keep up this empty talk?
Job 27:13 This is the wicked man’s portion from
God—the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
Job 27:14 Though his sons are many, they are
destined for the sword; and his offspring will never have enough
food.
Job 27:15 His survivors will be buried by the
plague, and their widows will not weep for them.
Job 27:16 Though he heaps up silver like dust
and piles up a wardrobe like clay,
Job 27:17 what he lays up, the righteous will
wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.
Job 27:18 The house he built is like a moth’s
cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman.
Job 27:19 He lies down wealthy, but will do so
no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
Job 27:20 Terrors overtake him like a flood; a
tempest sweeps him away in the night.
Job 27:21 The east wind carries him away, and he
is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
Job 27:22 It hurls itself against him without
mercy as he flees headlong from its power.
Job 27:23 It claps its hands at him and hisses
him out of his place.
Job 28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver and
a place where gold is refined.
Job 28:2 Iron is taken from the earth, and
copper is smelted from ore.
Job 28:3 Man puts an end to the darkness; he
probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.
Job 28:4 Far from human habitation he cuts a
shaft in places forgotten by the foot of man. Far from men he
dangles and sways.
Job 28:5 Food may come from the earth, but from
below it is transformed as by fire.
Job 28:6 Its rocks are the source of sapphires,
containing flecks of gold.
Job 28:7 No bird of prey knows that path; no
falcon’s eye has seen it.
Job 28:8 Proud beasts have never trodden it; no
lion has ever prowled over it.
Job 28:9 The miner strikes the flint; he
overturns mountains at their base.
Job 28:10 He hews out channels in the rocks, and
his eyes spot every treasure.
Job 28:11 He stops up the sources of the streams
to bring what is hidden to light.
Job 28:12 But where can wisdom be found, and
where does understanding dwell?
Job 28:13 No man can know its value, nor is it
found in the land of the living.
Job 28:14 The ocean depths say, ‘It is not in
me,’ while the sea declares, ‘It is not with me.’
Job 28:15 It cannot be bought with gold, nor can
its price be weighed out in silver.
Job 28:16 It cannot be valued in the gold of
Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
Job 28:17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare
to it, nor jewels of fine gold be exchanged for it.
Job 28:18 Coral and quartz are unworthy of
mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.
Job 28:19 Topaz from Cush cannot compare to it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
Job 28:20 From where then does wisdom come, and
where does understanding dwell?
Job 28:21 It is hidden from the eyes of every
living thing and concealed from the birds of the air.
Job 28:22 Abaddon and Death say, ‘We have heard
a rumor about it.’
Job 28:23 But God understands its way, and He
knows its place.
Job 28:24 For He looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
Job 28:25 When God fixed the weight of the wind
and measured out the waters,
Job 28:26 when He set a limit for the rain and a
path for the thunderbolt,
Job 28:27 then He looked at wisdom and appraised
it; He established it and searched it out.
Job 28:28 And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear
of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is
understanding.’”
Job 29:1 And Job continued his discourse:
Job 29:2 “How I long for the months gone by, for
the days when God watched over me,
Job 29:3 when His lamp shone above my head, and
by His light I walked through the darkness,
Job 29:4 when I was in my prime, when the
friendship of God rested on my tent,
Job 29:5 when the Almighty was still with me and
my children were around me,
Job 29:6 when my steps were bathed in cream and
the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
Job 29:7 When I went out to the city gate and
took my seat in the public square,
Job 29:8 the young men saw me and withdrew, and
the old men rose to their feet.
Job 29:9 The princes refrained from speaking and
covered their mouths with their hands.
Job 29:10 The voices of the nobles were hushed,
and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
Job 29:11 For those who heard me called me
blessed, and those who saw me commended me,
Job 29:12 because I rescued the poor who cried
out and the fatherless who had no helper.
Job 29:13 The dying man blessed me, and I made
the widow’s heart sing for joy.
Job 29:14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed
me; justice was my robe and my turban.
Job 29:15 I served as eyes to the blind and as
feet to the lame.
Job 29:16 I was a father to the needy, and I
took up the case of the stranger.
Job 29:17 I shattered the fangs of the unjust
and snatched the prey from his teeth.
Job 29:18 So I thought: ‘I will die in my nest
and multiply my days as the sand.
Job 29:19 My roots will spread out to the
waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
Job 29:20 My glory is ever new within me, and my
bow is renewed in my hand.’
Job 29:21 Men listened to me with expectation,
waiting silently for my counsel.
Job 29:22 After my words, they spoke no more; my
speech settled on them like dew.
Job 29:23 They waited for me as for rain and
drank in my words like spring showers.
Job 29:24 If I smiled at them, they did not
believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
Job 29:25 I chose their course and presided as
chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of
the mourners.
Job 30:1 “But now they mock me, men younger than
I am, whose fathers I would have refused to entrust with my sheep
dogs.
Job 30:2 What use to me was the strength of
their hands, since their vigor had left them?
Job 30:3 Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they
gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.
Job 30:4 They plucked mallow among the shrubs,
and the roots of the broom tree were their food.
Job 30:5 They were banished from among men,
shouted down like thieves,
Job 30:6 so that they lived on the slopes of the
wadis, among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
Job 30:7 They cried out among the shrubs and
huddled beneath the nettles.
Job 30:8 A senseless and nameless brood, they
were driven off the land.
Job 30:9 And now they mock me in song; I have
become a byword among them.
Job 30:10 They abhor me and keep far from me;
they do not hesitate to spit in my face.
Job 30:11 Because God has unstrung my bow and
afflicted me, they have cast off restraint in my presence.
Job 30:12 The rabble arises at my right; they
lay snares for my feet and build siege ramps against me.
Job 30:13 They tear up my path; they profit from
my destruction, with no one to restrain them.
Job 30:14 They advance as through a wide breach;
through the ruins they keep rolling in.
Job 30:15 Terrors are turned loose against me;
they drive away my dignity as by the wind, and my prosperity has
passed like a cloud.
Job 30:16 And now my soul is poured out within
me; days of affliction grip me.
Job 30:17 Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing
pains never rest.
Job 30:18 With great force He grasps my garment;
He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.
Job 30:19 He throws me into the mud, and I have
become like dust and ashes.
Job 30:20 I cry out to You for help, but You do
not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.
Job 30:21 You have ruthlessly turned on me; You
oppose me with Your strong hand.
Job 30:22 You snatch me up into the wind and
drive me before it; You toss me about in the storm.
Job 30:23 Yes, I know that You will bring me
down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.
Job 30:24 Yet no one stretches out his hand to a
ruined man when he cries for help in his distress.
Job 30:25 Have I not wept for those in trouble?
Has my soul not grieved for the needy?
Job 30:26 But when I hoped for good, evil came;
when I looked for light, darkness fell.
Job 30:27 I am churning within and cannot rest;
days of affliction confront me.
Job 30:28 I go about blackened, but not by the
sun. I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.
Job 30:29 I have become a brother of jackals, a
companion of ostriches.
Job 30:30 My skin grows black and peels, and my
bones burn with fever.
Job 30:31 My harp is tuned to mourning and my
flute to the sound of weeping.
Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes.
How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?
Job 31:2 For what is the allotment of God from
above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?
Job 31:3 Does not disaster come to the unjust
and calamity to the workers of iniquity?
Job 31:4 Does He not see my ways and count my
every step?
Job 31:5 If I have walked in falsehood or my
foot has rushed to deceit,
Job 31:6 let God weigh me with honest scales,
that He may know my integrity.
Job 31:7 If my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has followed my eyes, or if impurity has stuck to my
hands,
Job 31:8 then may another eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
Job 31:9 If my heart has been enticed by my
neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door,
Job 31:10 then may my own wife grind grain for
another, and may other men sleep with her.
Job 31:11 For that would be a heinous crime, an
iniquity to be judged.
Job 31:12 For it is a fire that burns down to
Abaddon; it would root out my entire harvest.
Job 31:13 If I have rejected the cause of my
manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,
Job 31:14 what will I do when God rises to
judge? How will I answer when called to account?
Job 31:15 Did not He who made me in the womb
also make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?
Job 31:16 If I have denied the desires of the
poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
Job 31:17 if I have eaten my morsel alone, not
sharing it with the fatherless—
Job 31:18 though from my youth I reared him as
would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—
Job 31:19 if I have seen one perish for lack of
clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,
Job 31:20 if his heart has not blessed me for
warming him with the fleece of my sheep,
Job 31:21 if I have lifted up my hand against
the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,
Job 31:22 then may my arm fall from my shoulder
and be torn from its socket.
Job 31:23 For calamity from God terrifies me,
and His splendor I cannot overpower.
Job 31:24 If I have put my trust in gold or
called pure gold my security,
Job 31:25 if I have rejoiced in my great wealth
because my hand had gained so much,
Job 31:26 if I have beheld the sun in its
radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
Job 31:27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
Job 31:28 this would also be an iniquity to be
judged, for I would have denied God on high.
Job 31:29 If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin,
or exulted when evil befell him—
Job 31:30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin by
asking for his life with a curse—
Job 31:31 if the men of my house have not said,
‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—
Job 31:32 but no stranger had to lodge on the
street, for my door has been open to the traveler—
Job 31:33 if I have covered my transgressions
like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,
Job 31:34 because I greatly feared the crowds
and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so that I kept silent
and would not go outside—
Job 31:35 (Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here
is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser
compose an indictment.
Job 31:36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.
Job 31:37 I would give account of all my steps;
I would approach Him like a prince.)—
Job 31:38 if my land cries out against me and
its furrows weep together,
Job 31:39 if I have devoured its produce without
payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
Job 31:40 then let briers grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed instead of barley.” Thus conclude the words of Job.
Job 32:1 So these three men stopped answering
Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Job 32:2 This kindled the anger of Elihu son of
Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. He burned with anger
against Job for justifying himself rather than God,
Job 32:3 and he burned with anger against Job’s
three friends because they had failed to refute Job, and yet had
condemned him.
Job 32:4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job
because the others were older than he.
Job 32:5 But when he saw that the three men had
no further reply, his anger was kindled.
Job 32:6 So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite
declared: “I am young in years, while you are old; that is why I
was timid and afraid to tell you what I know.
Job 32:7 I thought that age should speak, and
many years should teach wisdom.
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in a man, the
breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.
Job 32:9 It is not only the old who are wise, or
the elderly who understand justice.
Job 32:10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I too
will declare what I know.’
Job 32:11 Indeed, I waited while you spoke; I
listened to your reasoning; as you searched for words,
Job 32:12 I paid you full attention. But no one
proved Job wrong; not one of you rebutted his arguments.
Job 32:13 So do not claim, ‘We have found
wisdom; let God, not man, refute him.’
Job 32:14 But Job has not directed his words
against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.
Job 32:15 Job’s friends are dismayed, with no
more to say; words have escaped them.
Job 32:16 Must I wait, now that they are silent,
now that they stand and no longer reply?
Job 32:17 I too will answer; yes, I will declare
what I know.
Job 32:18 For I am full of words, and my spirit
within me compels me.
Job 32:19 Behold, my belly is like unvented
wine; it is about to burst like a new wineskin.
Job 32:20 I must speak and find relief; I must
open my lips and respond.
Job 32:21 I will be partial to no one, nor will
I flatter any man.
Job 32:22 For I do not know how to flatter, or
my Maker would remove me in an instant.
Job 33:1 “But now, O Job, hear my speech, and
listen to all my words.
Job 33:2 Behold, I will open my mouth; my
address is on the tip of my tongue.
Job 33:3 My words are from an upright heart, and
my lips speak sincerely what I know.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God has made me, and the
breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:5 Refute me if you can; prepare your case
and confront me.
Job 33:6 I am just like you before God; I was
also formed from clay.
Job 33:7 Surely no fear of me should terrify
you; nor will my hand be heavy upon you.
Job 33:8 Surely you have spoken in my hearing,
and I have heard these very words:
Job 33:9 ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am
clean, with no iniquity in me.
Job 33:10 Yet God finds occasions against me; He
counts me as His enemy.
Job 33:11 He puts my feet in the stocks; He
watches over all my paths.’
Job 33:12 Behold, you are not right in this
matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.
Job 33:13 Why do you complain to Him that He
answers nothing a man asks?
Job 33:14 For God speaks in one way and in
another, yet no one notices.
Job 33:15 In a dream, in a vision in the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds,
Job 33:16 He opens their ears and terrifies them
with warnings
Job 33:17 to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep
him from pride,
Job 33:18 to preserve his soul from the Pit and
his life from perishing by the sword.
Job 33:19 A man is also chastened on his bed
with pain and constant distress in his bones,
Job 33:20 so that he detests his bread, and his
soul loathes his favorite food.
Job 33:21 His flesh wastes away from sight, and
his hidden bones protrude.
Job 33:22 He draws near to the Pit, and his life
to the messengers of death.
Job 33:23 Yet if there is a messenger on his
side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for
him,
Job 33:24 to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare
him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’
Job 33:25 then his flesh is refreshed like a
child’s; he returns to the days of his youth.
Job 33:26 He prays to God and finds favor; he
sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His
righteousness to that man.
Job 33:27 Then he sings before men with these
words: ‘I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not
get what I deserved.
Job 33:28 He redeemed my soul from going down to
the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’
Job 33:29 Behold, all these things God does to a
man, two or even three times,
Job 33:30 to bring back his soul from the Pit,
that he may be enlightened with the light of life.
Job 33:31 Pay attention, Job, and listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
Job 33:32 But if you have something to say,
answer me; speak up, for I would like to vindicate you.
Job 33:33 But if not, then listen to me; be
quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Job 34:1 Then Elihu continued:
Job 34:2 “Hear my words, O wise men; give ear to
me, O men of learning.
Job 34:3 For the ear tests words as the mouth
tastes food.
Job 34:4 Let us choose for ourselves what is
right; let us learn together what is good.
Job 34:5 For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous,
yet God has deprived me of justice.
Job 34:6 Would I lie about my case? My wound is
incurable, though I am without transgression.’
Job 34:7 What man is like Job, who drinks up
derision like water?
Job 34:8 He keeps company with evildoers and
walks with wicked men.
Job 34:9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man
nothing that he should delight in God.’
Job 34:10 Therefore listen to me, O men of
understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the
Almighty to act unjustly.
Job 34:11 For according to a man’s deeds He
repays him; according to a man’s ways He brings consequences.
Job 34:12 Indeed, it is true that God does not
act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
Job 34:13 Who gave Him charge over the earth?
Who appointed Him over the whole world?
Job 34:14 If He were to set His heart to it and
withdraw His Spirit and breath,
Job 34:15 all flesh would perish together and
mankind would return to the dust.
Job 34:16 If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to my words.
Job 34:17 Could one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn the just and mighty One,
Job 34:18 who says to kings, ‘You are
worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’
Job 34:19 who is not partial to princes and does
not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands.
Job 34:20 They die in an instant, in the middle
of the night. The people convulse and pass away; the mighty are
removed without human hand.
Job 34:21 For His eyes are on the ways of a man,
and He sees his every step.
Job 34:22 There is no darkness or deep shadow
where the workers of iniquity can hide.
Job 34:23 For God need not examine a man further
or have him approach for judgment.
Job 34:24 He shatters the mighty without inquiry
and sets up others in their place.
Job 34:25 Therefore, He recognizes their deeds;
He overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.
Job 34:26 He strikes them for their wickedness
in full view,
Job 34:27 because they turned aside from Him and
had no regard for any of His ways.
Job 34:28 They caused the cry of the poor to
come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.
Job 34:29 But when He remains silent, who can
condemn Him? When He hides His face, who can see Him? Yet He
watches over both man and nation,
Job 34:30 that godless men should not rule or
lay snares for the people.
Job 34:31 Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have
endured my punishment; I will offend no more.
Job 34:32 Teach me what I cannot see; if I have
done wrong, I will not do it again.’
Job 34:33 Should God repay you on your own terms
when you have disavowed His? You must choose, not I; so tell me
what you know.
Job 34:34 Men of understanding will declare to
me, and the wise men who hear me will say:
Job 34:35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his
words lack insight.’
Job 34:36 If only Job were tried to the utmost
for answering like a wicked man.
Job 34:37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he
claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”
Job 35:1 And Elihu went on to say:
Job 35:2 “Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I
am more righteous than God.’
Job 35:3 For you ask, ‘What does it profit me,
and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’
Job 35:4 I will reply to you and to your friends
as well.
Job 35:5 Look to the heavens and see; gaze at
the clouds high above you.
Job 35:6 If you sin, what do you accomplish
against Him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do
to Him?
Job 35:7 If you are righteous, what do you give
Him, or what does He receive from your hand?
Job 35:8 Your wickedness affects only a man like
yourself, and your righteousness only a son of man.
Job 35:9 Men cry out under great oppression;
they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
Job 35:10 But no one asks, ‘Where is God my
Maker, who gives us songs in the night,
Job 35:11 who teaches us more than the beasts of
the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
Job 35:12 There they cry out, but He does not
answer, because of the pride of evil men.
Job 35:13 Surely God does not listen to empty
pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it.
Job 35:14 How much less, then, when you say that
you do not see Him, that your case is before Him and you must wait
for Him,
Job 35:15 and further, that in His anger He has
not punished or taken much notice of folly!
Job 35:16 So Job opens his mouth in vain and
multiplies words without knowledge.”
Job 36:1 And Elihu continued:
Job 36:2 “Bear with me a little longer, and I
will show you that there is more to be said on God’s behalf.
Job 36:3 I get my knowledge from afar, and I
will ascribe justice to my Maker.
Job 36:4 For truly my words are free of
falsehood; one perfect in knowledge is with you.
Job 36:5 Indeed, God is mighty, but He despises
no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
Job 36:6 He does not keep the wicked alive, but
He grants justice to the afflicted.
Job 36:7 He does not take His eyes off the
righteous, but He enthrones them with kings and exalts them
forever.
Job 36:8 And if men are bound with chains,
caught in cords of affliction,
Job 36:9 then He tells them their deeds and how
arrogantly they have transgressed.
Job 36:10 He opens their ears to correction and
commands that they turn from iniquity.
Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, then they
end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.
Job 36:12 But if they do not obey, then they
perish by the sword and die without knowledge.
Job 36:13 The godless in heart harbor
resentment; even when He binds them, they do not cry for help.
Job 36:14 They die in their youth, among the
male shrine prostitutes.
Job 36:15 God rescues the afflicted by their
affliction and opens their ears in oppression.
Job 36:16 Indeed, He drew you from the jaws of
distress to a spacious and broad place, to a table full of
richness.
Job 36:17 But now you are laden with the
judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you.
Job 36:18 Be careful that no one lures you with
riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
Job 36:19 Can your wealth or all your mighty
effort keep you from distress?
Job 36:20 Do not long for the night, when people
vanish from their homes.
Job 36:21 Be careful not to turn to iniquity,
for this you have preferred to affliction.
Job 36:22 Behold, God is exalted in His power.
Who is a teacher like Him?
Job 36:23 Who has appointed His way for Him, or
told Him, ‘You have done wrong’?
Job 36:24 Remember to magnify His work, which
men have praised in song.
Job 36:25 All mankind has seen it; men behold it
from afar.
Job 36:26 Indeed, God is great—beyond our
knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable.
Job 36:27 For He draws up drops of water which
distill the rain from the mist,
Job 36:28 which the clouds pour out and shower
abundantly on mankind.
Job 36:29 Furthermore, who can understand how
the clouds spread out, how the thunder roars from His pavilion?
Job 36:30 See how He scatters His lightning
around Him and covers the depths of the sea.
Job 36:31 For by these He judges the nations and
provides food in abundance.
Job 36:32 He fills His hands with lightning and
commands it to strike its mark.
Job 36:33 The thunder declares His presence;
even the cattle regard the rising storm.
Job 37:1 “At this my heart also pounds and leaps
from its place.
Job 37:2 Listen closely to the thunder of His
voice and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
Job 37:3 He unleashes His lightning beneath the
whole sky and sends it to the ends of the earth.
Job 37:4 Then there comes a roaring sound; He
thunders with His majestic voice. He does not restrain the
lightning when His voice resounds.
Job 37:5 God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things we cannot comprehend.
Job 37:6 For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the
earth,’ and to the gentle rain, ‘Pour out a mighty downpour.’
Job 37:7 He seals up the hand of every man, so
that all men may know His work.
Job 37:8 The wild animals enter their lairs;
they settle down in their dens.
Job 37:9 The tempest comes from its chamber, and
the cold from the driving north winds.
Job 37:10 By the breath of God the ice is formed
and the watery expanses are frozen.
Job 37:11 He loads the clouds with moisture; He
scatters His lightning through them.
Job 37:12 They swirl about, whirling at His
direction, accomplishing all that He commands over the face of all
the earth.
Job 37:13 Whether for punishment or for His
land, He accomplishes this in His loving devotion.
Job 37:14 Listen to this, O Job; stand still and
consider the wonders of God.
Job 37:15 Do you know how God dispatches the
clouds or makes the lightning flash?
Job 37:16 Do you understand how the clouds
float, those wonders of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
Job 37:17 You whose clothes get hot when the
land lies hushed under the south wind,
Job 37:18 can you, like Him, spread out the
skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?
Job 37:19 Teach us what we should say to Him; we
cannot draw up our case when our faces are in darkness.
Job 37:20 Should He be told that I want to
speak? Would a man ask to be swallowed up?
Job 37:21 Now no one can gaze at the sun when it
is bright in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.
Job 37:22 Out of the north He comes in golden
splendor; awesome majesty surrounds Him.
Job 37:23 The Almighty is beyond our reach; He
is exalted in power! In His justice and great righteousness He
does not oppress.
Job 37:24 Therefore, men fear Him, for He is not
partial to the wise in heart.”
Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the
whirlwind and said:
Job 38:2 “Who is this who obscures My counsel by
words without knowledge?
Job 38:3 Now brace yourself like a man; I will
question you, and you shall inform Me.
Job 38:4 Where were you when I laid the
foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
Job 38:5 Who fixed its measurements? Surely you
know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?
Job 38:6 On what were its foundations set, or
who laid its cornerstone,
Job 38:7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:8 Who enclosed the sea behind doors when
it burst forth from the womb,
Job 38:9 when I made the clouds its garment and
thick darkness its blanket,
Job 38:10 when I fixed its boundaries and set in
place its bars and doors,
Job 38:11 and I declared: ‘You may come this
far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?
Job 38:12 In your days, have you commanded the
morning or assigned the dawn its place,
Job 38:13 that it might spread to the ends of
the earth and shake the wicked out of it?
Job 38:14 The earth takes shape like clay under
a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
Job 38:15 Light is withheld from the wicked, and
their upraised arm is broken.
Job 38:16 Have you journeyed to the vents of the
sea or walked in the trenches of the deep?
Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been revealed
to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Job 38:18 Have you surveyed the extent of the
earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.
Job 38:19 Where is the way to the home of light?
Do you know where darkness resides,
Job 38:20 so you can lead it back to its border?
Do you know the paths to its home?
Job 38:21 Surely you know, for you were already
born! And the number of your days is great!
Job 38:22 Have you entered the storehouses of
snow or observed the storehouses of hail,
Job 38:23 which I hold in reserve for times of
trouble, for the day of war and battle?
Job 38:24 In which direction is the lightning
dispersed, or the east wind scattered over the earth?
Job 38:25 Who cuts a channel for the flood or
clears a path for the thunderbolt,
Job 38:26 to bring rain on a barren land, on a
desert where no man lives,
Job 38:27 to satisfy the parched wasteland and
make it sprout with tender grass?
Job 38:28 Does the rain have a father? Who has
begotten the drops of dew?
Job 38:29 From whose womb does the ice emerge?
Who gives birth to the frost from heaven,
Job 38:30 when the waters become hard as stone
and the surface of the deep is frozen?
Job 38:31 Can you bind the chains of the
Pleiades or loosen the belt of Orion?
Job 38:32 Can you bring forth the constellations
in their seasons or lead out the Bear and her cubs?
Job 38:33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
Job 38:34 Can you command the clouds so that a
flood of water covers you?
Job 38:35 Can you send the lightning bolts on
their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
Job 38:36 Who has put wisdom in the heart or
given understanding to the mind?
Job 38:37 Who has the wisdom to count the
clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens
Job 38:38 when the dust hardens into a mass and
the clods of earth stick together?
Job 38:39 Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or
satisfy the hunger of young lions
Job 38:40 when they crouch in their dens and lie
in wait in the thicket?
Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven when
its young cry out to God as they wander about for lack of food?
Job 39:1 “Do you know when mountain goats give
birth? Have you watched the doe bear her fawn?
Job 39:2 Can you count the months they are
pregnant? Do you know the time they give birth?
Job 39:3 They crouch down and bring forth their
young; they deliver their newborn.
Job 39:4 Their young ones thrive and grow up in
the open field; they leave and do not return.
Job 39:5 Who set the wild donkey free? Who
released the swift donkey from the harness?
Job 39:6 I made the wilderness his home and the
salt flats his dwelling.
Job 39:7 He scorns the tumult of the city and
never hears the shouts of a driver.
Job 39:8 He roams the mountains for pasture,
searching for any green thing.
Job 39:9 Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will he stay by your manger at night?
Job 39:10 Can you hold him to the furrow with a
harness? Will he plow the valleys behind you?
Job 39:11 Can you rely on his great strength?
Will you leave your hard work to him?
Job 39:12 Can you trust him to bring in your
grain and gather it to your threshing floor?
Job 39:13 The wings of the ostrich flap
joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork.
Job 39:14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand.
Job 39:15 She forgets that a foot may crush
them, or a wild animal may trample them.
Job 39:16 She treats her young harshly, as if
not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain.
Job 39:17 For God has deprived her of wisdom; He
has not endowed her with understanding.
Job 39:18 Yet when she proudly spreads her
wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider.
Job 39:19 Do you give strength to the horse or
adorn his neck with a mane?
Job 39:20 Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?
Job 39:21 He paws in the valley and rejoices in
his strength; he charges into battle.
Job 39:22 He laughs at fear, frightened of
nothing; he does not turn back from the sword.
Job 39:23 A quiver rattles at his side, along
with a flashing spear and lance.
Job 39:24 Trembling with excitement, he devours
the distance; he cannot stand still when the ram’s horn sounds.
Job 39:25 At the blast of the horn, he snorts
with fervor. He catches the scent of battle from afar—the shouts
of captains and the cry of war.
Job 39:26 Does the hawk take flight by your
understanding and spread his wings toward the south?
Job 39:27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and make his nest on high?
Job 39:28 He dwells on a cliff and lodges there;
his stronghold is on a rocky crag.
Job 39:29 From there he spies out food; his eyes
see it from afar.
Job 39:30 His young ones feast on blood; and
where the slain are, there he is.”
Job 40:1 And the LORD said to Job:
Job 40:2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the
Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”
Job 40:3 Then Job answered the LORD:
Job 40:4 “Behold, I am insignificant. How can I
reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth.
Job 40:5 I have spoken once, but I have no
answer—twice, but I have nothing to add.”
Job 40:6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the
whirlwind and said:
Job 40:7 “Now brace yourself like a man; I will
question you, and you shall inform Me.
Job 40:8 Would you really annul My justice?
Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?
Job 40:9 Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you
thunder with a voice like His?
Job 40:10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and
splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory.
Job 40:11 Unleash the fury of your wrath; look
on every proud man and bring him low.
Job 40:12 Look on every proud man and humble
him; trample the wicked where they stand.
Job 40:13 Bury them together in the dust;
imprison them in the grave.
Job 40:14 Then I will confess to you that your
own right hand can save you.
Job 40:15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along
with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.
Job 40:16 See the strength of his loins and the
power in the muscles of his belly.
Job 40:17 His tail sways like a cedar; the
sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
Job 40:18 His bones are tubes of bronze; his
limbs are rods of iron.
Job 40:19 He is the foremost of God’s works;
only his Maker can draw the sword against him.
Job 40:20 The hills yield him their produce,
while all the beasts of the field play nearby.
Job 40:21 He lies under the lotus plants, hidden
among the reeds of the marsh.
Job 40:22 The lotus plants conceal him in their
shade; the willows of the brook surround him.
Job 40:23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is
unafraid; he remains secure, though the Jordan surges to his
mouth.
Job 40:24 Can anyone capture him as he looks on,
or pierce his nose with a snare?
Job 41:1 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook
or tie down his tongue with a rope?
Job 41:2 Can you put a cord through his nose or
pierce his jaw with a hook?
Job 41:3 Will he beg you for mercy or speak to
you softly?
Job 41:4 Will he make a covenant with you to
take him as a slave for life?
Job 41:5 Can you pet him like a bird or put him
on a leash for your maidens?
Job 41:6 Will traders barter for him or divide
him among the merchants?
Job 41:7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or
his head with fishing spears?
Job 41:8 If you lay a hand on him, you will
remember the battle and never repeat it!
Job 41:9 Surely hope of overcoming him is false.
Is not the sight of him overwhelming?
Job 41:10 No one is so fierce as to rouse
Leviathan. Then who is able to stand against Me?
Job 41:11 Who has given to Me that I should
repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
Job 41:12 I cannot keep silent about his limbs,
his power and graceful form.
Job 41:13 Who can strip off his outer coat? Who
can approach him with a bridle?
Job 41:14 Who can open his jaws, ringed by his
fearsome teeth?
Job 41:15 His rows of scales are his pride,
tightly sealed together.
Job 41:16 One scale is so near to another that
no air can pass between them.
Job 41:17 They are joined to one another; they
clasp and cannot be separated.
Job 41:18 His snorting flashes with light, and
his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
Job 41:19 Firebrands stream from his mouth;
fiery sparks shoot forth!
Job 41:20 Smoke billows from his nostrils as
from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
Job 41:21 His breath sets coals ablaze, and
flames pour from his mouth.
Job 41:22 Strength resides in his neck, and
dismay leaps before him.
Job 41:23 The folds of his flesh are tightly
joined; they are firm and immovable.
Job 41:24 His chest is as hard as a rock, as
hard as a lower millstone!
Job 41:25 When Leviathan rises up, the mighty
are terrified; they withdraw before his thrashing.
Job 41:26 The sword that reaches him has no
effect, nor does the spear or dart or arrow.
Job 41:27 He regards iron as straw and bronze as
rotten wood.
Job 41:28 No arrow can make him flee;
slingstones become like chaff to him.
Job 41:29 A club is regarded as straw, and he
laughs at the sound of the lance.
Job 41:30 His undersides are jagged potsherds,
spreading out the mud like a threshing sledge.
Job 41:31 He makes the depths seethe like a
cauldron; he makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
Job 41:32 He leaves a glistening wake behind
him; one would think the deep had white hair!
Job 41:33 Nothing on earth is his equal—a
creature devoid of fear!
Job 41:34 He looks down on all the haughty; he
is king over all the proud.”
Job 42:1 Then Job replied to the LORD:
Job 42:2 “I know that You can do all things and
that no plan of Yours can be thwarted.
Job 42:3 You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My
counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not
understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
Job 42:4 You said, ‘Listen now, and I will
speak. I will question you, and you shall inform Me.’
Job 42:5 My ears had heard of You, but now my
eyes have seen You.
Job 42:6 Therefore I retract my words, and I
repent in dust and ashes.”
Job 42:7 After the LORD had spoken these words
to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled
against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me
accurately, as My servant Job has.
Job 42:8 So now, take seven bulls and seven
rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for
yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will
accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.
For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job
has.”
Job 42:9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the
Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD had
told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s request.
Job 42:10 After Job had prayed for his friends,
the LORD restored his prosperity and doubled his former
possessions.
Job 42:11 All his brothers and sisters and prior
acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled
him and comforted him over all the adversity that the LORD had
brought upon him. And each one gave him a piece of silver and a
gold ring.
Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed Job’s latter days
more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000
yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
Job 42:13 And he also had seven sons and three
daughters.
Job 42:14 He named his first daughter Jemimah,
his second Keziah, and his third Keren-happuch.
Job 42:15 No women as beautiful as Job’s
daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted
them an inheritance among their brothers.
Job 42:16 After this, Job lived 140 years and
saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.
Job 42:17 And so Job died, old and full of
years.
PSALMS
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the Law of the
LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams
of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not
wither, and who prospers in all he does.
Psalm 1:4 Not so the wicked! For they are like
chaff driven off by the wind.
Psalm 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in
the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Psalm 1:6 For the LORD guards the path of the
righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Psalm 2:1 Why do the nations rage and the
peoples plot in vain?
Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth take their
stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against
His Anointed One:
Psalm 2:3 “Let us break Their chains and cast
away Their cords.”
Psalm 2:4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord taunts them.
Psalm 2:5 Then He rebukes them in His anger, and
terrifies them in His fury:
Psalm 2:6 “I have installed My King on Zion,
upon My holy mountain.”
Psalm 2:7 I will proclaim the decree spoken to
Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
Psalm 2:8 Ask Me, and I will make the nations
Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
Psalm 2:9 You will break them with an iron
scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
Psalm 2:10 Therefore be wise, O kings; be
admonished, O judges of the earth.
Psalm 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice
with trembling.
Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and
you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an
instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 3:1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from
his son Absalom. O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise
up against me!
Psalm 3:2 Many say of me, “God will not deliver
him.” Selah
Psalm 3:3 But You, O LORD, are a shield around
me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
Psalm 3:4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and He
answers me from His holy mountain. Selah
Psalm 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again,
for the LORD sustains me.
Psalm 3:6 I will not fear the myriads set
against me on every side.
Psalm 3:7 Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.
Psalm 3:8 Salvation belongs to the LORD; may
Your blessing be on Your people. Selah
Psalm 4:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my
righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and
hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:2 How long, O men, will my honor be
maligned? How long will you love vanity and seek after lies? Selah
Psalm 4:3 Know that the LORD has set apart the
godly for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.
Psalm 4:4 Be angry, yet do not sin; on your bed,
search your heart and be still. Selah
Psalm 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the LORD.
Psalm 4:6 Many ask, “Who can show us the good?”
Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
Psalm 4:7 You have filled my heart with more joy
than when grain and new wine abound.
Psalm 4:8 I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 5:1 For the choirmaster, to be accompanied
by flutes. A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my groaning.
Psalm 5:2 Attend to the sound of my cry, my King
and my God, for to You I pray.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, You hear my
voice; at daybreak I lay my plea before You and wait in
expectation.
Psalm 5:4 For You are not a God who delights in
wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.
Psalm 5:5 The boastful cannot stand in Your
presence; You hate all workers of iniquity.
Psalm 5:6 You destroy those who tell lies; the
LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
Psalm 5:7 But I will enter Your house by the
abundance of Your loving devotion; in reverence I will bow down
toward Your holy temple.
Psalm 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness
because of my enemies; make straight Your way before me.
Psalm 5:9 For not a word they speak can be
trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open
graves; their tongues practice deceit.
Psalm 5:10 Declare them guilty, O God; let them
fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many
transgressions, for they have rebelled against You.
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in You
rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that
those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
Psalm 5:12 For surely You, O LORD, bless the
righteous; You surround them with the shield of Your favor.
Psalm 6:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments, according to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do
not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
Psalm 6:2 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am
frail; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony.
Psalm 6:3 My soul is deeply distressed. How
long, O LORD, how long?
Psalm 6:4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver my soul;
save me because of Your loving devotion.
Psalm 6:5 For there is no mention of You in
death; who can praise You from Sheol?
Psalm 6:6 I am weary from groaning; all night I
flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
Psalm 6:7 My eyes fail from grief; they grow dim
because of all my foes.
Psalm 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of
iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping.
Psalm 6:9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
Psalm 6:10 All my enemies will be ashamed and
dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.
Psalm 7:1 A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to
the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. O LORD my God,
I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,
Psalm 7:2 or they will shred my soul like a lion
and tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
Psalm 7:3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if
injustice is on my hands,
Psalm 7:4 if I have rewarded my ally with evil,
if I have plundered my foe without cause,
Psalm 7:5 then may my enemy pursue me and
overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in
the dust. Selah
Psalm 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; rise up
against the fury of my enemies. Awake, my God, and ordain
judgment.
Psalm 7:7 Let the assembled peoples gather
around You; take Your seat over them on high.
Psalm 7:8 The LORD judges the peoples; vindicate
me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and integrity.
Psalm 7:9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked,
but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts
and minds.
Psalm 7:10 My shield is with God, who saves the
upright in heart.
Psalm 7:11 God is a righteous judge and a God
who feels indignation each day.
Psalm 7:12 If one does not repent, God will
sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow.
Psalm 7:13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He ordains His arrows with fire.
Psalm 7:14 Behold, the wicked man travails with
evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
Psalm 7:15 He has dug a hole and hollowed it
out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
Psalm 7:16 His trouble recoils on himself, and
his violence falls on his own head.
Psalm 7:17 I will thank the LORD for His
righteousness and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.
Psalm 8:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your
name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
Psalm 8:2 From the mouths of children and
infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries,
to silence the enemy and avenger.
Psalm 8:3 When I behold Your heavens, the work
of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in
place—
Psalm 8:4 what is man that You are mindful of
him, or the son of man that You care for him?
Psalm 8:5 You made him a little lower than the
angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.
Psalm 8:6 You made him ruler of the works of
Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:
Psalm 8:7 all sheep and oxen, and even the
beasts of the field,
Psalm 8:8 the birds of the air and the fish of
the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
Psalm 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your
name in all the earth!
Psalm 9:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“The Death of the Son.” A Psalm of David. I will give thanks to
the LORD with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders.
Psalm 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I
will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:3 When my enemies retreat, they stumble
and perish before You.
Psalm 9:4 For You have upheld my just cause; You
sit on Your throne judging righteously.
Psalm 9:5 You have rebuked the nations; You have
destroyed the wicked; You have erased their name forever and ever.
Psalm 9:6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin,
and You have uprooted their cities; the very memory of them has
vanished.
Psalm 9:7 But the LORD abides forever; He has
established His throne for judgment.
Psalm 9:8 He judges the world with justice; He
governs the people with equity.
Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the
oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 9:10 Those who know Your name trust in
You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
Psalm 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells
in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations.
Psalm 9:12 For the Avenger of bloodshed
remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
Psalm 9:13 Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my
enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,
Psalm 9:14 that I may declare all Your
praises—that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in
Your salvation.
Psalm 9:15 The nations have fallen into a pit of
their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
Psalm 9:16 The LORD is known by the justice He
brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
Higgaion Selah
Psalm 9:17 The wicked will return to Sheol—all
the nations who forget God.
Psalm 9:18 For the needy will not always be
forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.
Psalm 9:19 Rise up, O LORD, do not let man
prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
Psalm 9:20 Lay terror upon them, O LORD; let the
nations know they are but men. Selah
Psalm 10:1 Why, O LORD, do You stand far off?
Why do You hide in times of trouble?
Psalm 10:2 In pride the wicked pursue the needy;
let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
Psalm 10:3 For the wicked man boasts in the
cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
Psalm 10:4 In his pride the wicked man does not
seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
Psalm 10:5 He is secure in his ways at all
times; Your lofty judgments are far from him; he sneers at all his
foes.
Psalm 10:6 He says to himself, “I will not be
moved; from age to age I am free of distress.”
Psalm 10:7 His mouth is full of cursing, deceit,
and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue.
Psalm 10:8 He lies in wait near the villages; in
ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the
helpless.
Psalm 10:9 He lies in wait like a lion in a
thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in
his net.
Psalm 10:10 They are crushed and beaten down;
the hapless fall prey to his strength.
Psalm 10:11 He says to himself, “God has
forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
Psalm 10:12 Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O
God! Do not forget the helpless.
Psalm 10:13 Why has the wicked man renounced
God? He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.”
Psalm 10:14 But You have regarded trouble and
grief; You see to repay it by Your hand. The victim entrusts
himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.
Psalm 10:15 Break the arm of the wicked and
evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is
left to be found.
Psalm 10:16 The LORD is King forever and ever;
the nations perish from His land.
Psalm 10:17 You have heard, O LORD, the desire
of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline
Your ear,
Psalm 10:18 to vindicate the fatherless and
oppressed, that the men of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalm 11:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. In the
LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird
to your mountain!
Psalm 11:2 For behold, the wicked bend their
bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.
Psalm 11:3 If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
Psalm 11:4 The LORD is in His holy temple; the
LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely;
they examine the sons of men.
Psalm 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous and the
wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.
Psalm 11:6 On the wicked He will rain down fiery
coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.
Psalm 11:7 For the LORD is righteous; He loves
justice. The upright will see His face.
Psalm 12:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, O LORD, for the godly are no
more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
Psalm 12:2 They lie to one another; they speak
with flattering lips and a double heart.
Psalm 12:3 May the LORD cut off all flattering
lips and every boastful tongue.
Psalm 12:4 They say, “With our tongues we will
prevail. We own our lips—who can be our master?”
Psalm 12:5 “For the cause of the oppressed and
for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.
Psalm 12:7 You, O LORD, will keep us; You will
forever guard us from this generation.
Psalm 12:8 The wicked wander freely, and
vileness is exalted among men.
Psalm 13:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will
You hide Your face from me?
Psalm 13:2 How long must I wrestle in my soul,
with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate
me?
Psalm 13:3 Consider me and respond, O LORD my
God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death,
Psalm 13:4 lest my enemy say, “I have overcome
him,” and my foes rejoice when I fall.
Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in Your loving
devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.
Psalm 13:6 I will sing to the LORD, for He has
been good to me.
Psalm 14:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. The
fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their
acts are vile. There is no one who does good.
Psalm 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon
the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
Psalm 14:3 All have turned away, they have
together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even
one.
Psalm 14:4 Will the workers of iniquity never
learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon
the LORD.
Psalm 14:5 There they are, overwhelmed with
dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.
Psalm 14:6 You sinners frustrate the plans of
the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.
Psalm 14:7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel
would come from Zion! When the LORD restores His captive people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
Psalm 15:1 A Psalm of David. O LORD, who may
abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?
Psalm 15:2 He who walks with integrity and
practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart,
Psalm 15:3 who has no slander on his tongue, who
does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,
Psalm 15:4 who despises the vile but honors
those who fear the LORD, who does not revise a costly oath,
Psalm 15:5 who lends his money without interest
and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things
will never be shaken.
Psalm 16:1 A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O
God, for in You I take refuge.
Psalm 16:2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
apart from You I have no good thing.”
Psalm 16:3 As for the saints in the land, they
are the excellence in whom all my delight resides.
Psalm 16:4 Sorrows will multiply to those who
chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or
speak their names with my lips.
Psalm 16:5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my
cup; You have made my lot secure.
Psalm 16:6 The lines of my boundary have fallen
in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.
Psalm 16:7 I will bless the LORD who counsels
me; even at night my conscience instructs me.
Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my
tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.
Psalm 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to
Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path
of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal
pleasures at Your right hand.
Psalm 17:1 A prayer of David. Hear, O LORD, my
righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer—it comes
from lips free of deceit.
Psalm 17:2 May my vindication come from Your
presence; may Your eyes see what is right.
Psalm 17:3 You have tried my heart; You have
visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I
have resolved not to sin with my mouth.
Psalm 17:4 As for the deeds of men—by the word
of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
Psalm 17:5 My steps have held to Your paths; my
feet have not slipped.
Psalm 17:6 I call on You, O God, for You will
answer me. Incline Your ear to me; hear my words.
Psalm 17:7 Show the wonders of Your loving
devotion, You who save by Your right hand those who seek refuge
from their foes.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of Your wings
Psalm 17:9 from the wicked who assail me, from
my mortal enemies who surround me.
Psalm 17:10 They have closed their callous
hearts; their mouths speak with arrogance.
Psalm 17:11 They have tracked us down, and now
surround us; their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,
Psalm 17:12 like a lion greedy for prey, like a
young lion lurking in ambush.
Psalm 17:13 Arise, O LORD, confront them! Bring
them to their knees; deliver me from the wicked by Your sword,
Psalm 17:14 from such men, O LORD, by Your
hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You
fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so
they leave their abundance to their children.
Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold Your face
in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your
presence.
Psalm 18:1 For the choirmaster. Of David the
servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the
LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from
the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and
my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield,
and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is
worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
Psalm 18:5 The cords of Sheol entangled me; the
snares of death confronted me.
Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called upon the
LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my
voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
Psalm 18:7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and
the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken
because He burned with anger.
Psalm 18:8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and
consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
Psalm 18:9 He parted the heavens and came down
with dark clouds beneath His feet.
Psalm 18:10 He mounted a cherub and flew; He
soared on the wings of the wind.
Psalm 18:11 He made darkness His hiding place,
and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
Psalm 18:12 From the brightness of His presence
His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
Psalm 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the
voice of the Most High resounded—hailstones and coals of fire.
Psalm 18:14 He shot His arrows and scattered the
foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
Psalm 18:15 The channels of the sea appeared,
and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O
LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
Psalm 18:16 He reached down from on high and
took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
Psalm 18:17 He rescued me from my powerful
enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
Psalm 18:18 They confronted me in my day of
calamity, but the LORD was my support.
Psalm 18:19 He brought me out into the open; He
rescued me because He delighted in me.
Psalm 18:20 The LORD has rewarded me according
to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness
of my hands.
Psalm 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Psalm 18:22 For all His ordinances are before
me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
Psalm 18:23 And I have been blameless before Him
and kept myself from iniquity.
Psalm 18:24 So the LORD has repaid me according
to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His
sight.
Psalm 18:25 To the faithful You show Yourself
faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
Psalm 18:26 to the pure You show Yourself pure,
but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
Psalm 18:27 For You save an afflicted people,
but You humble those with haughty eyes.
Psalm 18:28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my
God lights up my darkness.
Psalm 18:29 For in You I can charge an army, and
with my God I can scale a wall.
Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect; the
word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take
refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:31 For who is God besides the LORD? And
who is the Rock except our God?
Psalm 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way clear.
Psalm 18:33 He makes my feet like those of a
deer and stations me upon the heights.
Psalm 18:34 He trains my hands for battle; my
arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Psalm 18:35 You have given me Your shield of
salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts
me.
Psalm 18:36 You broaden the path beneath me so
that my ankles do not give way.
Psalm 18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook
them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
Psalm 18:38 I crushed them so they could not
rise; they have fallen under my feet.
Psalm 18:39 You have armed me with strength for
battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
Psalm 18:40 You have made my enemies retreat
before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
Psalm 18:41 They cried for help, but there was
no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.
Psalm 18:42 I ground them as dust in the face of
the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
Psalm 18:43 You have delivered me from the
strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a
people I had not known shall serve me.
Psalm 18:44 When they hear me, they obey me;
foreigners cower before me.
Psalm 18:45 Foreigners lose heart and come
trembling from their strongholds.
Psalm 18:46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my
Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
Psalm 18:47 the God who avenges me and subdues
nations beneath me,
Psalm 18:48 who delivers me from my enemies. You
exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
Psalm 18:49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD,
among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
Psalm 18:50 Great salvation He brings to His
king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his
descendants forever.
Psalm 19:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim
the work of His hands.
Psalm 19:2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
Psalm 19:3 Without speech or language, without a
sound to be heard,
Psalm 19:4 their voice has gone out into all the
earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has
pitched a tent for the sun.
Psalm 19:5 Like a bridegroom emerging from his
chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course,
Psalm 19:6 it rises at one end of the heavens
and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its
warmth.
Psalm 19:7 The Law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are
radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being
altogether righteous.
Psalm 19:10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from
the comb.
Psalm 19:11 By them indeed Your servant is
warned; in keeping them is great reward.
Psalm 19:12 Who can discern his own errors?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
Psalm 19:13 Keep Your servant also from willful
sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless and
cleansed of great transgression.
Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock
and my Redeemer.
Psalm 20:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name
of the God of Jacob protect you.
Psalm 20:2 May He send you help from the
sanctuary and sustain you from Zion.
Psalm 20:3 May He remember all your gifts and
look favorably on your burnt offerings. Selah
Psalm 20:4 May He give you the desires of your
heart and make all your plans succeed.
Psalm 20:5 May we shout for joy at your victory
and raise a banner in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all
your petitions.
Psalm 20:6 Now I know that the LORD saves His
anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving
power of His right hand.
Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in
horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 20:8 They collapse and fall, but we rise
up and stand firm.
Psalm 20:9 O LORD, save the king. Answer us on
the day we call.
Psalm 21:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength. How greatly he
exults in Your salvation!
Psalm 21:2 You have granted his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
Psalm 21:3 For You welcomed him with rich
blessings; You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
Psalm 21:4 He asked You for life, and You
granted it—length of days, forever and ever.
Psalm 21:5 Great is his glory in Your salvation;
You bestow on him splendor and majesty.
Psalm 21:6 For You grant him blessings forever;
You cheer him with joy in Your presence.
Psalm 21:7 For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the loving devotion of the Most High, he will not be
shaken.
Psalm 21:8 Your hand will apprehend all Your
enemies; Your right hand will seize those who hate You.
Psalm 21:9 You will place them in a fiery
furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will
engulf them, and the fire will consume them.
Psalm 21:10 You will wipe their descendants from
the earth, and their offspring from the sons of men.
Psalm 21:11 Though they intend You harm, the
schemes they devise will not prevail.
Psalm 21:12 For You will put them to flight when
Your bow is trained upon them.
Psalm 21:13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your
strength; we will sing and praise Your power.
Psalm 22:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have
You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my
words of groaning?
Psalm 22:2 I cry out by day, O my God, but You
do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.
Psalm 22:3 Yet You are holy, enthroned on the
praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:4 In You our fathers trusted; they
trusted and You delivered them.
Psalm 22:5 They cried out to You and were set
free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
Psalm 22:7 All who see me mock me; they sneer
and shake their heads:
Psalm 22:8 “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD
deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.”
Psalm 22:9 Yet You brought me forth from the
womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
Psalm 22:10 From birth I was cast upon You; from
my mother’s womb You have been my God.
Psalm 22:11 Be not far from me, for trouble is
near and there is no one to help.
Psalm 22:12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls
of Bashan encircle me.
Psalm 22:13 They open their jaws against me like
lions that roar and maul.
Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all
my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away
within me.
Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a
potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me
in the dust of death.
Psalm 22:16 For dogs surround me; a band of evil
men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
Psalm 22:17 I can count all my bones; they stare
and gloat over me.
Psalm 22:18 They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing.
Psalm 22:19 But You, O LORD, be not far off; O
my Strength, come quickly to help me.
Psalm 22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my
precious life from the power of wild dogs.
Psalm 22:21 Save me from the mouth of the lion;
at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!
Psalm 22:22 I will proclaim Your name to my
brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.
Psalm 22:23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel,
revere Him!
Psalm 22:24 For He has not despised or detested
the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him,
but has attended to his cry for help.
Psalm 22:25 My praise for You resounds in the
great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You.
Psalm 22:26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live
forever!
Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth will
remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations
will bow down before Him.
Psalm 22:28 For dominion belongs to the LORD and
He rules over the nations.
Psalm 22:29 All the rich of the earth will feast
and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before
Him—even those unable to preserve their lives.
Psalm 22:30 Posterity will serve Him; they will
declare the Lord to a new generation.
Psalm 22:31 They will come and proclaim His
righteousness to a people yet unborn—all that He has done.
Psalm 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul; He guides me in
the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the
presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup
overflows.
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow
me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the
LORD forever.
Psalm 24:1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the
LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell
therein.
Psalm 24:2 For He has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
Psalm 24:3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in His holy place?
Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure
heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear
deceitfully.
Psalm 24:5 He will receive blessing from the
LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 24:6 Such is the generation of those who
seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Selah
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates! Be
lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of Glory? The LORD
strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Psalm 24:9 Lift up your heads, O gates! Be
lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
Psalm 24:10 Who is He, this King of Glory? The
LORD of Hosts—He is the King of Glory. Selah
Psalm 25:1 Of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up
my soul;
Psalm 25:2 in You, my God, I trust. Do not let
me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
Psalm 25:3 Surely none who wait for You will be
put to shame; but those who are faithless without cause will be
disgraced.
Psalm 25:4 Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me
Your paths.
Psalm 25:5 Guide me in Your truth and teach me,
for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You.
Psalm 25:6 Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and
loving devotion, for they are from age to age.
Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth,
nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving
devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD.
Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore He shows sinners the way.
Psalm 25:9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.
Psalm 25:10 All the LORD’s ways are loving and
faithful to those who keep His covenant and His decrees.
Psalm 25:11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, for it is great.
Psalm 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD?
He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.
Psalm 25:13 His soul will dwell in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
Psalm 25:14 The LORD confides in those who fear
Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
Psalm 25:15 My eyes are always on the LORD, for
He will free my feet from the mesh.
Psalm 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious, for I am
lonely and afflicted.
Psalm 25:17 The troubles of my heart increase;
free me from my distress.
Psalm 25:18 Consider my affliction and trouble,
and take away all my sins.
Psalm 25:19 Consider my enemies, for they are
many, and they hate me with vicious hatred.
Psalm 25:20 Guard my soul and deliver me; let me
not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You.
Psalm 25:21 May integrity and uprightness
preserve me, because I wait for You.
Psalm 25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, from all its
distress.
Psalm 26:1 Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD! For I
have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without
wavering.
Psalm 26:2 Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine
my heart and mind.
Psalm 26:3 For Your loving devotion is before my
eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.
Psalm 26:4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor
keep company with hypocrites.
Psalm 26:5 I hate the mob of evildoers, and
refuse to sit with the wicked.
Psalm 26:6 I wash my hands in innocence that I
may go about Your altar, O LORD,
Psalm 26:7 to raise my voice in thanksgiving and
declare all Your wonderful works.
Psalm 26:8 O LORD, I love the house where You
dwell, the place where Your glory resides.
Psalm 26:9 Do not take my soul away with
sinners, or my life with men of bloodshed,
Psalm 26:10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
Psalm 26:11 But I will walk with integrity;
redeem me and be merciful to me.
Psalm 26:12 My feet stand on level ground; in
the congregations I will bless the LORD.
Psalm 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my
salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my
life—whom shall I dread?
Psalm 27:2 When the wicked came upon me to
devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
Psalm 27:3 Though an army encamps around me, my
heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will
keep my trust.
Psalm 27:4 One thing I have asked of the LORD;
this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the
days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in
His temple.
Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will
hide me in His shelter; He will conceal me under the cover of His
tent; He will set me high upon a rock.
Psalm 27:6 Then my head will be held high above
my enemies around me. At His tabernacle I will offer sacrifices
with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Psalm 27:7 Hear, O LORD, my voice when I call;
be merciful and answer me.
Psalm 27:8 My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your
face, O LORD, I will seek.
Psalm 27:9 Hide not Your face from me, nor turn
away Your servant in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave
me or forsake me, O God of my salvation.
Psalm 27:10 Though my father and mother forsake
me, the LORD will receive me.
Psalm 27:11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead
me on a level path, because of my oppressors.
Psalm 27:12 Do not hand me over to the will of
my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out
violence.
Psalm 27:13 Still I am certain to see the
goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:14 Wait patiently for the LORD; be
strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
Psalm 28:1 Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be
not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be
like those descending to the Pit.
Psalm 28:2 Hear my cry for mercy when I call to
You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
Psalm 28:3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their
neighbors while malice is in their hearts.
Psalm 28:4 Repay them according to their deeds
and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have
done; bring back on them what they deserve.
Psalm 28:5 Since they show no regard for the
works of the LORD or what His hands have done, He will tear them
down and never rebuild them.
Psalm 28:6 Blessed be the LORD, for He has heard
my cry for mercy.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my
shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my
heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
Psalm 28:8 The LORD is the strength of His
people, a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.
Psalm 28:9 Save Your people and bless Your
inheritance; shepherd them and carry them forever.
Psalm 29:1 A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the
LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His
name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.
Psalm 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the
waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many
waters.
Psalm 29:4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
Psalm 29:5 The voice of the LORD breaks the
cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
Psalm 29:6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
Psalm 29:7 The voice of the LORD strikes with
flames of fire.
Psalm 29:8 The voice of the LORD shakes the
wilderness; the LORD shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
Psalm 29:9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare. And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”
Psalm 29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the
flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives His people strength;
the LORD blesses His people with peace.
Psalm 30:1 A Psalm. A song for the dedication of
the temple. Of David. I will exalt You, O LORD, for You have
lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me.
Psalm 30:2 O LORD my God, I cried to You for
help, and You healed me.
Psalm 30:3 O LORD, You pulled me up from Sheol;
You spared me from descending into the Pit.
Psalm 30:4 Sing to the LORD, O you His saints,
and praise His holy name.
Psalm 30:5 For His anger is fleeting, but His
favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes
in the morning.
Psalm 30:6 In prosperity I said, “I will never
be shaken.”
Psalm 30:7 O LORD, You favored me; You made my
mountain stand strong. When You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
Psalm 30:8 To You, O LORD, I called, and I
begged my Lord for mercy:
Psalm 30:9 “What gain is there in my bloodshed,
in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it
proclaim Your faithfulness?
Psalm 30:10 Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy; O
LORD, be my helper.”
Psalm 30:11 You turned my mourning into dancing;
You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
Psalm 30:12 that my heart may sing Your praises
and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks forever.
Psalm 31:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to
shame; save me by Your righteousness.
Psalm 31:2 Incline Your ear to me; come quickly
to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my
deliverance.
Psalm 31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.
Psalm 31:4 You free me from the net laid out for
me, for You are my refuge.
Psalm 31:5 Into Your hands I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.
Psalm 31:6 I hate those who cling to worthless
idols, but in the LORD I trust.
Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your
loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known
the anguish of my soul.
Psalm 31:8 You have not delivered me to the
enemy; You have set my feet in the open.
Psalm 31:9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am
in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well.
Psalm 31:10 For my life is consumed with grief
and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength,
and my bones are wasting away.
Psalm 31:11 Among all my enemies I am a
disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my
friends—they flee when they see me on the street.
Psalm 31:12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out
of mind. I am like a broken vessel.
Psalm 31:13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side. They conspire against me and plot
to take my life.
Psalm 31:14 But I trust in You, O LORD; I say,
“You are my God.”
Psalm 31:15 My times are in Your hands; deliver
me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
Psalm 31:16 Make Your face shine on Your
servant; save me by Your loving devotion.
Psalm 31:17 O LORD, let me not be ashamed, for I
have called on You. Let the wicked be put to shame; let them lie
silent in Sheol.
Psalm 31:18 May lying lips be silenced—lips that
speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and
contempt.
Psalm 31:19 How great is Your goodness which You
have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed
before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You!
Psalm 31:20 You hide them in the secret place of
Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your
shelter from accusing tongues.
Psalm 31:21 Blessed be the LORD, for He has
shown me His loving devotion in a city under siege.
Psalm 31:22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off
from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to
You for help.
Psalm 31:23 Love the LORD, all His saints. The
LORD preserves the faithful, but fully repays the arrogant.
Psalm 31:24 Be strong and courageous, all you
who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 32:1 Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Psalm 32:2 Blessed is the man whose iniquity the
LORD does not count against him, in whose spirit there is no
deceit.
Psalm 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones became
brittle from my groaning all day long.
Psalm 32:4 For day and night Your hand was heavy
upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah
Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You and
did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my
transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah
Psalm 32:6 Therefore let all the godly pray to
You while You may be found. Surely when great waters rise, they
will not come near.
Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place. You protect
me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you the
way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
Psalm 32:9 Do not be like the horse or mule,
which have no understanding; they must be controlled with bit and
bridle to make them come to you.
Psalm 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.
Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O
righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous
ones; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.
Psalm 33:2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make
music to Him with ten strings.
Psalm 33:3 Sing to Him a new song; play
skillfully with a shout of joy.
Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all His work is trustworthy.
Psalm 33:5 The LORD loves righteousness and
justice; the earth is full of His loving devotion.
Psalm 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens
were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
Psalm 33:7 He piles up the waters of the sea; He
puts the depths into storehouses.
Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let
all the people of the world revere Him.
Psalm 33:9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He
commanded, and it stood firm.
Psalm 33:10 The LORD frustrates the plans of the
nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples.
Psalm 33:11 The counsel of the LORD stands
forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.
Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is
the LORD, the people He has chosen as His inheritance!
Psalm 33:13 The LORD looks down from heaven; He
sees all the sons of men.
Psalm 33:14 From His dwelling place He gazes on
all who inhabit the earth.
Psalm 33:15 He shapes the hearts of each; He
considers all their works.
Psalm 33:16 No king is saved by his vast army;
no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
Psalm 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for
salvation; even its great strength cannot save.
Psalm 33:18 Surely the eyes of the LORD are on
those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His loving devotion
Psalm 33:19 to deliver them from death and keep
them alive in famine.
Psalm 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is
our help and our shield.
Psalm 33:21 For our hearts rejoice in Him, since
we trust in His holy name.
Psalm 33:22 May Your loving devotion rest on us,
O LORD, as we put our hope in You.
Psalm 34:1 Of David, when he pretended to be
insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will
bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
Psalm 34:2 My soul boasts in the LORD; let the
oppressed hear and rejoice.
Psalm 34:3 Magnify the LORD with me; let us
exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered
me; He delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 34:5 Those who look to Him are radiant
with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.
Psalm 34:6 This poor man called out, and the
LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.
Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around
those who fear Him, and he delivers them.
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Psalm 34:9 Fear the LORD, you His saints, for
those who fear Him lack nothing.
Psalm 34:10 Young lions go lacking and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Psalm 34:11 Come, children, listen to me; I will
teach you the fear of the LORD.
Psalm 34:12 Who is the man who delights in life,
who desires to see good days?
Psalm 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil and your
lips from deceitful speech.
Psalm 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the
righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
Psalm 34:16 But the face of the LORD is against
those who do evil, to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD
hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the
brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
Psalm 34:20 He protects all his bones; not one
of them will be broken.
Psalm 34:21 Evil will slay the wicked, and the
haters of the righteous will be condemned.
Psalm 34:22 The LORD redeems His servants, and
none who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
Psalm 35:1 Of David. Contend with my opponents,
O LORD; fight against those who fight against me.
Psalm 35:2 Take up Your shield and buckler;
arise and come to my aid.
Psalm 35:3 Draw the spear and javelin against my
pursuers; say to my soul: “I am your salvation.”
Psalm 35:4 May those who seek my life be
disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be
driven back and confounded.
Psalm 35:5 May they be like chaff in the wind,
as the angel of the LORD drives them away.
Psalm 35:6 May their path be dark and slick, as
the angel of the LORD pursues.
Psalm 35:7 For without cause they laid their net
for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
Psalm 35:8 May ruin befall them by surprise; may
the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they
created.
Psalm 35:9 Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD
and exult in His salvation.
Psalm 35:10 All my bones will exclaim, “Who is
like You, O LORD, who delivers the afflicted from the aggressor,
the poor and needy from the robber?”
Psalm 35:11 Hostile witnesses come forward; they
make charges I know nothing about.
Psalm 35:12 They repay me evil for good, to the
bereavement of my soul.
Psalm 35:13 Yet when they were ill, I put on
sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, but my prayers returned
unanswered.
Psalm 35:14 I paced about as for my friend or
brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his
mother.
Psalm 35:15 But when I stumbled, they assembled
in glee; they gathered together against me. Assailants I did not
know slandered me without ceasing.
Psalm 35:16 Like godless jesters at a feast,
they gnashed their teeth at me.
Psalm 35:17 How long, O Lord, will You look on?
Rescue my soul from their ravages, my precious life from these
lions.
Psalm 35:18 Then I will give You thanks in the
great assembly; I will praise You among many people.
Psalm 35:19 Let not my enemies gloat over me
without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in
malice.
Psalm 35:20 For they do not speak peace, but
they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in
the land.
Psalm 35:21 They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha!
Our eyes have seen!”
Psalm 35:22 O LORD, You have seen it; be not
silent. O Lord, be not far from me.
Psalm 35:23 Awake and rise to my defense, to my
cause, my God and my Lord!
Psalm 35:24 Vindicate me by Your righteousness,
O LORD my God, and do not let them gloat over me.
Psalm 35:25 Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed
him up!”
Psalm 35:26 May those who gloat in my distress
be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me
be clothed in shame and reproach.
Psalm 35:27 May those who favor my vindication
shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “Exalted be the
LORD who delights in His servant’s well-being.”
Psalm 35:28 Then my tongue will proclaim Your
righteousness and Your praises all day long.
Psalm 36:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David, the servant of the LORD. An oracle is in my heart regarding
the transgression of the wicked man: There is no fear of God
before his eyes.
Psalm 36:2 For his eyes are too full of conceit
to detect or hate his own sin.
Psalm 36:3 The words of his mouth are wicked and
deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
Psalm 36:4 Even on his bed he plots wickedness;
he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject
evil.
Psalm 36:5 Your loving devotion, O LORD, reaches
to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds.
Psalm 36:6 Your righteousness is like the
highest mountains; Your judgments are like the deepest sea. O
LORD, You preserve man and beast.
Psalm 36:7 How precious is Your loving devotion,
O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your
wings!
Psalm 36:8 They feast on the abundance of Your
house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights.
Psalm 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life;
in Your light we see light.
Psalm 36:10 Extend Your loving devotion to those
who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
Psalm 36:11 Let not the foot of the proud come
against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
Psalm 36:12 There the evildoers lie fallen,
thrown down and unable to rise.
Psalm 37:1 Of David. Do not fret over those who
do evil; do not envy those who do wrong.
Psalm 37:2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender plants.
Psalm 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell
in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He
will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in
Him, and He will do it.
Psalm 37:6 He will bring forth your
righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait
patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways,
when they carry out wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;
do not fret—it can only bring harm.
Psalm 37:9 For the evildoers will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:10 Yet a little while, and the wicked
will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
Psalm 37:11 But the meek will inherit the land
and delight in abundant prosperity.
Psalm 37:12 The wicked scheme against the
righteous and gnash their teeth at them,
Psalm 37:13 but the Lord laughs, seeing that
their day is coming.
Psalm 37:14 The wicked have drawn the sword and
bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose
ways are upright.
Psalm 37:15 But their swords will pierce their
own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
Psalm 37:16 Better is the little of the
righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.
Psalm 37:17 For the arms of the wicked will be
broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
Psalm 37:18 The LORD knows the days of the
blameless, and their inheritance will last forever.
Psalm 37:19 In the time of evil they will not be
ashamed, and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.
Psalm 37:20 But the wicked and enemies of the
LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish;
like smoke they will fade away.
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous are gracious and giving.
Psalm 37:22 Surely those He blesses will inherit
the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a man are ordered by
the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
Psalm 37:24 Though he falls, he will not be
overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.
Psalm 37:25 I once was young and now am old, yet
never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children
begging for bread.
Psalm 37:26 They are ever generous and quick to
lend, and their children are a blessing.
Psalm 37:27 Turn away from evil and do good, so
that you will abide forever.
Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loves justice and will
not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, but the
offspring of the wicked will be cut off.
Psalm 37:29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.
Psalm 37:30 The mouth of the righteous man
utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
Psalm 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.
Psalm 37:32 Though the wicked lie in wait for
the righteous, and seek to slay them,
Psalm 37:33 the LORD will not leave them in
their power or let them be condemned under judgment.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way,
and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are
cut off, you will see it.
Psalm 37:35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man
flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
Psalm 37:36 yet he passed away and was no more;
though I searched, he could not be found.
Psalm 37:37 Consider the blameless and observe
the upright, for posterity awaits the man of peace.
Psalm 37:38 But the transgressors will all be
destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous is
from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.
Psalm 37:40 The LORD helps and delivers them; He
rescues and saves them from the wicked, because they take refuge
in Him.
Psalm 38:1 A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O
LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your
wrath.
Psalm 38:2 For Your arrows have pierced me
deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me.
Psalm 38:3 There is no soundness in my body
because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my
sin.
Psalm 38:4 For my iniquities have overwhelmed
me; they are a burden too heavy to bear.
Psalm 38:5 My wounds are foul and festering
because of my sinful folly.
Psalm 38:6 I am bent and brought low; all day
long I go about mourning.
Psalm 38:7 For my loins are full of burning
pain, and no soundness remains in my body.
Psalm 38:8 I am numb and badly crushed; I groan
in anguish of heart.
Psalm 38:9 O Lord, my every desire is before
You; my groaning is not hidden from You.
Psalm 38:10 My heart pounds, my strength fails,
and even the light of my eyes has faded.
Psalm 38:11 My beloved and friends shun my
disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.
Psalm 38:12 Those who seek my life lay snares;
those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day
long.
Psalm 38:13 But like a deaf man, I do not hear;
and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.
Psalm 38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear,
whose mouth offers no reply.
Psalm 38:15 I wait for You, O LORD; You will
answer, O Lord my God.
Psalm 38:16 For I said, “Let them not gloat over
me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
Psalm 38:17 For I am ready to fall, and my pain
is ever with me.
Psalm 38:18 Yes, I confess my iniquity; I am
troubled by my sin.
Psalm 38:19 Many are my enemies without cause,
and many hate me without reason.
Psalm 38:20 Those who repay my good with evil
attack me for pursuing the good.
Psalm 38:21 Do not forsake me, O LORD; be not
far from me, O my God.
Psalm 38:22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my
Savior.
Psalm 39:1 For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A
Psalm of David. I said, “I will watch my ways so that I will not
sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as
the wicked are present.”
Psalm 39:2 I was speechless and still; I
remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was
stirred.
Psalm 39:3 My heart grew hot within me; as I
mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:
Psalm 39:4 “Show me, O LORD, my end and the
measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is.
Psalm 39:5 You, indeed, have made my days as
handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each
man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah
Psalm 39:6 Surely every man goes about like a
phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing
who will haul them away.
Psalm 39:7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.
Psalm 39:8 Deliver me from all my
transgressions; do not make me the reproach of fools.
Psalm 39:9 I have become mute; I do not open my
mouth because of what You have done.
Psalm 39:10 Remove Your scourge from me; I am
perishing by the force of Your hand.
Psalm 39:11 You discipline and correct a man for
his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely
each man is but a vapor. Selah
Psalm 39:12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear
to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. For I am a
foreigner dwelling with You, a stranger like all my fathers.
Psalm 39:13 Turn Your gaze away from me, that I
may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”
Psalm 40:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and
heard my cry.
Psalm 40:2 He lifted me up from the pit of
despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and
made my footsteps firm.
Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn
of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust
in the LORD.
Psalm 40:4 Blessed is the man who has made the
LORD his trust, who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who
lapse into falsehood.
Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders
You have done, and the plans You have for us—none can compare to
You—if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can
count.
Psalm 40:6 Sacrifice and offering You did not
desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin
offerings You did not require.
Psalm 40:7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have
come—it is written about me in the scroll:
Psalm 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”
Psalm 40:9 I proclaim righteousness in the great
assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know.
Psalm 40:10 I have not covered up Your
righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and
salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and
faithfulness from the great assembly.
Psalm 40:11 O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy
from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard
me.
Psalm 40:12 For evils without number surround
me; my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see. They are more
than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed within me.
Psalm 40:13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
hurry, O LORD, to help me.
Psalm 40:14 May those who seek my life be
ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and
humiliated.
Psalm 40:15 May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
Psalm 40:16 May all who seek You rejoice and be
glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “The
LORD be magnified!”
Psalm 40:17 But I am poor and needy; may the
Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do
not delay.
Psalm 41:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will
deliver him in the day of trouble.
Psalm 41:2 The LORD will protect and preserve
him; He will bless him in the land and refuse to surrender him to
the will of his foes.
Psalm 41:3 The LORD will sustain him on his bed
of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness.
Psalm 41:4 I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against You.”
Psalm 41:5 My enemies say with malice: “When
will he die and be forgotten?”
Psalm 41:6 My visitor speaks falsehood; he
gathers slander in his heart; he goes out and spreads it abroad.
Psalm 41:7 All who hate me whisper against me;
they imagine the worst for me:
Psalm 41:8 “A vile disease has been poured into
him; he will never get up from where he lies!”
Psalm 41:9 Even my close friend whom I trusted,
the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
Psalm 41:10 But You, O LORD, be gracious to me
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
Psalm 41:11 By this I know that You delight in
me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.
Psalm 41:12 In my integrity You uphold me and
set me in Your presence forever.
Psalm 41:13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of
Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Psalm 42:1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the
sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul
longs after You, O God.
Psalm 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, the living
God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?
Psalm 42:3 My tears have been my food both day
and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Psalm 42:4 These things come to mind as I pour
out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the
procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.
Psalm 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why
the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise
Him for the salvation of His presence.
Psalm 42:6 O my God, my soul despairs within me.
Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of
Hermon—even from Mount Mizar.
Psalm 42:7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of
Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.
Psalm 42:8 The LORD decrees His loving devotion
by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of
my life.
Psalm 42:9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have You
forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s
oppression?”
Psalm 42:10 Like the crushing of my bones, my
enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is
your God?”
Psalm 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why
the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise
Him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 43:1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my
case against an ungodly nation; deliver me from deceitful and
unjust men.
Psalm 43:2 For You are the God of my refuge. Why
have You rejected me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the
enemy’s oppression?
Psalm 43:3 Send out Your light and Your truth;
let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, and to
the place where You dwell.
Psalm 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the harp, O God,
my God.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why
the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise
Him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 44:1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the
sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers
have told us the work You did in their days, in the days of old.
Psalm 44:2 With Your hand You drove out the
nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and
cast them out.
Psalm 44:3 For it was not by their sword that
they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was
by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because
You favored them.
Psalm 44:4 You are my King, O God, who ordains
victories for Jacob.
Psalm 44:5 Through You we repel our foes;
through Your name we trample our enemies.
Psalm 44:6 For I do not trust in my bow, nor
does my sword save me.
Psalm 44:7 For You save us from our enemies; You
put those who hate us to shame.
Psalm 44:8 In God we have boasted all day long,
and Your name we will praise forever. Selah
Psalm 44:9 But You have rejected and humbled us;
You no longer go forth with our armies.
Psalm 44:10 You have made us retreat from the
foe, and those who hate us have plundered us.
Psalm 44:11 You have given us up as sheep to be
devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.
Psalm 44:12 You sell Your people for nothing; no
profit do You gain from their sale.
Psalm 44:13 You have made us a reproach to our
neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.
Psalm 44:14 You have made us a byword among the
nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
Psalm 44:15 All day long my disgrace is before
me, and shame has covered my face,
Psalm 44:16 at the voice of the scorner and
reviler, because of the enemy, bent on revenge.
Psalm 44:17 All this has come upon us, though we
have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant.
Psalm 44:18 Our hearts have not turned back; our
steps have not strayed from Your path.
Psalm 44:19 But You have crushed us in the lair
of jackals; You have covered us with deepest darkness.
Psalm 44:20 If we had forgotten the name of our
God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
Psalm 44:21 would not God have discovered, since
He knows the secrets of the heart?
Psalm 44:22 Yet for Your sake we face death all
day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
Psalm 44:23 Wake up, O Lord! Why are You
sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.
Psalm 44:24 Why do You hide Your face and forget
our affliction and oppression?
Psalm 44:25 For our soul has sunk to the dust;
our bodies cling to the earth.
Psalm 44:26 Rise up; be our help! Redeem us on
account of Your loving devotion.
Psalm 45:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. My heart
is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my
tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
Psalm 45:2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
Psalm 45:3 Strap your sword at your side, O
mighty warrior; appear in your majesty and splendor.
Psalm 45:4 In your splendor ride forth in
victory on behalf of truth and humility and justice; may your
right hand show your awesome deeds.
Psalm 45:5 Your arrows pierce the hearts of the
king’s foes; the nations fall beneath your feet.
Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, endures forever
and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
Psalm 45:7 You have loved righteousness and
hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you above
your companions with the oil of joy.
Psalm 45:8 All your garments are fragrant with
myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces of ivory the harps make
you glad.
Psalm 45:9 The daughters of kings are among your
honored women; the queen stands at your right hand, adorned with
the gold of Ophir.
Psalm 45:10 Listen, O daughter! Consider and
incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,
Psalm 45:11 and the king will desire your
beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.
Psalm 45:12 The Daughter of Tyre will come with
a gift; men of wealth will seek your favor.
Psalm 45:13 All glorious is the princess in her
chamber; her gown is embroidered with gold.
Psalm 45:14 In colorful garments she is led to
the king; her virgin companions are brought before you.
Psalm 45:15 They are led in with joy and
gladness; they enter the palace of the king.
Psalm 45:16 Your sons will succeed your fathers;
you will make them princes throughout the land.
Psalm 45:17 I will commemorate your name through
all generations; therefore the nations will praise you forever and
ever.
Psalm 46:1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of
Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and
strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
Psalm 46:2 Therefore we will not fear, though
the earth is transformed and the mountains are toppled into the
depths of the seas,
Psalm 46:3 though their waters roar and foam and
the mountains quake in the surge. Selah
Psalm 46:4 There is a river whose streams
delight the city of God, the holy place where the Most High
dwells.
Psalm 46:5 God is within her; she will not be
moved. God will help her when morning dawns.
Psalm 46:6 Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the
earth melts when He lifts His voice.
Psalm 46:7 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the God
of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Psalm 46:8 Come, see the works of the LORD, who
brings devastation upon the earth.
Psalm 46:9 He makes wars to cease throughout the
earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the
shields in the fire.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God; I
will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the
earth.”
Psalm 46:11 The LORD of Hosts is with us; the
God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Psalm 47:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the
sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout unto God
with a voice of triumph.
Psalm 47:2 How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!
Psalm 47:3 He subdues nations beneath us, and
peoples under our feet.
Psalm 47:4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah
Psalm 47:5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD with the sound of the horn.
Psalm 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises!
Psalm 47:7 For God is King of all the earth;
sing profound praises to Him.
Psalm 47:8 God reigns over the nations; God is
seated on His holy throne.
Psalm 47:9 The nobles of the nations have
assembled as the people of the God of Abraham; for the shields of
the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.
Psalm 48:1 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our
God, His holy mountain.
Psalm 48:2 Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of
all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of
the great King.
Psalm 48:3 God is in her citadels; He has shown
Himself to be a fortress.
Psalm 48:4 For behold, the kings assembled; they
all advanced together.
Psalm 48:5 They saw and were astounded; they
fled in terror.
Psalm 48:6 Trembling seized them there, anguish
like a woman in labor.
Psalm 48:7 With a wind from the east You wrecked
the ships of Tarshish.
Psalm 48:8 As we have heard, so we have seen in
the city of the LORD of Hosts, in the city of our God: God will
establish her forever. Selah
Psalm 48:9 Within Your temple, O God, we
contemplate Your loving devotion.
Psalm 48:10 Your name, O God, like Your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of
righteousness.
Psalm 48:11 Mount Zion is glad, the daughters of
Judah rejoice, on account of Your judgments.
Psalm 48:12 March around Zion, encircle her,
count her towers,
Psalm 48:13 consider her ramparts, tour her
citadels, that you may tell the next generation.
Psalm 48:14 For this God is our God forever and
ever; He will be our guide even till death.
Psalm 49:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the
sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants
of the world,
Psalm 49:2 both low and high, rich and poor
alike.
Psalm 49:3 My mouth will impart wisdom, and the
meditation of my heart will bring understanding.
Psalm 49:4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I
will express my riddle with the harp:
Psalm 49:5 Why should I fear in times of
trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
Psalm 49:6 They trust in their wealth and boast
in their great riches.
Psalm 49:7 No man can possibly redeem his
brother or pay his ransom to God.
Psalm 49:8 For the redemption of his soul is
costly, and never can payment suffice,
Psalm 49:9 that he should live on forever and
not see decay.
Psalm 49:10 For it is clear that wise men die,
and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their
wealth to others.
Psalm 49:11 Their graves are their eternal
homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their
lands were their namesakes.
Psalm 49:12 But a man, despite his wealth,
cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
Psalm 49:13 This is the fate of the
self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings.
Selah
Psalm 49:14 Like sheep they are destined for
Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in
the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their
lofty abode.
Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my life from
Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah
Psalm 49:16 Do not be amazed when a man grows
rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
Psalm 49:17 For when he dies, he will carry
nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.
Psalm 49:18 Though in his lifetime he blesses
his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—
Psalm 49:19 he will join the generation of his
fathers, who will never see the light of day.
Psalm 49:20 A man who has riches without
understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Psalm 50:1 A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God
the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from where the sun rises to
where it sets.
Psalm 50:2 From Zion, perfect in beauty, God
shines forth.
Psalm 50:3 Our God approaches and will not be
silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around
Him.
Psalm 50:4 He summons the heavens above, and the
earth, that He may judge His people:
Psalm 50:5 “Gather to Me My saints, who made a
covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
Psalm 50:6 And the heavens proclaim His
righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
Psalm 50:7 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
Psalm 50:8 I do not rebuke you for your
sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.
Psalm 50:9 I have no need for a bull from your
stall or goats from your pens,
Psalm 50:10 for every beast of the forest is
Mine—the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psalm 50:11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are Mine.
Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell
you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.
Psalm 50:13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or
drink the blood of goats?
Psalm 50:14 Sacrifice a thank offering to God,
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
Psalm 50:16 To the wicked, however, God says,
“What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant
on your lips?
Psalm 50:17 For you hate My instruction and cast
My words behind you.
Psalm 50:18 When you see a thief, you befriend
him, and throw in your lot with adulterers.
Psalm 50:19 You unleash your mouth for evil and
unharness your tongue for deceit.
Psalm 50:20 You sit and malign your brother; you
slander your own mother’s son.
Psalm 50:21 You have done these things, and I
kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you
and accuse you to your face.
Psalm 50:22 Now consider this, you who forget
God, lest I tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
Psalm 50:23 He who sacrifices a thank offering
honors Me, and to him who rights his way, I will show the
salvation of God.”
Psalm 51:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with
Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving
devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my
transgressions.
Psalm 51:2 Wash me clean of my iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:3 For I know my transgressions, and my
sin is always before me.
Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved
right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:5 Surely I was brought forth in
iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:6 Surely You desire truth in the inmost
being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Psalm 51:7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be
clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the
bones You have crushed rejoice.
Psalm 51:9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot
out all my iniquities.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:11 Cast me not away from Your presence;
take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your
salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors Your
ways, and sinners will return to You.
Psalm 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your
righteousness.
Psalm 51:15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth
will declare Your praise.
Psalm 51:16 For You do not delight in sacrifice,
or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not
despise.
Psalm 51:18 In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to
prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Psalm 51:19 Then You will delight in righteous
sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered
on Your altar.
Psalm 52:1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of
David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David
has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O
mighty man? The loving devotion of God endures all day long.
Psalm 52:2 Your tongue devises destruction like
a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.
Psalm 52:3 You love evil more than good,
falsehood more than speaking truth. Selah
Psalm 52:4 You love every word that devours, O
deceitful tongue.
Psalm 52:5 Surely God will bring you down to
everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from
your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
Psalm 52:6 The righteous will see and fear; they
will mock the evildoer, saying,
Psalm 52:7 “Look at the man who did not make God
his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and
strengthened himself by destruction.”
Psalm 52:8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of
God forever and ever.
Psalm 52:9 I will praise You forever, because
You have done it. I will wait on Your name—for it is good—in the
presence of Your saints.
Psalm 53:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Mahalath. A Maskil of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is
no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one
who does good.
Psalm 53:2 God looks down from heaven upon the
sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
Psalm 53:3 All have turned away, they have
together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even
one.
Psalm 53:4 Will the workers of iniquity never
learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon
God.
Psalm 53:5 There they are, overwhelmed with
dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the
bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God
has despised them.
Psalm 53:6 Oh, that the salvation of Israel
would come from Zion! When God restores His captive people, let
Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad!
Psalm 54:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. A Maskil of David. When the Ziphites went to Saul and
said, “Is David not hiding among us?” Save me, O God, by Your
name, and vindicate me by Your might!
Psalm 54:2 Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the
words of my mouth.
Psalm 54:3 For strangers rise up against me, and
ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God. Selah
Psalm 54:4 Surely God is my helper; the Lord is
the sustainer of my soul.
Psalm 54:5 He will reward my enemies with evil.
In Your faithfulness, destroy them.
Psalm 54:6 Freely I will sacrifice to You; I
will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.
Psalm 54:7 For He has delivered me from every
trouble, and my eyes have stared down my foes.
Psalm 55:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. A Maskil of David. Listen to my prayer, O God, and do
not ignore my plea.
Psalm 55:2 Attend to me and answer me. I am
restless in my complaint, and distraught
Psalm 55:3 at the voice of the enemy, at the
pressure of the wicked. For they release disaster upon me and
revile me in their anger.
Psalm 55:4 My heart murmurs within me, and the
terrors of death assail me.
Psalm 55:5 Fear and trembling grip me, and
horror has overwhelmed me.
Psalm 55:6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a
dove! I would fly away and find rest.
Psalm 55:7 How far away I would flee! In the
wilderness I would remain. Selah
Psalm 55:8 I would hurry to my shelter, far from
this raging tempest.”
Psalm 55:9 O Lord, confuse and confound their
speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.
Psalm 55:10 Day and night they encircle the
walls, while malice and trouble lie within.
Psalm 55:11 Destruction is within; oppression
and deceit never leave the streets.
Psalm 55:12 For it is not an enemy who insults
me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me;
from him I could hide.
Psalm 55:13 But it is you, a man like myself, my
companion and close friend.
Psalm 55:14 We shared sweet fellowship together;
we walked with the crowd into the house of God.
Psalm 55:15 Let death seize them by surprise;
let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their
homes.
Psalm 55:16 But I call to God, and the LORD
saves me.
Psalm 55:17 Morning, noon, and night, I cry out
in distress, and He hears my voice.
Psalm 55:18 He redeems my soul in peace from the
battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.
Psalm 55:19 God will hear and humiliate them—the
One enthroned for the ages—Selah because they do not change and
they have no fear of God.
Psalm 55:20 My companion attacks his friends; he
violates his covenant.
Psalm 55:21 His speech is smooth as butter, but
war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are
swords unsheathed.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden upon the LORD and
He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down
to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not
live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
Psalm 56:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines
seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding
me; all day they press their attack.
Psalm 56:2 My enemies pursue me all day long,
for many proudly assail me.
Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in
You.
Psalm 56:4 In God, whose word I praise—in God I
trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Psalm 56:5 All day long they twist my words; all
their thoughts are on my demise.
Psalm 56:6 They conspire, they lurk, they watch
my steps while they wait to take my life.
Psalm 56:7 In spite of such sin, will they
escape? In Your anger, O God, cast down the nations.
Psalm 56:8 You have taken account of my
wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book?
Psalm 56:9 Then my enemies will retreat on the
day I cry for help. By this I will know that God is on my side.
Psalm 56:10 In God, whose word I praise, in the
LORD, whose word I praise,
Psalm 56:11 in God I trust; I will not be
afraid. What can man do to me?
Psalm 56:12 Your vows are upon me, O God; I will
render thank offerings to You.
Psalm 56:13 For You have delivered my soul from
death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in
the light of life.
Psalm 57:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into
the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul
takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter
until the danger has passed.
Psalm 57:2 I cry out to God Most High, to God
who fulfills His purpose for me.
Psalm 57:3 He reaches down from heaven and saves
me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His
loving devotion and His truth.
Psalm 57:4 My soul is among the lions; I lie
down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and
arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Psalm 57:5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
may Your glory cover all the earth.
Psalm 57:6 They spread a net for my feet; my
soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves
have fallen into it! Selah
Psalm 57:7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my
heart is steadfast. I will sing and make music.
Psalm 57:8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and
lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
Psalm 57:9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the
nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples.
Psalm 57:10 For Your loving devotion reaches to
the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds.
Psalm 57:11 Be exalted, O God, above the
heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.
Psalm 58:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O
rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
Psalm 58:2 No, in your hearts you devise
injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.
Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the
womb; the liars go astray from birth.
Psalm 58:4 Their venom is like the venom of a
snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
Psalm 58:5 refusing to hear the tune of the
charmer who skillfully weaves his spell.
Psalm 58:6 O God, shatter their teeth in their
mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
Psalm 58:7 May they vanish like water that runs
off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.
Psalm 58:8 Like a slug that dissolves in its
slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun.
Psalm 58:9 Before your pots can feel the burning
thorns—whether green or dry—He will sweep them away.
Psalm 58:10 The righteous will rejoice when they
see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of
the wicked.
Psalm 58:11 Then men will say, “There is surely
a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the
earth!”
Psalm 59:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch
David’s house in order to kill him. Deliver me from my enemies, O
my God; protect me from those who rise against me.
Psalm 59:2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity,
and save me from men of bloodshed.
Psalm 59:3 See how they lie in wait for me.
Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my
own, O LORD.
Psalm 59:4 For no fault of my own, they move
swiftly to attack me. Arise to help me, and take notice.
Psalm 59:5 O LORD God of Hosts, the God of
Israel, rouse Yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to
the wicked traitors. Selah
Psalm 59:6 They return in the evening, snarling
like dogs and prowling around the city.
Psalm 59:7 See what they spew from their
mouths—sharp words from their lips: “For who can hear us?”
Psalm 59:8 But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You
scoff at all the nations.
Psalm 59:9 I will keep watch for You, O my
strength, because You, O God, are my fortress.
Psalm 59:10 My God of loving devotion will come
to meet me; God will let me stare down my foes.
Psalm 59:11 Do not kill them, or my people will
forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord,
our shield.
Psalm 59:12 By the sins of their mouths and the
words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the
curses and lies they utter.
Psalm 59:13 Consume them in wrath; consume them
till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob. Selah
Psalm 59:14 They return in the evening, snarling
like dogs and prowling around the city.
Psalm 59:15 They scavenge for food, and growl if
they are not satisfied.
Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of Your strength and
proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning. For You are my
fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 59:17 To You, O my strength, I sing
praises, for You, O God, are my fortress, my God of loving
devotion.
Psalm 60:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“The Lily of the Covenant.” A Miktam of David for instruction.
When he fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and
struck down 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. You have
rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry;
restore us!
Psalm 60:2 You have shaken the land and torn it
open. Heal its fractures, for it is quaking.
Psalm 60:3 You have shown Your people hardship;
we are staggered from the wine You made us drink.
Psalm 60:4 You have raised a banner for those
who fear You, that they may flee the bow. Selah
Psalm 60:5 Respond and save us with Your right
hand, that Your beloved may be delivered.
Psalm 60:6 God has spoken from His sanctuary: “I
will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem and apportion the Valley
of Succoth.
Psalm 60:7 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.
Psalm 60:8 Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I
toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
Psalm 60:9 Who will bring me to the fortified
city? Who will lead me to Edom?
Psalm 60:10 Have You not rejected us, O God?
Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?
Psalm 60:11 Give us aid against the enemy, for
the help of man is worthless.
Psalm 60:12 With God we will perform with valor,
and He will trample our enemies.
Psalm 61:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. Of David. Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.
Psalm 61:2 From the ends of the earth I call out
to You whenever my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is
higher than I.
Psalm 61:3 For You have been my refuge, a tower
of strength against the enemy.
Psalm 61:4 Let me dwell in Your tent forever and
take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
Psalm 61:5 For You have heard my vows, O God;
You have given me the inheritance reserved for those who fear Your
name.
Psalm 61:6 Increase the days of the king’s life;
may his years span many generations.
Psalm 61:7 May he sit enthroned in God’s
presence forever; appoint Your loving devotion and Your
faithfulness to guard him.
Psalm 61:8 Then I will ever sing praise to Your
name and fulfill my vows day by day.
Psalm 62:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. In God alone my soul finds rest; my
salvation comes from Him.
Psalm 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation.
He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:3 How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you throw him down like a leaning wall or a tottering
fence?
Psalm 62:4 They fully intend to cast him down
from his lofty perch; they delight in lies; with their mouths they
bless, but inwardly they curse. Selah
Psalm 62:5 Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my
hope comes from Him.
Psalm 62:6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:7 My salvation and my honor rest on
God, my strong rock; my refuge is in God.
Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 62:9 Lowborn men are but a vapor, the
exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they
are but a vapor.
Psalm 62:10 Place no trust in extortion, or
false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set
your heart upon them.
Psalm 62:11 God has spoken once; I have heard
this twice: that power belongs to God,
Psalm 62:12 and loving devotion to You, O Lord.
For You will repay each man according to his deeds.
Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the
Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary
land without water.
Psalm 63:2 So I have seen You in the sanctuary
and beheld Your power and glory.
Psalm 63:3 Because Your loving devotion is
better than life, my lips will glorify You.
Psalm 63:4 So I will bless You as long as I
live; in Your name I will lift my hands.
Psalm 63:5 My soul is satisfied as with the
richest of foods; with joyful lips my mouth will praise You.
Psalm 63:6 When I remember You on my bed, I
think of You through the watches of the night.
Psalm 63:7 For You are my help; I will sing for
joy in the shadow of Your wings.
Psalm 63:8 My soul clings to You; Your right
hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:9 But those who seek my life to destroy
it will go into the depths of the earth.
Psalm 63:10 They will fall to the power of the
sword; they will become a portion for foxes.
Psalm 63:11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by Him will exult, for the mouths of liars will be
shut.
Psalm 64:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from
dread of the enemy.
Psalm 64:2 Hide me from the scheming of the
wicked, from the mob of workers of iniquity,
Psalm 64:3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim their bitter words like arrows,
Psalm 64:4 ambushing the innocent in seclusion,
shooting suddenly, without fear.
Psalm 64:5 They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.
Psalm 64:6 They devise injustice and say, “We
have perfected a secret plan.” For the inner man and the heart are
mysterious.
Psalm 64:7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly they will be wounded.
Psalm 64:8 They will be made to stumble, their
own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their
heads.
Psalm 64:9 Then all mankind will fear and
proclaim the work of God; so they will ponder what He has done.
Psalm 64:10 Let the righteous rejoice in the
LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart exult.
Psalm 65:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. A song. Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows
will be fulfilled.
Psalm 65:2 O You who listen to prayer, all
people will come to You.
Psalm 65:3 When iniquities prevail against me,
You atone for our transgressions.
Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the one You choose and
bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the
goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.
Psalm 65:5 With awesome deeds of righteousness
You answer us, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of
the earth and of the farthest seas.
Psalm 65:6 You formed the mountains by Your
power, having girded Yourself with might.
Psalm 65:7 You stilled the roaring of the seas,
the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.
Psalm 65:8 Those who live far away fear Your
wonders; You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.
Psalm 65:9 You attend to the earth and water it;
with abundance You enrich it. The streams of God are full of
water, for You prepare our grain by providing for the earth.
Psalm 65:10 You soak its furrows and level its
ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its growth.
Psalm 65:11 You crown the year with Your bounty,
and Your paths overflow with plenty.
Psalm 65:12 The pastures of the wilderness
overflow; the hills are robed with joy.
Psalm 65:13 The pastures are clothed with
flocks, and the valleys are decked with grain. They shout in
triumph; indeed, they sing.
Psalm 66:1 For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm.
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!
Psalm 66:2 Sing the glory of His name; make His
praise glorious.
Psalm 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your
deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.
Psalm 66:4 All the earth bows down to You; they
sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah
Psalm 66:5 Come and see the works of God; how
awesome are His deeds toward mankind.
Psalm 66:6 He turned the sea into dry land; they
passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.
Psalm 66:7 He rules forever by His power; His
eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt
themselves. Selah
Psalm 66:8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the
sound of His praise be heard.
Psalm 66:9 He preserves our lives and keeps our
feet from slipping.
Psalm 66:10 For You, O God, have tested us; You
have refined us like silver.
Psalm 66:11 You led us into the net; You laid
burdens on our backs.
Psalm 66:12 You let men ride over our heads; we
went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.
Psalm 66:13 I will enter Your house with burnt
offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—
Psalm 66:14 the vows that my lips promised and
my mouth spoke in my distress.
Psalm 66:15 I will offer You fatlings as burnt
offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and
goats. Selah
Psalm 66:16 Come and listen, all you who fear
God, and I will declare what He has done for me.
Psalm 66:17 I cried out to Him with my mouth and
praised Him with my tongue.
Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my
heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Psalm 66:19 But God has surely heard; He has
attended to the sound of my prayer.
Psalm 66:20 Blessed be God, who has not rejected
my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!
Psalm 67:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless
us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
Psalm 67:2 that Your ways may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
Psalm 67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You.
Psalm 67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for
joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the
earth. Selah
Psalm 67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
let all the peoples praise You.
Psalm 67:6 The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
Psalm 67:7 God blesses us, that all the ends of
the earth shall fear Him.
Psalm 68:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those
who hate Him flee His presence.
Psalm 68:2 As smoke is blown away, You will
drive them out; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will
perish in the presence of God.
Psalm 68:3 But the righteous will be glad and
rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.
Psalm 68:4 Sing to God! Sing praises to His
name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and
rejoice before Him.
Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a
defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
Psalm 68:6 God settles the lonely in families;
He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell
in a sun-scorched land.
Psalm 68:7 O God, when You went out before Your
people, when You marched through the wasteland, Selah
Psalm 68:8 the earth shook and the heavens
poured down rain before God, the One on Sinai, before God, the God
of Israel.
Psalm 68:9 You sent abundant rain, O God; You
refreshed Your weary inheritance.
Psalm 68:10 Your flock settled therein; O God,
from Your bounty You provided for the poor.
Psalm 68:11 The Lord gives the command; a great
company of women proclaim it:
Psalm 68:12 “Kings and their armies flee in
haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder.
Psalm 68:13 Though you lie down among the
sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her
feathers with shimmering gold.”
Psalm 68:14 When the Almighty scattered the
kings in the land, it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.
Psalm 68:15 A mountain of God is Mount Bashan; a
mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.
Psalm 68:16 Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains
of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling,
where the LORD will surely dwell forever.
Psalm 68:17 The chariots of God are tens of
thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His
sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
Psalm 68:18 You have ascended on high; You have
led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the
rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.
Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears
our burden, the God of our salvation. Selah
Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God of deliverance; the
Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.
Psalm 68:21 Surely God will crush the heads of
His enemies, the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.
Psalm 68:22 The Lord said, “I will retrieve them
from Bashan, I will bring them up from the depths of the sea,
Psalm 68:23 that your foot may be dipped in the
blood of your foes—the tongues of your dogs in the same.”
Psalm 68:24 They have seen Your procession, O
God—the march of my God and King into the sanctuary.
Psalm 68:25 The singers lead the way, the
musicians follow after, among the maidens playing tambourines.
Psalm 68:26 Bless God in the great congregation;
bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.
Psalm 68:27 There is Benjamin, the youngest,
ruling them, the princes of Judah in their company, the princes of
Zebulun and of Naphtali.
Psalm 68:28 Summon Your power, O God; show Your
strength, O God, which You have exerted on our behalf.
Psalm 68:29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring You gifts.
Psalm 68:30 Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the
herd of bulls among the calves of the nations, until it submits,
bringing bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
Psalm 68:31 Envoys will arrive from Egypt; Cush
will stretch out her hands to God.
Psalm 68:32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the
earth; sing praises to the Lord—Selah
Psalm 68:33 to Him who rides upon the highest
heavens of old; behold, His mighty voice resounds.
Psalm 68:34 Ascribe the power to God, whose
majesty is over Israel, whose strength is in the skies.
Psalm 68:35 O God, You are awesome in Your
sanctuary; the God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to
His people. Blessed be God!
Psalm 69:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my
neck.
Psalm 69:2 I have sunk into the miry depths,
where there is no footing; I have drifted into deep waters, where
the flood engulfs me.
Psalm 69:3 I am weary from my crying; my throat
is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
Psalm 69:4 Those who hate me without cause
outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy
me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
Psalm 69:5 You know my folly, O God, and my
guilt is not hidden from You.
Psalm 69:6 May those who hope in You not be
ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of Hosts; may those who seek You
not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel.
Psalm 69:7 For I have endured scorn for Your
sake, and shame has covered my face.
Psalm 69:8 I have become a stranger to my
brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons,
Psalm 69:9 because zeal for Your house has
consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen
on me.
Psalm 69:10 I wept and fasted, but it brought me
reproach.
Psalm 69:11 I made sackcloth my clothing, and I
was sport to them.
Psalm 69:12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of drunkards.
Psalm 69:13 But my prayer to You, O LORD, is for
a time of favor. In Your abundant loving devotion, O God, answer
me with Your sure salvation.
Psalm 69:14 Rescue me from the mire and do not
let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters.
Psalm 69:15 Do not let the floods engulf me or
the depths swallow me up; let not the Pit close its mouth over me.
Psalm 69:16 Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving
devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great
compassion.
Psalm 69:17 Hide not Your face from Your
servant, for I am in distress. Answer me quickly!
Psalm 69:18 Draw near to my soul and redeem me;
ransom me because of my foes.
Psalm 69:19 You know my reproach, my shame and
disgrace. All my adversaries are before You.
Psalm 69:20 Insults have broken my heart, and I
am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for
comforters, but I found no one.
Psalm 69:21 They poisoned my food with gall and
gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.
Psalm 69:22 May their table become a snare; may
it be a retribution and a trap.
Psalm 69:23 May their eyes be darkened so they
cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.
Psalm 69:24 Pour out Your wrath upon them, and
let Your burning anger overtake them.
Psalm 69:25 May their place be deserted; let
there be no one to dwell in their tents.
Psalm 69:26 For they persecute the one You
struck and recount the pain of those You wounded.
Psalm 69:27 Add iniquity to their iniquity; let
them not share in Your righteousness.
Psalm 69:28 May they be blotted out of the Book
of Life and not listed with the righteous.
Psalm 69:29 But I am in pain and distress; let
Your salvation protect me, O God.
Psalm 69:30 I will praise God’s name in song and
exalt Him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:31 And this will please the LORD more
than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves.
Psalm 69:32 The humble will see and rejoice. You
who seek God, let your hearts be revived!
Psalm 69:33 For the LORD listens to the needy
and does not despise His captive people.
Psalm 69:34 Let heaven and earth praise Him, the
seas and everything that moves in them.
Psalm 69:35 For God will save Zion and rebuild
the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it.
Psalm 69:36 The descendants of His servants will
inherit it, and those who love His name will settle in it.
Psalm 70:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. To
bring remembrance. Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Hurry, O
LORD, to help me!
Psalm 70:2 May those who seek my life be ashamed
and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and
humiliated.
Psalm 70:3 May those who say, “Aha, aha!”
retreat because of their shame.
Psalm 70:4 May all who seek You rejoice and be
glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “Let
God be magnified!”
Psalm 70:5 But I am poor and needy; hurry to me,
O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.
Psalm 71:1 In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
Psalm 71:2 In Your justice, rescue and deliver
me; incline Your ear and save me.
Psalm 71:3 Be my rock of refuge, where I can
always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my
fortress.
Psalm 71:4 Deliver me, O my God, from the hand
of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
Psalm 71:5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my
confidence from my youth.
Psalm 71:6 I have leaned on You since birth; You
pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.
Psalm 71:7 I have become a portent to many, but
You are my strong refuge.
Psalm 71:8 My mouth is filled with Your praise
and with Your splendor all day long.
Psalm 71:9 Do not discard me in my old age; do
not forsake me when my strength fails.
Psalm 71:10 For my enemies speak against me, and
those who lie in wait for my life conspire,
Psalm 71:11 saying, “God has forsaken him;
pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”
Psalm 71:12 Be not far from me, O God. Hurry, O
my God, to help me.
Psalm 71:13 May the accusers of my soul be
ashamed and consumed; may those who seek my harm be covered with
scorn and disgrace.
Psalm 71:14 But I will always hope and will
praise You more and more.
Psalm 71:15 My mouth will declare Your
righteousness and Your salvation all day long, though I cannot
know their full measure.
Psalm 71:16 I will enter in the strength of the
Lord GOD; I will proclaim Your righteousness—Yours alone.
Psalm 71:17 O God, You have taught me from my
youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.
Psalm 71:18 Even when I am old and gray, do not
forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next
generation, Your might to all who are to come.
Psalm 71:19 Your righteousness reaches to the
heavens, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is
like You?
Psalm 71:20 Though You have shown me many
troubles and misfortunes, You will revive me once again. Even from
the depths of the earth You will bring me back up.
Psalm 71:21 You will increase my honor and
comfort me once again.
Psalm 71:22 So I will praise You with the harp
for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with
the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 71:23 When I sing praise to You my lips
will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.
Psalm 71:24 My tongue will indeed proclaim Your
righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are
disgraced and confounded.
Psalm 72:1 Of Solomon. Endow the king with Your
justice, O God, and the son of the king with Your righteousness.
Psalm 72:2 May he judge Your people with
righteousness and Your afflicted with justice.
Psalm 72:3 May the mountains bring peace to the
people, and the hills bring righteousness.
Psalm 72:4 May he vindicate the afflicted among
the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the
oppressor.
Psalm 72:5 May they fear him as long as the sun
shines, as long as the moon remains, through all generations.
Psalm 72:6 May he be like rain that falls on
freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
Psalm 72:7 May the righteous flourish in his
days and prosperity abound, until the moon is no more.
Psalm 72:8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from
the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.
Psalm 72:9 May the nomads bow before him, and
his enemies lick the dust.
Psalm 72:10 May the kings of Tarshish and
distant shores bring tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba
offer gifts.
Psalm 72:11 May all kings bow down to him and
all nations serve him.
Psalm 72:12 For he will deliver the needy who
cry out and the afflicted who have no helper.
Psalm 72:13 He will take pity on the poor and
needy and save the lives of the oppressed.
Psalm 72:14 He will redeem them from oppression
and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.
Psalm 72:15 Long may he live! May gold from
Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him; may they bless
him all day long.
Psalm 72:16 May there be an abundance of grain
in the land; may it sway atop the hills. May its fruit trees
flourish like the forests of Lebanon, and its people like the
grass of the field.
Psalm 72:17 May his name endure forever; may his
name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be
blessed; may they call him blessed.
Psalm 72:18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of
Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
Psalm 72:19 And blessed be His glorious name
forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and
amen.
Psalm 72:20 Thus conclude the prayers of David
son of Jesse.
Psalm 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good
to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
Psalm 73:2 But as for me, my feet had almost
stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
Psalm 73:3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw
the prosperity of the wicked.
Psalm 73:4 They have no struggle in their death;
their bodies are well-fed.
Psalm 73:5 They are free of the burdens others
carry; they are not afflicted like other men.
Psalm 73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace; a
garment of violence covers them.
Psalm 73:7 From their prosperity proceeds
iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
Psalm 73:8 They mock and speak with malice; with
arrogance they threaten oppression.
Psalm 73:9 They set their mouths against the
heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.
Psalm 73:10 So their people return to this place
and drink up waters in abundance.
Psalm 73:11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?”
Psalm 73:12 Behold, these are the wicked—always
carefree as they increase their wealth.
Psalm 73:13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart
pure; in innocence I have washed my hands.
Psalm 73:14 For I am afflicted all day long and
punished every morning.
Psalm 73:15 If I had said, “I will speak this
way,” then I would have betrayed Your children.
Psalm 73:16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was troublesome in my sight
Psalm 73:17 until I entered God’s sanctuary;
then I discerned their end.
Psalm 73:18 Surely You set them on slick ground;
You cast them down into ruin.
Psalm 73:19 How suddenly they are laid waste,
completely swept away by terrors!
Psalm 73:20 Like one waking from a dream, so
You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.
Psalm 73:21 When my heart was grieved and I was
pierced within,
Psalm 73:22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was
a brute beast before You.
Psalm 73:23 Yet I am always with You; You hold
my right hand.
Psalm 73:24 You guide me with Your counsel, and
later receive me in glory.
Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And
on earth I desire no one besides You.
Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but
God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:27 Those far from You will surely
perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
Psalm 73:28 But as for me, it is good to draw
near to God. I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may
proclaim all Your works.
Psalm 74:1 A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You
rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against
the sheep of Your pasture?
Psalm 74:2 Remember Your congregation, which You
purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your
inheritance—Mount Zion where You dwell.
Psalm 74:3 Turn Your steps to the everlasting
ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
Psalm 74:4 Your foes have roared within Your
meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,
Psalm 74:5 like men wielding axes in a thicket
of trees
Psalm 74:6 and smashing all the carvings with
hatchets and picks.
Psalm 74:7 They have burned Your sanctuary to
the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.
Psalm 74:8 They said in their hearts, “We will
crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met
us in the land.
Psalm 74:9 There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this
will last.
Psalm 74:10 How long, O God, will the enemy
taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
Psalm 74:11 Why do You withdraw Your strong
right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them!
Psalm 74:12 Yet God is my King from ancient
times, working salvation on the earth.
Psalm 74:13 You divided the sea by Your
strength; You smashed the heads of the dragons of the sea;
Psalm 74:14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
You fed him to the creatures of the desert.
Psalm 74:15 You broke open the fountain and the
flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.
Psalm 74:16 The day is Yours, and also the
night; You established the moon and the sun.
Psalm 74:17 You set all the boundaries of the
earth; You made the summer and winter.
Psalm 74:18 Remember how the enemy has mocked
You, O LORD, how a foolish people has spurned Your name.
Psalm 74:19 Do not deliver the soul of Your dove
to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your afflicted forever.
Psalm 74:20 Consider Your covenant, for haunts
of violence fill the dark places of the land.
Psalm 74:21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in
shame; may the poor and needy praise Your name.
Psalm 74:22 Rise up, O God; defend Your cause!
Remember how the fool mocks You all day long.
Psalm 74:23 Do not disregard the clamor of Your
adversaries, the uproar of Your enemies that ascends continually.
Psalm 75:1 For the choirmaster: To the tune of
“Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A song. We give thanks to You,
O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. The people declare
Your wondrous works.
Psalm 75:2 “When I choose a time, I will judge
fairly.
Psalm 75:3 When the earth and all its dwellers
quake, it is I who bear up its pillars. Selah
Psalm 75:4 I say to the proud, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn.
Psalm 75:5 Do not lift up your horn against
heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’”
Psalm 75:6 For exaltation comes neither from
east nor west, nor out of the desert,
Psalm 75:7 but it is God who judges; He brings
down one and exalts another.
Psalm 75:8 For a cup is in the hand of the LORD,
full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and
all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.
Psalm 75:9 But I will proclaim Him forever; I
will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
Psalm 75:10 “All the horns of the wicked I will
cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”
Psalm 76:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed
instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song. God is known in Judah; His
name is great in Israel.
Psalm 76:2 His tent is in Salem, His dwelling
place in Zion.
Psalm 76:3 There He shattered the flaming
arrows, the shield and sword and weapons of war. Selah
Psalm 76:4 You are resplendent with light, more
majestic than mountains filled with game.
Psalm 76:5 The valiant lie plundered; they sleep
their last sleep. No men of might could lift a hand.
Psalm 76:6 At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both
horse and rider lie stunned.
Psalm 76:7 You alone are to be feared. When You
are angry, who can stand before You?
Psalm 76:8 From heaven You pronounced judgment,
and the earth feared and was still
Psalm 76:9 when God rose up to judge, to save
all the lowly of the earth. Selah
Psalm 76:10 Even the wrath of man shall praise
You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.
Psalm 76:11 Make and fulfill your vows to the
LORD your God; let all the neighboring lands bring tribute to Him
who is to be feared.
Psalm 76:12 He breaks the spirits of princes; He
is feared by the kings of the earth.
Psalm 77:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to
God to hear me.
Psalm 77:2 In the day of trouble I sought the
Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;
my soul refused to be comforted.
Psalm 77:3 I remembered You, O God, and I
groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah
Psalm 77:4 You have kept my eyes from closing; I
am too troubled to speak.
Psalm 77:5 I considered the days of old, the
years long in the past.
Psalm 77:6 At night I remembered my song; in my
heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:
Psalm 77:7 “Will the Lord spurn us forever and
never show His favor again?
Psalm 77:8 Is His loving devotion gone forever?
Has His promise failed for all time?
Psalm 77:9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has
His anger shut off His compassion?” Selah
Psalm 77:10 So I said, “I am grieved that the
right hand of the Most High has changed.”
Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the
LORD; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
Psalm 77:12 I will reflect on all You have done
and ponder Your mighty deeds.
Psalm 77:13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god
is so great as our God?
Psalm 77:14 You are the God who works wonders;
You display Your strength among the peoples.
Psalm 77:15 With power You redeemed Your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
Psalm 77:16 The waters saw You, O God; the
waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken.
Psalm 77:17 The clouds poured down water; the
skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth.
Psalm 77:18 Your thunder resounded in the
whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and
quaked.
Psalm 77:19 Your path led through the sea, Your
way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be
found.
Psalm 77:20 You led Your people like a flock by
the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalm 78:1 A Maskil of Asaph. Give ear, O my
people, to my instruction; listen to the words of my mouth.
Psalm 78:2 I will open my mouth in parables; I
will utter things hidden from the beginning,
Psalm 78:3 that we have heard and known and our
fathers have relayed to us.
Psalm 78:4 We will not hide them from their
children, but will declare to the next generation the praises of
the LORD and His might, and the wonders He has performed.
Psalm 78:5 For He established a testimony in
Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our
fathers to teach to their children,
Psalm 78:6 that the coming generation would know
them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own
children
Psalm 78:7 that they should put their confidence
in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.
Psalm 78:8 Then they will not be like their
fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose heart was not
loyal, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Psalm 78:9 The archers of Ephraim turned back on
the day of battle.
Psalm 78:10 They failed to keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by His law.
Psalm 78:11 They forgot what He had done, the
wonders He had shown them.
Psalm 78:12 He worked wonders before their
fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
Psalm 78:13 He split the sea and brought them
through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
Psalm 78:14 He led them with a cloud by day and
with a light of fire all night.
Psalm 78:15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.
Psalm 78:16 He brought streams from the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.
Psalm 78:17 But they continued to sin against
Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
Psalm 78:18 They willfully tested God by
demanding the food they craved.
Psalm 78:19 They spoke against God, saying, “Can
God really prepare a table in the wilderness?
Psalm 78:20 When He struck the rock, water
gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or
supply His people with meat?”
Psalm 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard and was
filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His
anger flared against Israel,
Psalm 78:22 because they did not believe God or
rely on His salvation.
Psalm 78:23 Yet He commanded the clouds above
and opened the doors of the heavens.
Psalm 78:24 He rained down manna for them to
eat; He gave them grain from heaven.
Psalm 78:25 Man ate the bread of angels; He sent
them food in abundance.
Psalm 78:26 He stirred the east wind from the
heavens and drove the south wind by His might.
Psalm 78:27 He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
Psalm 78:28 He felled them in the midst of their
camp, all around their dwellings.
Psalm 78:29 So they ate and were well filled,
for He gave them what they craved.
Psalm 78:30 Yet before they had filled their
desire, with the food still in their mouths,
Psalm 78:31 God’s anger flared against them, and
He put to death their strongest and subdued the young men of
Israel.
Psalm 78:32 In spite of all this, they kept on
sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
Psalm 78:33 So He ended their days in futility,
and their years in sudden terror.
Psalm 78:34 When He slew them, they would seek
Him; they repented and searched for God.
Psalm 78:35 And they remembered that God was
their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.
Psalm 78:36 But they deceived Him with their
mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues.
Psalm 78:37 Their hearts were disloyal to Him,
and they were unfaithful to His covenant.
Psalm 78:38 And yet He was compassionate; He
forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often
restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
Psalm 78:39 He remembered that they were but
flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
Psalm 78:40 How often they disobeyed Him in the
wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!
Psalm 78:41 Again and again they tested God and
provoked the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 78:42 They did not remember His power—the
day He redeemed them from the adversary,
Psalm 78:43 when He performed His signs in Egypt
and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
Psalm 78:44 He turned their rivers to blood, and
from their streams they could not drink.
Psalm 78:45 He sent swarms of flies that
devoured them, and frogs that devastated them.
Psalm 78:46 He gave their crops to the
grasshopper, the fruit of their labor to the locust.
Psalm 78:47 He killed their vines with
hailstones and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
Psalm 78:48 He abandoned their cattle to the
hail and their livestock to bolts of lightning.
Psalm 78:49 He unleashed His fury against them,
wrath, indignation, and calamity—a band of destroying angels.
Psalm 78:50 He cleared a path for His anger; He
did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the
plague.
Psalm 78:51 He struck all the firstborn of
Egypt, the virility in the tents of Ham.
Psalm 78:52 He led out His people like sheep and
guided them like a flock in the wilderness.
Psalm 78:53 He led them safely, so they did not
fear, but the sea engulfed their enemies.
Psalm 78:54 He brought them to His holy land, to
the mountain His right hand had acquired.
Psalm 78:55 He drove out nations before them and
apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in
their tents.
Psalm 78:56 But they tested and disobeyed God
Most High, for they did not keep His decrees.
Psalm 78:57 They turned back and were faithless
like their fathers, twisted like a faulty bow.
Psalm 78:58 They enraged Him with their high
places and provoked His jealousy with their idols.
Psalm 78:59 On hearing it, God was furious and
rejected Israel completely.
Psalm 78:60 He abandoned the tabernacle of
Shiloh, the tent He had pitched among men.
Psalm 78:61 He delivered His strength to
captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
Psalm 78:62 He surrendered His people to the
sword because He was enraged by His heritage.
Psalm 78:63 Fire consumed His young men, and
their maidens were left without wedding songs.
Psalm 78:64 His priests fell by the sword, but
their widows could not lament.
Psalm 78:65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.
Psalm 78:66 He beat back His foes; He put them
to everlasting shame.
Psalm 78:67 He rejected the tent of Joseph and
refused the tribe of Ephraim.
Psalm 78:68 But He chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which He loved.
Psalm 78:69 He built His sanctuary like the
heights, like the earth He has established forever.
Psalm 78:70 He chose David His servant and took
him from the sheepfolds;
Psalm 78:71 from tending the ewes He brought him
to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.
Psalm 78:72 So David shepherded them with
integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.
Psalm 79:1 A Psalm of Asaph. The nations, O God,
have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple
and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
Psalm 79:2 They have given the corpses of Your
servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of Your saints
to the beasts of the earth.
Psalm 79:3 They have poured out their blood like
water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
Psalm 79:4 We have become a reproach to our
neighbors, a scorn and derision to those around us.
Psalm 79:5 How long, O LORD? Will You be angry
forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
Psalm 79:6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call
on Your name,
Psalm 79:7 for they have devoured Jacob and
devastated his homeland.
Psalm 79:8 Do not hold past sins against us; let
Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.
Psalm 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for
the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the
sake of Your name.
Psalm 79:10 Why should the nations ask, “Where
is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations Your
vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.
Psalm 79:11 May the groans of the captives reach
You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to
death.
Psalm 79:12 Pay back into the laps of our
neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
Psalm 79:13 Then we Your people, the sheep of
Your pasture, will thank You forever; from generation to
generation we will declare Your praise.
Psalm 80:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of
“The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O
Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit
enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
Psalm 80:2 before Ephraim, Benjamin, and
Manasseh. Rally Your mighty power and come to save us.
Psalm 80:3 Restore us, O God, and cause Your
face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:4 O LORD God of Hosts, how long will
Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people?
Psalm 80:5 You fed them with the bread of tears
and made them drink the full measure of their tears.
Psalm 80:6 You make us contend with our
neighbors; our enemies mock us.
Psalm 80:7 Restore us, O God of Hosts, and cause
Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You
drove out the nations and transplanted it.
Psalm 80:9 You cleared the ground for it, and it
took root and filled the land.
Psalm 80:10 The mountains were covered by its
shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches.
Psalm 80:11 It sent out its branches to the Sea,
and its shoots toward the River.
Psalm 80:12 Why have You broken down its walls,
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?
Psalm 80:13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and the creatures of the field feed upon it.
Psalm 80:14 Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!
Look down from heaven and see! Attend to this vine—
Psalm 80:15 the root Your right hand has
planted, the son You have raised up for Yourself.
Psalm 80:16 Your vine has been cut down and
burned; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
Psalm 80:17 Let Your hand be upon the man at
Your right hand, on the son of man You have raised up for
Yourself.
Psalm 80:18 Then we will not turn away from You;
revive us, and we will call on Your name.
Psalm 80:19 Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts;
cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Psalm 81:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing for joy to God our strength; make a joyful
noise to the God of Jacob.
Psalm 81:2 Lift up a song, strike the
tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
Psalm 81:3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.
Psalm 81:4 For this is a statute for Israel, an
ordinance of the God of Jacob.
Psalm 81:5 He ordained it as a testimony for
Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I heard an
unfamiliar language:
Psalm 81:6 “I relieved his shoulder of the
burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
Psalm 81:7 You called out in distress, and I
rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested
you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
Psalm 81:8 Hear, O My people, and I will warn
you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
Psalm 81:9 There must be no strange god among
you, nor shall you bow to a foreign god.
Psalm 81:10 I am the LORD your God, who brought
you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.
Psalm 81:11 But My people would not listen to
Me, and Israel would not obey Me.
Psalm 81:12 So I gave them up to their stubborn
hearts to follow their own devices.
Psalm 81:13 If only My people would listen to
Me, if Israel would follow My ways,
Psalm 81:14 how soon I would subdue their
enemies and turn My hand against their foes!
Psalm 81:15 Those who hate the LORD would feign
obedience, and their doom would last forever.
Psalm 81:16 But I would feed you the finest
wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Psalm 82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the
divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:
Psalm 82:2 “How long will you judge unjustly and
show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Psalm 82:3 Defend the cause of the weak and
fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.
Psalm 82:4 Rescue the weak and needy; save them
from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 82:5 They do not know or understand; they
wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are
shaken.
Psalm 82:6 I have said, ‘You are gods; you are
all sons of the Most High.’
Psalm 82:7 But like mortals you will die, and
like rulers you will fall.”
Psalm 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth, for
all the nations are Your inheritance.
Psalm 83:1 A song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, be
not silent; be not speechless; be not still, O God.
Psalm 83:2 See how Your enemies rage, how Your
foes have reared their heads.
Psalm 83:3 With cunning they scheme against Your
people and conspire against those You cherish,
Psalm 83:4 saying, “Come, let us erase them as a
nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
Psalm 83:5 For with one mind they plot together,
they form an alliance against You—
Psalm 83:6 the tents of Edom and the
Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
Psalm 83:7 of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, of
Philistia with the people of Tyre.
Psalm 83:8 Even Assyria has joined them, lending
strength to the sons of Lot. Selah
Psalm 83:9 Do to them as You did to Midian, as
to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
Psalm 83:10 who perished at Endor and became
like dung on the ground.
Psalm 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and
Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
Psalm 83:12 who said, “Let us possess for
ourselves the pastures of God.”
Psalm 83:13 Make them like tumbleweed, O my God,
like chaff before the wind.
Psalm 83:14 As fire consumes a forest, as a
flame sets the mountains ablaze,
Psalm 83:15 so pursue them with Your tempest,
and terrify them with Your storm.
Psalm 83:16 Cover their faces with shame, that
they may seek Your name, O LORD.
Psalm 83:17 May they be ever ashamed and
terrified; may they perish in disgrace.
Psalm 83:18 May they know that You alone, whose
name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth.
Psalm 84:1 For the choirmaster. According to
Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your dwelling
place, O LORD of Hosts!
Psalm 84:2 My soul longs, even faints, for the
courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living
God.
Psalm 84:3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young
near Your altars, O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.
Psalm 84:4 How blessed are those who dwell in
Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah
Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is
in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
Psalm 84:6 As they pass through the Valley of
Baca, they make it a place of springs; even the autumn rain covers
it with pools.
Psalm 84:7 They go from strength to strength,
until each appears before God in Zion.
Psalm 84:8 O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah
Psalm 84:9 Take notice of our shield, O God, and
look with favor on the face of Your anointed.
Psalm 84:10 For better is one day in Your courts
than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the
house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and a
shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing
from those who walk with integrity.
Psalm 84:12 O LORD of Hosts, how blessed is the
man who trusts in You!
Psalm 85:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the
sons of Korah. You showed favor to Your land, O LORD; You restored
Jacob from captivity.
Psalm 85:2 You forgave the iniquity of Your
people; You covered all their sin. Selah
Psalm 85:3 You withheld all Your fury; You
turned from Your burning anger.
Psalm 85:4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,
and put away Your displeasure toward us.
Psalm 85:5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
Psalm 85:6 Will You not revive us again, that
Your people may rejoice in You?
Psalm 85:7 Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,
and grant us Your salvation.
Psalm 85:8 I will listen to what God the LORD
will say; for He will surely speak peace to His people and His
saints; He will not let them return to folly.
Psalm 85:9 Surely His salvation is near to those
who fear Him, that His glory may dwell in our land.
Psalm 85:10 Loving devotion and faithfulness
have joined together; righteousness and peace have kissed.
Psalm 85:11 Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
Psalm 85:12 The LORD will indeed provide what is
good, and our land will yield its increase.
Psalm 85:13 Righteousness will go before Him to
prepare the way for His steps.
Psalm 86:1 A prayer of David. Incline Your ear,
O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Psalm 86:2 Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You
are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You.
Psalm 86:3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I call
to You all day long.
Psalm 86:4 Bring joy to Your servant, for to
You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:5 For You, O Lord, are kind and
forgiving, rich in loving devotion to all who call on You.
Psalm 86:6 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and attend to
my plea for mercy.
Psalm 86:7 In the day of my distress I call on
You, because You answer me.
Psalm 86:8 O Lord, there is none like You among
the gods, nor any works like Yours.
Psalm 86:9 All the nations You have made will
come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
Psalm 86:10 For You are great and perform
wonders; You alone are God.
Psalm 86:11 Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I
may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may
fear Your name.
Psalm 86:12 I will praise You, O Lord my God,
with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever.
Psalm 86:13 For great is Your loving devotion to
me; You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.
Psalm 86:14 The arrogant rise against me, O God;
a band of ruthless men seeks my life, with no regard for You.
Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a compassionate
and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and
faithfulness.
Psalm 86:16 Turn to me and have mercy; grant
Your strength to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant.
Psalm 86:17 Show me a sign of Your goodness,
that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have
helped me and comforted me.
Psalm 87:1 A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
He has founded His city on the holy mountains.
Psalm 87:2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion more
than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psalm 87:3 Glorious things are ascribed to you,
O city of God. Selah
Psalm 87:4 “I will mention Rahab and Babylon
among those who know Me—along with Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—when
I say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”
Psalm 87:5 And it will be said of Zion: “This
one and that one were born in her, and the Most High Himself will
establish her.”
Psalm 87:6 The LORD will record in the register
of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” Selah
Psalm 87:7 Singers and pipers will proclaim,
“All my springs of joy are in You.”
Psalm 88:1 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
For the choirmaster. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of
Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, day and night
I cry out before You.
Psalm 88:2 May my prayer come before You;
incline Your ear to my cry.
Psalm 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles, and
my life draws near to Sheol.
Psalm 88:4 I am counted among those descending
to the Pit. I am like a man without strength.
Psalm 88:5 I am forsaken among the dead, like
the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are
cut off from Your care.
Psalm 88:6 You have laid me in the lowest Pit,
in the darkest of the depths.
Psalm 88:7 Your wrath weighs heavily upon me;
all Your waves have submerged me. Selah
Psalm 88:8 You have removed my friends from me;
You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot
escape.
Psalm 88:9 My eyes grow dim with grief. I call
to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.
Psalm 88:10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do
departed spirits rise up to praise You? Selah
Psalm 88:11 Can Your loving devotion be
proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Psalm 88:12 Will Your wonders be known in the
darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
Psalm 88:13 But to You, O LORD, I cry for help;
in the morning my prayer comes before You.
Psalm 88:14 Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why
do You hide Your face from me?
Psalm 88:15 From my youth I was afflicted and
near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
Psalm 88:16 Your wrath has swept over me; Your
terrors have destroyed me.
Psalm 88:17 All day long they engulf me like
water; they enclose me on every side.
Psalm 88:18 You have removed my beloved and my
friend; darkness is my closest companion.
Psalm 89:1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I
will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever; with my
mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 89:2 For I have said, “Loving devotion is
built up forever; in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:3 You said, “I have made a covenant
with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant:
Psalm 89:4 ‘I will establish your offspring
forever and build up your throne for all generations.’” Selah
Psalm 89:5 The heavens praise Your wonders, O
LORD—Your faithfulness as well—in the assembly of the holy ones.
Psalm 89:6 For who in the skies can compare with
the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD?
Psalm 89:7 In the council of the holy ones, God
is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You?
O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness surrounds You.
Psalm 89:9 You rule the raging sea; when its
waves mount up, You still them.
Psalm 89:10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.
Psalm 89:11 The heavens are Yours, and also the
earth. The earth and its fullness You founded.
Psalm 89:12 North and south You created; Tabor
and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
Psalm 89:13 Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your
hand. Your right hand is exalted.
Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the
foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go
before You.
Psalm 89:15 Blessed are those who know the
joyful sound, who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.
Psalm 89:16 They rejoice in Your name all day
long, and in Your righteousness they exult.
Psalm 89:17 For You are the glory of their
strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted.
Psalm 89:18 Surely our shield belongs to the
LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 89:19 You once spoke in a vision; to Your
godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have
exalted one chosen from the people.
Psalm 89:20 I have found My servant David; with
My sacred oil I have anointed him.
Psalm 89:21 My hand will sustain him; surely My
arm will strengthen him.
Psalm 89:22 No enemy will exact tribute; no
wicked man will oppress him.
Psalm 89:23 I will crush his foes before him and
strike down those who hate him.
Psalm 89:24 My faithfulness and loving devotion
will be with him, and through My name his horn will be exalted.
Psalm 89:25 I will set his hand over the sea,
and his right hand upon the rivers.
Psalm 89:26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my
Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
Psalm 89:27 I will indeed appoint him as My
firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
Psalm 89:28 I will forever preserve My loving
devotion for him, and My covenant with him will stand fast.
Psalm 89:29 I will establish his line forever,
his throne as long as the heavens endure.
Psalm 89:30 If his sons forsake My law and do
not walk in My judgments,
Psalm 89:31 if they violate My statutes and fail
to keep My commandments,
Psalm 89:32 I will attend to their transgression
with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes.
Psalm 89:33 But I will not withdraw My loving
devotion from him, nor ever betray My faithfulness.
Psalm 89:34 I will not violate My covenant or
alter the utterance of My lips.
Psalm 89:35 Once and for all I have sworn by My
holiness—I will not lie to David—
Psalm 89:36 his offspring shall endure forever,
and his throne before Me like the sun,
Psalm 89:37 like the moon, established forever,
a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
Psalm 89:38 Now, however, You have spurned and
rejected him; You are enraged by Your anointed one.
Psalm 89:39 You have renounced the covenant with
Your servant and sullied his crown in the dust.
Psalm 89:40 You have broken down all his walls;
You have reduced his strongholds to rubble.
Psalm 89:41 All who pass by plunder him; he has
become a reproach to his neighbors.
Psalm 89:42 You have exalted the right hand of
his foes; You have made all his enemies rejoice.
Psalm 89:43 You have bent the edge of his sword
and have not sustained him in battle.
Psalm 89:44 You have ended his splendor and cast
his throne to the ground.
Psalm 89:45 You have cut short the days of his
youth; You have covered him with shame. Selah
Psalm 89:46 How long, O LORD? Will You hide
Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?
Psalm 89:47 Remember the briefness of my
lifespan! For what futility You have created all men!
Psalm 89:48 What man can live and never see
death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
Psalm 89:49 Where, O Lord, is Your loving
devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David?
Psalm 89:50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of
Your servants, which I bear in my heart from so many people—
Psalm 89:51 how Your enemies have taunted, O
LORD, and have mocked every step of Your anointed one!
Psalm 89:52 Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen
and amen.
Psalm 90:1 A prayer of Moses the man of God.
Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born or You
brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to
everlasting You are God.
Psalm 90:3 You return man to dust, saying,
“Return, O sons of mortals.”
Psalm 90:4 For in Your sight a thousand years
are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.
Psalm 90:5 You whisk them away in their sleep;
they are like the new grass of the morning—
Psalm 90:6 in the morning it springs up new, but
by evening it fades and withers.
Psalm 90:7 For we are consumed by Your anger and
terrified by Your wrath.
Psalm 90:8 You have set our iniquities before
You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
Psalm 90:9 For all our days decline in Your
fury; we finish our years with a sigh.
Psalm 90:10 The length of our days is seventy
years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and
sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Psalm 90:11 Who knows the power of Your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that
we may present a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:13 Return, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on Your servants.
Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your
loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our
days.
Psalm 90:15 Make us glad for as many days as You
have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.
Psalm 90:16 May Your work be shown to Your
servants, and Your splendor to their children.
Psalm 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God
rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes,
establish the work of our hands!
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the
Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:2 I will say to the LORD, “You are my
refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:3 Surely He will deliver you from the
snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with His feathers;
under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield
and rampart.
Psalm 91:5 You will not fear the terror of the
night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
Psalm 91:6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the
darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon.
Psalm 91:7 Though a thousand may fall at your
side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near
you.
Psalm 91:8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.
Psalm 91:9 Because you have made the LORD your
dwelling—my refuge, the Most High—
Psalm 91:10 no evil will befall you, no plague
will approach your tent.
Psalm 91:11 For He will command His angels
concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91:12 They will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:13 You will tread on the lion and
cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
Psalm 91:14 “Because he loves Me, I will deliver
him; because he knows My name, I will protect him.
Psalm 91:15 When he calls out to Me, I will
answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and
honor him.
Psalm 91:16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him My salvation.”
Psalm 92:1 A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.
It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O
Most High,
Psalm 92:2 to proclaim Your loving devotion in
the morning and Your faithfulness at night
Psalm 92:3 with the ten-stringed harp and the
melody of the lyre.
Psalm 92:4 For You, O LORD, have made me glad by
Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
Psalm 92:5 How great are Your works, O LORD, how
deep are Your thoughts!
Psalm 92:6 A senseless man does not know, and a
fool does not understand,
Psalm 92:7 that though the wicked sprout like
grass, and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.
Psalm 92:8 But You, O LORD, are exalted forever!
Psalm 92:9 For surely Your enemies, O LORD,
surely Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
Psalm 92:10 But You have exalted my horn like
that of a wild ox; with fine oil I have been anointed.
Psalm 92:11 My eyes see the downfall of my
enemies; my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.
Psalm 92:12 The righteous will flourish like a
palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Psalm 92:13 Planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
Psalm 92:14 In old age they will still bear
fruit; healthy and green they will remain,
Psalm 92:15 to proclaim, “The LORD is upright;
He is my Rock, and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”
Psalm 93:1 The LORD reigns! He is robed in
majesty; the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength. The
world indeed is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Psalm 93:2 Your throne was established long ago;
You are from all eternity.
Psalm 93:3 The floodwaters have risen, O LORD;
the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their
pounding waves.
Psalm 93:4 Above the roar of many waters—the
mighty breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is majestic.
Psalm 93:5 Your testimonies are fully confirmed;
holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, for all the days to come.
Psalm 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of
vengeance, shine forth.
Psalm 94:2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render
a reward to the proud.
Psalm 94:3 How long will the wicked, O LORD, how
long will the wicked exult?
Psalm 94:4 They pour out arrogant words; all
workers of iniquity boast.
Psalm 94:5 They crush Your people, O LORD; they
oppress Your heritage.
Psalm 94:6 They kill the widow and the
foreigner; they murder the fatherless.
Psalm 94:7 They say, “The LORD does not see; the
God of Jacob pays no heed.”
Psalm 94:8 Take notice, O senseless among the
people! O fools, when will you be wise?
Psalm 94:9 He who affixed the ear, can He not
hear? He who formed the eye, can He not see?
Psalm 94:10 He who admonishes the nations, does
He not discipline? He who teaches man, does He lack knowledge?
Psalm 94:11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
that they are futile.
Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the man You discipline, O
LORD, and teach from Your law,
Psalm 94:13 to grant him relief from days of
trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
Psalm 94:14 For the LORD will not forsake His
people; He will never abandon His heritage.
Psalm 94:15 Surely judgment will again be
righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Psalm 94:16 Who will rise up for me against the
wicked? Who will stand for me against the workers of iniquity?
Psalm 94:17 Unless the LORD had been my helper,
I would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
Psalm 94:18 If I say, “My foot is slipping,”
Your loving devotion, O LORD, supports me.
Psalm 94:19 When anxiety overwhelms me, Your
consolation delights my soul.
Psalm 94:20 Can a corrupt throne be Your
ally—one devising mischief by decree?
Psalm 94:21 They band together against the
righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
Psalm 94:22 But the LORD has been my stronghold,
and my God is my rock of refuge.
Psalm 94:23 He will bring upon them their own
iniquity and destroy them for their wickedness. The LORD our God
will destroy them.
Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the
LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!
Psalm 95:2 Let us enter His presence with
thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him in song.
Psalm 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, a great
King above all gods.
Psalm 95:4 In His hand are the depths of the
earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him.
Psalm 95:5 The sea is His, for He made it, and
His hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
Psalm 95:7 For He is our God, and we are the
people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you
hear His voice,
Psalm 95:8 do not harden your hearts as you did
at Meribah, in the day at Massah in the wilderness,
Psalm 95:9 where your fathers tested and tried
Me, though they had seen My work.
Psalm 95:10 For forty years I was angry with
that generation, and I said, “They are a people whose hearts go
astray, and they have not known My ways.”
Psalm 95:11 So I swore on oath in My anger,
“They shall never enter My rest.”
Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to
the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
proclaim His salvation day after day.
Psalm 96:3 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all peoples.
Psalm 96:4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to
be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are
idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
Psalm 96:6 Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty fill His sanctuary.
Psalm 96:7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of
the nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Psalm 96:8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His
name; bring an offering and enter His courts.
Psalm 96:9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of
His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.
Psalm 96:10 Declare among the nations: “The LORD
reigns!” The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved; He
will judge the peoples with equity.
Psalm 96:11 Let the heavens be glad and the
earth rejoice; let the sea resound, and all that fills it.
Psalm 96:12 Let the fields exult, and all that
is in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
Psalm 96:13 before the LORD, for He is coming—He
is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in
righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.
Psalm 97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth
rejoice; let the distant shores be glad.
Psalm 97:2 Clouds and darkness surround Him;
righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
Psalm 97:3 Fire goes before Him and consumes His
foes on every side.
Psalm 97:4 His lightning illuminates the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
Psalm 97:5 The mountains melt like wax at the
presence of the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
Psalm 97:6 The heavens proclaim His
righteousness; all the peoples see His glory.
Psalm 97:7 All worshipers of images are put to
shame—those who boast in idols. Worship Him, all you gods!
Psalm 97:8 Zion hears and rejoices, and the
towns of Judah exult because of Your judgments, O LORD.
Psalm 97:9 For You, O LORD, are Most High over
all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
Psalm 97:10 Hate evil, O you who love the LORD!
He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them from the
hand of the wicked.
Psalm 97:11 Light shines on the righteous,
gladness on the upright in heart.
Psalm 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous
ones, and praise His holy name.
Psalm 98:1 A Psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song,
for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained
Him the victory.
Psalm 98:2 The LORD has proclaimed His salvation
and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
Psalm 98:3 He has remembered His love and
faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God.
Psalm 98:4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all
the earth; break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises!
Psalm 98:5 Sing praises to the LORD with the
lyre, in melodious song with the harp.
Psalm 98:6 With trumpets and the blast of the
ram’s horn shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
Psalm 98:7 Let the sea resound, and all that
fills it, the world, and all who dwell in it.
Psalm 98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let
the mountains sing together for joy
Psalm 98:9 before the LORD, for He comes to
judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and
the peoples with equity.
Psalm 99:1 The LORD reigns; let the nations
tremble! He is enthroned above the cherubim; let the earth quake!
Psalm 99:2 Great is the LORD in Zion; He is
exalted above all the peoples.
Psalm 99:3 Let them praise Your great and
awesome name—He is holy!
Psalm 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You
have established equity; You have exercised justice and
righteousness in Jacob.
Psalm 99:5 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship
at His footstool; He is holy!
Psalm 99:6 Moses and Aaron were among His
priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They
called to the LORD and He answered.
Psalm 99:7 He spoke to them from the pillar of
cloud; they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.
Psalm 99:8 O LORD our God, You answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their
misdeeds.
Psalm 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at
His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
Psalm 100:1 A Psalm of thanksgiving. Make a
joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come
into His presence with joyful songs.
Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is He
who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of
His pasture.
Psalm 100:4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.
Psalm 100:5 For the LORD is good, and His loving
devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all
generations.
Psalm 101:1 A Psalm of David. I will sing of
Your loving devotion and justice; to You, O LORD, I will sing
praises.
Psalm 101:2 I will ponder the way that is
blameless—when will You come to me? I will walk in my house with
integrity of heart.
Psalm 101:3 I will set no worthless thing before
my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not
cling to me.
Psalm 101:4 A perverse heart shall depart from
me; I will know nothing of evil.
Psalm 101:5 Whoever slanders his neighbor in
secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a
proud heart, I will not endure.
Psalm 101:6 My eyes favor the faithful of the
land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way of
integrity shall minister to me.
Psalm 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall
dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my
presence.
Psalm 101:8 Every morning I will remove all the
wicked of the land, that I may cut off every evildoer from the
city of the LORD.
Psalm 102:1 A prayer of one who is afflicted,
when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear
my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come before You.
Psalm 102:2 Do not hide Your face from me in my
day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I
call.
Psalm 102:3 For my days vanish like smoke, and
my bones burn like glowing embers.
Psalm 102:4 My heart is afflicted, and withered
like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.
Psalm 102:5 Through my loud groaning my flesh
clings to my bones.
Psalm 102:6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl
among the ruins.
Psalm 102:7 I lie awake; I am like a lone bird
on a housetop.
Psalm 102:8 All day long my enemies taunt me;
they ridicule me and curse me.
Psalm 102:9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
and mixed my drink with tears
Psalm 102:10 because of Your indignation and
wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
Psalm 102:11 My days are like lengthening
shadows, and I wither away like grass.
Psalm 102:12 But You, O LORD, sit enthroned
forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
Psalm 102:13 You will rise up and have
compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor—the appointed
time has come.
Psalm 102:14 For Your servants delight in her
stones and take pity on her dust.
Psalm 102:15 So the nations will fear the name
of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
Psalm 102:16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion; He
has appeared in His glory.
Psalm 102:17 He will turn toward the prayer of
the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
Psalm 102:18 Let this be written for the
generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise
the LORD.
Psalm 102:19 For He looked down from the heights
of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
Psalm 102:20 to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to
release those condemned to death,
Psalm 102:21 that they may proclaim the name of
the LORD in Zion and praise Him in Jerusalem,
Psalm 102:22 when peoples and kingdoms assemble
to serve the LORD.
Psalm 102:23 He has broken my strength on the
way; He has cut short my days.
Psalm 102:24 I say: “O my God, do not take me in
the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
Psalm 102:25 In the beginning You laid the
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your
hands.
Psalm 102:26 They will perish, but You remain;
they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will
change them, and they will be passed on.
Psalm 102:27 But You remain the same, and Your
years will never end.
Psalm 102:28 The children of Your servants will
dwell securely, and their descendants will be established before
You.”
Psalm 103:1 Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul;
all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do
not forget all His kind deeds—
Psalm 103:3 He who forgives all your iniquities
and heals all your diseases,
Psalm 103:4 who redeems your life from the Pit
and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion,
Psalm 103:5 who satisfies you with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:6 The LORD executes righteousness and
justice for all the oppressed.
Psalm 103:7 He made known His ways to Moses, His
deeds to the people of Israel.
Psalm 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and
gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
Psalm 103:9 He will not always accuse us, nor
harbor His anger forever.
Psalm 103:10 He has not dealt with us according
to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are
above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who
fear Him.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the
west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:13 As a father has compassion on his
children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:14 For He knows our frame; He is
mindful that we are dust.
Psalm 103:15 As for man, his days are like
grass—he blooms like a flower of the field;
Psalm 103:16 when the wind passes over, it
vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.
Psalm 103:17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the loving devotion of the LORD extends to those who fear Him, and
His righteousness to their children’s children—
Psalm 103:18 to those who keep His covenant and
remember to obey His precepts.
Psalm 103:19 The LORD has established His throne
in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 103:20 Bless the LORD, all His angels
mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the
voice of His command.
Psalm 103:21 Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you
servants who do His will.
Psalm 103:22 Bless the LORD, all His works in
all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Psalm 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my
God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and
majesty.
Psalm 104:2 He wraps Himself in light as with a
garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
Psalm 104:3 laying the beams of His chambers in
the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the
wings of the wind.
Psalm 104:4 He makes the winds His messengers,
flames of fire His servants.
Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations,
never to be moved.
Psalm 104:6 You covered it with the deep like a
garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
Psalm 104:7 At Your rebuke the waters fled; at
the sound of Your thunder they hurried away—
Psalm 104:8 the mountains rose and the valleys
sank to the place You assigned for them—
Psalm 104:9 You set a boundary they cannot
cross, that they may never again cover the earth.
Psalm 104:10 He sends forth springs in the
valleys; they flow between the mountains.
Psalm 104:11 They give drink to every beast of
the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Psalm 104:12 The birds of the air nest beside
the springs; they sing among the branches.
Psalm 104:13 He waters the mountains from His
chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His works.
Psalm 104:14 He makes the grass grow for the
livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth
food from the earth:
Psalm 104:15 wine that gladdens the heart of
man, oil that makes his face to shine, and bread that sustains his
heart.
Psalm 104:16 The trees of the LORD have their
fill, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,
Psalm 104:17 where the birds build their nests;
the stork makes her home in the cypresses.
Psalm 104:18 The high mountains are for the wild
goats, the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.
Psalm 104:19 He made the moon to mark the
seasons; the sun knows when to set.
Psalm 104:20 You bring darkness, and it becomes
night, when all the beasts of the forest prowl.
Psalm 104:21 The young lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
Psalm 104:22 The sun rises, and they withdraw;
they lie down in their dens.
Psalm 104:23 Man goes forth to his work and to
his labor until evening.
Psalm 104:24 How many are Your works, O LORD! In
wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your
creatures.
Psalm 104:25 Here is the sea, vast and wide,
teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and
small.
Psalm 104:26 There the ships pass, and
Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.
Psalm 104:27 All creatures look to You to give
them their food in due season.
Psalm 104:28 When You give it to them, they
gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are satisfied with
good things.
Psalm 104:29 When You hide Your face, they are
terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to
dust.
Psalm 104:30 When You send Your Spirit, they are
created, and You renew the face of the earth.
Psalm 104:31 May the glory of the LORD endure
forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works.
Psalm 104:32 He looks on the earth, and it
trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smolder.
Psalm 104:33 I will sing to the LORD all my
life; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 104:34 May my meditation be pleasing to
Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
Psalm 104:35 May sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah!
Psalm 105:1 Give thanks to the LORD, call upon
His name; make known His deeds among the nations.
Psalm 105:2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
tell of all His wonders.
Psalm 105:3 Glory in His holy name; let the
hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Psalm 105:4 Seek out the LORD and His strength;
seek His face always.
Psalm 105:5 Remember the wonders He has done,
His marvels, and the judgments He has pronounced,
Psalm 105:6 O offspring of His servant Abraham,
O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones.
Psalm 105:7 He is the LORD our God; His
judgments carry throughout the earth.
Psalm 105:8 He remembers His covenant forever,
the word He ordained for a thousand generations—
Psalm 105:9 the covenant He made with Abraham,
and the oath He swore to Isaac.
Psalm 105:10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a
decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
Psalm 105:11 “I will give you the land of Canaan
as the portion of your inheritance.”
Psalm 105:12 When they were few in number, few
indeed, and strangers in the land,
Psalm 105:13 they wandered from nation to
nation, from one kingdom to another.
Psalm 105:14 He let no man oppress them; He
rebuked kings on their behalf:
Psalm 105:15 “Do not touch My anointed ones! Do
no harm to My prophets!”
Psalm 105:16 He called down famine on the land
and cut off all their supplies of food.
Psalm 105:17 He sent a man before them—Joseph,
sold as a slave.
Psalm 105:18 They bruised his feet with shackles
and placed his neck in irons,
Psalm 105:19 until his prediction came true and
the word of the LORD proved him right.
Psalm 105:20 The king sent and released him; the
ruler of peoples set him free.
Psalm 105:21 He made him master of his
household, ruler over all his substance,
Psalm 105:22 to instruct his princes as he
pleased and teach his elders wisdom.
Psalm 105:23 Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob
dwelt in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105:24 And the LORD made His people very
fruitful, more numerous than their foes,
Psalm 105:25 whose hearts He turned to hate His
people, to conspire against His servants.
Psalm 105:26 He sent Moses His servant, and
Aaron, whom He had chosen.
Psalm 105:27 They performed His miraculous signs
among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
Psalm 105:28 He sent darkness, and it became
dark—yet they defied His words.
Psalm 105:29 He turned their waters to blood and
caused their fish to die.
Psalm 105:30 Their land teemed with frogs, even
in their royal chambers.
Psalm 105:31 He spoke, and insects swarmed—gnats
throughout their country.
Psalm 105:32 He gave them hail for rain, with
lightning throughout their land.
Psalm 105:33 He struck their vines and fig trees
and shattered the trees of their country.
Psalm 105:34 He spoke, and the locusts
came—young locusts without number.
Psalm 105:35 They devoured every plant in their
land and consumed the produce of their soil.
Psalm 105:36 Then He struck all the firstborn in
their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.
Psalm 105:37 He brought Israel out with silver
and gold, and none among His tribes stumbled.
Psalm 105:38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for the dread of Israel had fallen on them.
Psalm 105:39 He spread a cloud as a covering and
a fire to light up the night.
Psalm 105:40 They asked, and He brought quail
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
Psalm 105:41 He opened a rock, and water gushed
out; it flowed like a river in the desert.
Psalm 105:42 For He remembered His holy promise
to Abraham His servant.
Psalm 105:43 He brought forth His people with
rejoicing, His chosen with shouts of joy.
Psalm 105:44 He gave them the lands of the
nations, that they might inherit the fruit of others’ labor,
Psalm 105:45 that they might keep His statutes
and obey His laws. Hallelujah!
Psalm 106:1 Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD,
for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 106:2 Who can describe the mighty acts of
the LORD or fully proclaim His praise?
Psalm 106:3 Blessed are those who uphold
justice, who practice righteousness at all times.
Psalm 106:4 Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor
to Your people; visit me with Your salvation,
Psalm 106:5 that I may see the prosperity of
Your chosen ones, and rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, and
give glory with Your inheritance.
Psalm 106:6 We have sinned like our fathers; we
have done wrong and acted wickedly.
Psalm 106:7 Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp
Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled
by the sea, there at the Red Sea.
Psalm 106:8 Yet He saved them for the sake of
His name, to make His power known.
Psalm 106:9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried
up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.
Psalm 106:10 He saved them from the hand that
hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
Psalm 106:11 The waters covered their foes; not
one of them remained.
Psalm 106:12 Then they believed His promises and
sang His praise.
Psalm 106:13 Yet they soon forgot His works and
failed to wait for His counsel.
Psalm 106:14 They craved intensely in the
wilderness and tested God in the desert.
Psalm 106:15 So He granted their request, but
sent a wasting disease upon them.
Psalm 106:16 In the camp they envied Moses, as
well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
Psalm 106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed
Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram.
Psalm 106:18 Then fire blazed through their
company; flames consumed the wicked.
Psalm 106:19 At Horeb they made a calf and
worshiped a molten image.
Psalm 106:20 They exchanged their Glory for the
image of a grass-eating ox.
Psalm 106:21 They forgot God their Savior, who
did great things in Egypt,
Psalm 106:22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Psalm 106:23 So He said He would destroy
them—had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach
to divert His wrath from destroying them.
Psalm 106:24 They despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe His promise.
Psalm 106:25 They grumbled in their tents and
did not listen to the voice of the LORD.
Psalm 106:26 So He raised His hand and swore to
cast them down in the wilderness,
Psalm 106:27 to disperse their offspring among
the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
Psalm 106:28 They yoked themselves to Baal of
Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.
Psalm 106:29 So they provoked the LORD to anger
with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
Psalm 106:30 But Phinehas stood and intervened,
and the plague was restrained.
Psalm 106:31 It was credited to him as
righteousness for endless generations to come.
Psalm 106:32 At the waters of Meribah they
angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them.
Psalm 106:33 For they rebelled against His
Spirit, and Moses spoke rashly with his lips.
Psalm 106:34 They did not destroy the peoples as
the LORD had commanded them,
Psalm 106:35 but they mingled with the nations
and adopted their customs.
Psalm 106:36 They worshiped their idols, which
became a snare to them.
Psalm 106:37 They sacrificed their sons and
their daughters to demons.
Psalm 106:38 They shed innocent blood—the blood
of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of
Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
Psalm 106:39 They defiled themselves by their
actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
Psalm 106:40 So the anger of the LORD burned
against His people, and He abhorred His own inheritance.
Psalm 106:41 He delivered them into the hand of
the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them.
Psalm 106:42 Their enemies oppressed them, and
subdued them under their hand.
Psalm 106:43 Many times He rescued them, but
they were bent on rebellion and sank down in their iniquity.
Psalm 106:44 Nevertheless He heard their cry; He
took note of their distress.
Psalm 106:45 And He remembered His covenant with
them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.
Psalm 106:46 He made them objects of compassion
to all who held them captive.
Psalm 106:47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather
us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name,
that we may glory in Your praise.
Psalm 106:48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of
Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say,
“Amen!” Hallelujah!
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is
good; His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
Psalm 107:3 and gathered from the lands, from
east and west, from north and south.
Psalm 107:4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no path to a city in which to dwell.
Psalm 107:5 They were hungry and thirsty; their
soul fainted within them.
Psalm 107:6 Then they cried out to the LORD in
their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.
Psalm 107:7 He led them on a straight path to
reach a city where they could live.
Psalm 107:8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for
His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
Psalm 107:9 For He satisfies the thirsty and
fills the hungry with good things.
Psalm 107:10 Some sat in darkness and in the
shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains,
Psalm 107:11 because they rebelled against the
words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.
Psalm 107:12 He humbled their hearts with hard
labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help.
Psalm 107:13 Then they cried out to the LORD in
their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
Psalm 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and
the shadow of death and broke away their chains.
Psalm 107:15 Let them give thanks to the LORD
for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
Psalm 107:16 For He has broken down the gates of
bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
Psalm 107:17 Fools, in their rebellious ways,
and through their iniquities, suffered affliction.
Psalm 107:18 They loathed all food and drew near
to the gates of death.
Psalm 107:19 Then they cried out to the LORD in
their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
Psalm 107:20 He sent forth His word and healed
them; He rescued them from the Pit.
Psalm 107:21 Let them give thanks to the LORD
for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
Psalm 107:22 Let them offer sacrifices of
thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing.
Psalm 107:23 Others went out to sea in ships,
conducting trade on the mighty waters.
Psalm 107:24 They saw the works of the LORD, and
His wonders in the deep.
Psalm 107:25 For He spoke and raised a tempest
that lifted the waves of the sea.
Psalm 107:26 They mounted up to the heavens,
then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish.
Psalm 107:27 They reeled and staggered like
drunkards, and all their skill was useless.
Psalm 107:28 Then they cried out to the LORD in
their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.
Psalm 107:29 He calmed the storm to a whisper,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Psalm 107:30 They rejoiced in the silence, and
He guided them to the harbor they desired.
Psalm 107:31 Let them give thanks to the LORD
for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
Psalm 107:32 Let them exalt Him in the assembly
of the people and praise Him in the council of the elders.
Psalm 107:33 He turns rivers into deserts,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
Psalm 107:34 and fruitful land into fields of
salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.
Psalm 107:35 He turns a desert into pools of
water and a dry land into flowing springs.
Psalm 107:36 He causes the hungry to settle
there, that they may establish a city in which to dwell.
Psalm 107:37 They sow fields and plant vineyards
that yield a fruitful harvest.
Psalm 107:38 He blesses them, and they multiply
greatly; He does not let their herds diminish.
Psalm 107:39 When they are decreased and humbled
by oppression, evil, and sorrow,
Psalm 107:40 He pours out contempt on the nobles
and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
Psalm 107:41 But He lifts the needy from
affliction and increases their families like flocks.
Psalm 107:42 The upright see and rejoice, and
all iniquity shuts its mouth.
Psalm 107:43 Let him who is wise pay heed to
these things and consider the loving devotion of the LORD.
Psalm 108:1 A song. A Psalm of David. My heart
is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my being.
Psalm 108:2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will
awaken the dawn.
Psalm 108:3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the
nations; I will sing Your praises among the peoples.
Psalm 108:4 For Your loving devotion extends
beyond the heavens, and Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Psalm 108:5 Be exalted, O God, above the
heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.
Psalm 108:6 Respond and save us with Your right
hand, that Your beloved may be delivered.
Psalm 108:7 God has spoken from His sanctuary:
“I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem and apportion the
Valley of Succoth.
Psalm 108:8 Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is
Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.
Psalm 108:9 Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I
toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
Psalm 108:10 Who will bring me to the fortified
city? Who will lead me to Edom?
Psalm 108:11 Have You not rejected us, O God?
Will You no longer march out, O God, with our armies?
Psalm 108:12 Give us aid against the enemy, for
the help of man is worthless.
Psalm 108:13 With God we will perform with
valor, and He will trample our enemies.
Psalm 109:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. O God of my praise, be not silent.
Psalm 109:2 For wicked and deceitful mouths open
against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
Psalm 109:3 They surround me with hateful words
and attack me without cause.
Psalm 109:4 In return for my love they accuse
me, but I am a man of prayer.
Psalm 109:5 They repay me evil for good, and
hatred for my love.
Psalm 109:6 Set over him a wicked man; let an
accuser stand at his right hand.
Psalm 109:7 When he is tried, let him be found
guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.
Psalm 109:8 May his days be few; may another
take his position.
Psalm 109:9 May his children be fatherless and
his wife a widow.
Psalm 109:10 May his children wander as beggars,
seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes.
Psalm 109:11 May the creditor seize all he owns,
and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
Psalm 109:12 May there be no one to extend
kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children.
Psalm 109:13 May his descendants be cut off; may
their name be blotted out from the next generation.
Psalm 109:14 May the iniquity of his fathers be
remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be
blotted out.
Psalm 109:15 May their sins always remain before
the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth.
Psalm 109:16 For he never thought to show
kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even
to their death.
Psalm 109:17 The cursing that he loved, may it
fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it
be far from him.
Psalm 109:18 The cursing that he wore like a
coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones
like oil.
Psalm 109:19 May it be like a robe wrapped about
him, like a belt tied forever around him.
Psalm 109:20 May this be the LORD’s reward to my
accusers, to those who speak evil against me.
Psalm 109:21 But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal
kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the
goodness of Your loving devotion.
Psalm 109:22 For I am poor and needy; my heart
is wounded within me.
Psalm 109:23 I am fading away like a lengthening
shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
Psalm 109:24 My knees are weak from fasting, and
my body grows lean and gaunt.
Psalm 109:25 I am an object of scorn to my
accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
Psalm 109:26 Help me, O LORD my God; save me
according to Your loving devotion.
Psalm 109:27 Let them know that this is Your
hand, that You, O LORD, have done it.
Psalm 109:28 Though they curse, You will bless.
When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant
will rejoice.
Psalm 109:29 May my accusers be clothed with
disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.
Psalm 109:30 With my mouth I will thank the LORD
profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many.
Psalm 109:31 For He stands at the right hand of
the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.
Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said to
my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a
footstool for Your feet.”
Psalm 110:2 The LORD extends Your mighty scepter
from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.”
Psalm 110:3 Your people shall be willing on Your
day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the
dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.
Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not
change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of
Melchizedek.”
Psalm 110:5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He
will crush kings in the day of His wrath.
Psalm 110:6 He will judge the nations, heaping
up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide.
Psalm 110:7 He will drink from the brook by the
road; therefore He will lift up His head.
Psalm 111:1 Hallelujah! I will give thanks to
the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in
the assembly.
Psalm 111:2 Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:3 Splendid and majestic is His work;
His righteousness endures forever.
Psalm 111:4 He has caused His wonders to be
remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
Psalm 111:5 He provides food for those who fear
Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
Psalm 111:6 He has shown His people the power of
His works by giving them the inheritance of the nations.
Psalm 111:7 The works of His hands are truth and
justice; all His precepts are trustworthy.
Psalm 111:8 They are upheld forever and ever,
enacted in truth and uprightness.
Psalm 111:9 He has sent redemption to His
people; He has ordained His covenant forever; holy and awesome is
His name.
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich
understanding. His praise endures forever!
Psalm 112:1 Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who
fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
Psalm 112:2 His descendants will be mighty in
the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Psalm 112:3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Psalm 112:4 Light dawns in the darkness for the
upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
Psalm 112:5 It is well with the man who is
generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.
Psalm 112:6 Surely he will never be shaken; the
righteous man will be remembered forever.
Psalm 112:7 He does not fear bad news; his heart
is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Psalm 112:8 His heart is assured; he does not
fear, until he looks in triumph on his foes.
Psalm 112:9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to
the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be
lifted high in honor.
Psalm 112:10 The wicked man will see and be
grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of
the wicked will perish.
Psalm 113:1 Hallelujah! Give praise, O servants
of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
Psalm 113:2 Blessed be the name of the LORD both
now and forevermore.
Psalm 113:3 From where the sun rises to where it
sets, the name of the LORD is praised.
Psalm 113:4 The LORD is exalted over all the
nations, His glory above the heavens.
Psalm 113:5 Who is like the LORD our God, the
One enthroned on high?
Psalm 113:6 He humbles Himself to behold the
heavens and the earth.
Psalm 113:7 He raises the poor from the dust and
lifts the needy from the dump
Psalm 113:8 to seat them with nobles, with the
princes of His people.
Psalm 113:9 He settles the barren woman in her
home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!
Psalm 114:1 When Israel departed from Egypt, the
house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
Psalm 114:2 Judah became God’s sanctuary, and
Israel His dominion.
Psalm 114:3 The sea observed and fled; the
Jordan turned back;
Psalm 114:4 the mountains skipped like rams, the
hills like lambs.
Psalm 114:5 Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O
Jordan, that you turned back,
Psalm 114:6 O mountains, that you skipped like
rams, O hills, like lambs?
Psalm 114:7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of
the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
Psalm 114:8 who turned the rock into a pool, the
flint into a fountain of water!
Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to
Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because
of Your faithfulness.
Psalm 115:2 Why should the nations say, “Where
is their God?”
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in heaven; He does as He
pleases.
Psalm 115:4 Their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
Psalm 115:5 They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;
Psalm 115:6 they have ears, but cannot hear;
they have noses, but cannot smell;
Psalm 115:7 they have hands, but cannot feel;
they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their
throats.
Psalm 115:8 Those who make them become like
them, as do all who trust in them.
Psalm 115:9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is
their help and shield.
Psalm 115:10 O house of Aaron, trust in the
LORD! He is their help and shield.
Psalm 115:11 You who fear the LORD, trust in the
LORD! He is their help and shield.
Psalm 115:12 The LORD is mindful of us; He will
bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the
house of Aaron;
Psalm 115:13 He will bless those who fear the
LORD—small and great alike.
Psalm 115:14 May the LORD give you increase,
both you and your children.
Psalm 115:15 May you be blessed by the LORD, the
Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 115:16 The highest heavens belong to the
LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind.
Psalm 115:17 It is not the dead who praise the
LORD, nor any who descend into silence.
Psalm 115:18 But it is we who will bless the
LORD, both now and forevermore. Hallelujah!
Psalm 116:1 I love the LORD, for He has heard my
voice—my appeal for mercy.
Psalm 116:2 Because He has inclined His ear to
me, I will call on Him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:3 The ropes of death entangled me; the
anguish of Sheol overcame me; I was confronted by trouble and
sorrow.
Psalm 116:4 Then I called on the name of the
LORD: “O LORD, deliver my soul!”
Psalm 116:5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
Psalm 116:6 The LORD preserves the
simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me.
Psalm 116:7 Return to your rest, O my soul, for
the LORD has been good to you.
Psalm 116:8 For You have delivered my soul from
death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
Psalm 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the
land of the living.
Psalm 116:10 I believed, therefore I said, “I am
greatly afflicted.”
Psalm 116:11 In my alarm I said, “All men are
liars!”
Psalm 116:12 How can I repay the LORD for all
His goodness to me?
Psalm 116:13 I will lift the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people.
Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His saints.
Psalm 116:16 Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I
am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my
bonds.
Psalm 116:17 I will offer to You a sacrifice of
thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all His people,
Psalm 116:19 in the courts of the LORD’s house,
in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
Psalm 117:1 Praise the LORD, all you nations!
Extol Him, all you peoples!
Psalm 117:2 For great is His loving devotion
toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is
good; His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 118:2 Let Israel say, “His loving devotion
endures forever.”
Psalm 118:3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His
loving devotion endures forever.”
Psalm 118:4 Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His loving devotion endures forever.”
Psalm 118:5 In my distress I called to the LORD,
and He answered and set me free.
Psalm 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not
be afraid. What can man do to me?
Psalm 118:7 The LORD is on my side; He is my
helper. Therefore I will look in triumph on those who hate me.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the
LORD than to trust in man.
Psalm 118:9 It is better to take refuge in the
LORD than to trust in princes.
Psalm 118:10 All the nations surrounded me, but
in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
Psalm 118:11 They surrounded me on every side,
but in the name of the LORD I cut them off.
Psalm 118:12 They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were extinguished like burning thorns; in the name of the
LORD I cut them off.
Psalm 118:13 I was pushed so hard I was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
Psalm 118:14 The LORD is my strength and my
song, and He has become my salvation.
Psalm 118:15 Shouts of joy and salvation resound
in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD
performs with valor!
Psalm 118:16 The right hand of the LORD is
exalted! The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”
Psalm 118:17 I will not die, but I will live and
proclaim what the LORD has done.
Psalm 118:18 The LORD disciplined me severely,
but He has not given me over to death.
Psalm 118:19 Open to me the gates of
righteousness, that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.
Psalm 118:20 This is the gate of the LORD; the
righteous shall enter through it.
Psalm 118:21 I will give You thanks, for You
have answered me, and You have become my salvation.
Psalm 118:22 The stone the builders rejected has
become the cornerstone.
Psalm 118:23 This is from the LORD, and it is
marvelous in our eyes.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the LORD has
made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:25 O LORD, save us, we pray. We
beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!
Psalm 118:26 Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.
Psalm 118:27 The LORD is God; He has made His
light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords to
the horns of the altar.
Psalm 118:28 You are my God, and I will give You
thanks. You are my God, and I will exalt You.
Psalm 118:29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is
good; His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 119:1 Blessed are those whose way is
blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD.
Psalm 119:2 Blessed are those who keep His
testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.
Psalm 119:3 They do no iniquity; they walk in
His ways.
Psalm 119:4 You have ordained Your precepts,
that we should keep them diligently.
Psalm 119:5 Oh, that my ways were committed to
keeping Your statutes!
Psalm 119:6 Then I would not be ashamed when I
consider all Your commandments.
Psalm 119:7 I will praise You with an upright
heart when I learn Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:8 I will keep Your statutes; do not
utterly forsake me.
Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way
pure? By guarding it according to Your word.
Psalm 119:10 With all my heart I have sought
You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden Your word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.
Psalm 119:12 Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me
Your statutes.
Psalm 119:13 With my lips I proclaim all the
judgments of Your mouth.
Psalm 119:14 I rejoice in the way of Your
testimonies as much as in all riches.
Psalm 119:15 I will meditate on Your precepts
and regard Your ways.
Psalm 119:16 I will delight in Your statutes; I
will not forget Your word.
Psalm 119:17 Deal bountifully with Your servant,
that I may live and keep Your word.
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes that I may see
wondrous things from Your law.
Psalm 119:19 I am a stranger on the earth; do
not hide Your commandments from me.
Psalm 119:20 My soul is consumed with longing
for Your judgments at all times.
Psalm 119:21 You rebuke the arrogant—the cursed
who stray from Your commandments.
Psalm 119:22 Remove my scorn and contempt, for I
have kept Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:23 Though rulers sit and slander me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:24 Your testimonies are indeed my
delight; they are my counselors.
Psalm 119:25 My soul cleaves to the dust; revive
me according to Your word.
Psalm 119:26 I recounted my ways, and You
answered me; teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:27 Make clear to me the way of Your
precepts; then I will meditate on Your wonders.
Psalm 119:28 My soul melts with sorrow;
strengthen me according to Your word.
Psalm 119:29 Remove me from the path of deceit
and graciously grant me Your law.
Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth; I
have set Your ordinances before me.
Psalm 119:31 I cling to Your testimonies, O
LORD; let me not be put to shame.
Psalm 119:32 I run in the path of Your
commandments, for You will enlarge my heart.
Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your
statutes, and I will keep them to the end.
Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding that I may
obey Your law, and follow it with all my heart.
Psalm 119:35 Direct me in the path of Your
commandments, for there I find delight.
Psalm 119:36 Turn my heart to Your testimonies
and not to covetous gain.
Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless
things; revive me with Your word.
Psalm 119:38 Establish Your word to Your
servant, to produce reverence for You.
Psalm 119:39 Turn away the disgrace I dread, for
Your judgments are good.
Psalm 119:40 How I long for Your precepts!
Revive me in Your righteousness.
Psalm 119:41 May Your loving devotion come to
me, O LORD, Your salvation, according to Your promise.
Psalm 119:42 Then I can answer him who taunts,
for I trust in Your word.
Psalm 119:43 Never take Your word of truth from
my mouth, for I hope in Your judgments.
Psalm 119:44 I will always obey Your law,
forever and ever.
Psalm 119:45 And I will walk in freedom, for I
have sought Your precepts.
Psalm 119:46 I will speak of Your testimonies
before kings, and I will not be ashamed.
Psalm 119:47 I delight in Your commandments
because I love them.
Psalm 119:48 I lift up my hands to Your
commandments, which I love, and I meditate on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:49 Remember Your word to Your servant,
upon which You have given me hope.
Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in affliction,
that Your promise has given me life.
Psalm 119:51 The arrogant utterly deride me, but
I do not turn from Your law.
Psalm 119:52 I remember Your judgments of old, O
LORD, and in them I find comfort.
Psalm 119:53 Rage has taken hold of me because
of the wicked who reject Your law.
Psalm 119:54 Your statutes are songs to me in
the house of my pilgrimage.
Psalm 119:55 In the night, O LORD, I remember
Your name, that I may keep Your law.
Psalm 119:56 This is my practice, for I obey
Your precepts.
Psalm 119:57 The LORD is my portion; I have
promised to keep Your words.
Psalm 119:58 I have sought Your face with all my
heart; be gracious to me according to Your promise.
Psalm 119:59 I considered my ways and turned my
steps to Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:60 I hurried without hesitating to
keep Your commandments.
Psalm 119:61 Though the ropes of the wicked bind
me, I do not forget Your law.
Psalm 119:62 At midnight I rise to give You
thanks for Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:63 I am a friend to all who fear You,
and to those who keep Your precepts.
Psalm 119:64 The earth is filled with Your
loving devotion, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:65 You are good to Your servant, O
LORD, according to Your word.
Psalm 119:66 Teach me good judgment and
knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.
Psalm 119:67 Before I was afflicted, I went
astray; but now I keep Your word.
Psalm 119:68 You are good, and You do what is
good; teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:69 Though the arrogant have smeared me
with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
Psalm 119:70 Their hearts are hard and callous,
but I delight in Your law.
Psalm 119:71 It was good for me to be afflicted,
that I might learn Your statutes.
Psalm 119:72 The law from Your mouth is more
precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
Psalm 119:73 Your hands have made me and
fashioned me; give me understanding to learn Your commandments.
Psalm 119:74 May those who fear You see me and
rejoice, for I have hoped in Your word.
Psalm 119:75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments
are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Psalm 119:76 May Your loving devotion comfort
me, I pray, according to Your promise to Your servant.
Psalm 119:77 May Your compassion come to me,
that I may live, for Your law is my delight.
Psalm 119:78 May the arrogant be put to shame
for subverting me with a lie; I will meditate on Your precepts.
Psalm 119:79 May those who fear You turn to me,
those who know Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:80 May my heart be blameless in Your
statutes, that I may not be put to shame.
Psalm 119:81 My soul faints for Your salvation;
I wait for Your word.
Psalm 119:82 My eyes fail, looking for Your
promise; I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
Psalm 119:83 Though I am like a wineskin dried
up by smoke, I do not forget Your statutes.
Psalm 119:84 How many days must Your servant
wait? When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?
Psalm 119:85 The arrogant have dug pits for me
in violation of Your law.
Psalm 119:86 All Your commandments are faithful;
I am persecuted without cause—help me!
Psalm 119:87 They almost wiped me from the
earth, but I have not forsaken Your precepts.
Psalm 119:88 Revive me according to Your loving
devotion, that I may obey the testimony of Your mouth.
Psalm 119:89 Your word, O LORD, is everlasting;
it is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Psalm 119:90 Your faithfulness continues through
all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.
Psalm 119:91 Your ordinances stand to this day,
for all things are servants to You.
Psalm 119:92 If Your law had not been my
delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.
Psalm 119:93 I will never forget Your precepts,
for by them You have revived me.
Psalm 119:94 I am Yours; save me, for I have
sought Your precepts.
Psalm 119:95 The wicked wait to destroy me, but
I will ponder Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:96 I have seen a limit to all
perfection, but Your commandment is without limit.
Psalm 119:97 Oh, how I love Your law! All day
long it is my meditation.
Psalm 119:98 Your commandments make me wiser
than my enemies, for they are always with me.
Psalm 119:99 I have more insight than all my
teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation.
Psalm 119:100 I discern more than the elders,
for I obey Your precepts.
Psalm 119:101 I have kept my feet from every
evil path, that I may keep Your word.
Psalm 119:102 I have not departed from Your
ordinances, for You Yourself have taught me.
Psalm 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my
taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth!
Psalm 119:104 I gain understanding from Your
precepts; therefore I hate every false way.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and
a light to my path.
Psalm 119:106 I have sworn and confirmed that I
will keep Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:107 I am severely afflicted, O LORD;
revive me through Your word.
Psalm 119:108 Accept the freewill offerings of
my mouth, O LORD, and teach me Your judgments.
Psalm 119:109 I constantly take my life in my
hands, yet I do not forget Your law.
Psalm 119:110 The wicked have set a snare for
me, but I have not strayed from Your precepts.
Psalm 119:111 Your testimonies are my heritage
forever, for they are the joy of my heart.
Psalm 119:112 I have inclined my heart to
perform Your statutes, even to the very end.
Psalm 119:113 The double-minded I despise, but
Your law I love.
Psalm 119:114 You are my hiding place and my
shield; I put my hope in Your word.
Psalm 119:115 Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may obey the commandments of my God.
Psalm 119:116 Sustain me as You promised, that I
may live; let me not be ashamed of my hope.
Psalm 119:117 Uphold me, and I will be saved,
that I may always regard Your statutes.
Psalm 119:118 You reject all who stray from Your
statutes, for their deceitfulness is in vain.
Psalm 119:119 All the wicked on earth You
discard like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:120 My flesh trembles in awe of You; I
stand in fear of Your judgments.
Psalm 119:121 I have done what is just and
right; do not leave me to my oppressors.
Psalm 119:122 Ensure Your servant’s well-being;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
Psalm 119:123 My eyes fail, looking for Your
salvation, and for Your righteous promise.
Psalm 119:124 Deal with Your servant according
to Your loving devotion, and teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:125 I am Your servant; give me
understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:126 It is time for the LORD to act,
for they have broken Your law.
Psalm 119:127 Therefore I love Your commandments
more than gold, even the purest gold.
Psalm 119:128 Therefore I admire all Your
precepts and hate every false way.
Psalm 119:129 Wonderful are Your testimonies;
therefore I obey them.
Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of Your words gives
light; it informs the simple.
Psalm 119:131 I open my mouth and pant, longing
for Your commandments.
Psalm 119:132 Turn to me and show me mercy, as
You do to those who love Your name.
Psalm 119:133 Order my steps in Your word; let
no sin rule over me.
Psalm 119:134 Redeem me from the oppression of
man, that I may keep Your precepts.
Psalm 119:135 Make Your face shine upon Your
servant, and teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:136 My eyes shed streams of tears
because Your law is not obeyed.
Psalm 119:137 Righteous are You, O LORD, and
upright are Your judgments.
Psalm 119:138 The testimonies You have laid down
are righteous and altogether faithful.
Psalm 119:139 My zeal has consumed me because my
foes forget Your words.
Psalm 119:140 Your promise is completely pure;
therefore Your servant loves it.
Psalm 119:141 I am lowly and despised, but I do
not forget Your precepts.
Psalm 119:142 Your righteousness is everlasting
and Your law is true.
Psalm 119:143 Trouble and distress have found
me, but Your commandments are my delight.
Psalm 119:144 Your testimonies are righteous
forever. Give me understanding, that I may live.
Psalm 119:145 I call with all my heart; answer
me, O LORD! I will obey Your statutes.
Psalm 119:146 I call to You; save me, that I may
keep Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for
help; in Your word I have put my hope.
Psalm 119:148 My eyes anticipate the watches of
night, that I may meditate on Your word.
Psalm 119:149 Hear my voice, O LORD, according
to Your loving devotion; give me life according to Your justice.
Psalm 119:150 Those who follow after wickedness
draw near; they are far from Your law.
Psalm 119:151 You are near, O LORD, and all Your
commandments are true.
Psalm 119:152 Long ago I learned from Your
testimonies that You have established them forever.
Psalm 119:153 Look upon my affliction and rescue
me, for I have not forgotten Your law.
Psalm 119:154 Defend my cause and redeem me;
revive me according to Your word.
Psalm 119:155 Salvation is far from the wicked
because they do not seek Your statutes.
Psalm 119:156 Great are Your mercies, O LORD;
revive me according to Your ordinances.
Psalm 119:157 Though my persecutors and foes are
many, I have not turned from Your testimonies.
Psalm 119:158 I look on the faithless with
loathing because they do not keep Your word.
Psalm 119:159 Consider how I love Your precepts,
O LORD; give me life according to Your loving devotion.
Psalm 119:160 The entirety of Your word is
truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
Psalm 119:161 Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart fears only Your word.
Psalm 119:162 I rejoice in Your promise like one
who finds great spoil.
Psalm 119:163 I hate and abhor falsehood, but
Your law I love.
Psalm 119:164 Seven times a day I praise You for
Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:165 Abundant peace belongs to those
who love Your law; nothing can make them stumble.
Psalm 119:166 I wait for Your salvation, O LORD,
and I carry out Your commandments.
Psalm 119:167 I obey Your testimonies and love
them greatly.
Psalm 119:168 I obey Your precepts and Your
testimonies, for all my ways are before You.
Psalm 119:169 May my cry come before You, O
LORD; give me understanding according to Your word.
Psalm 119:170 May my plea come before You;
rescue me according to Your promise.
Psalm 119:171 My lips pour forth praise, for You
teach me Your statutes.
Psalm 119:172 My tongue sings of Your word, for
all Your commandments are righteous.
Psalm 119:173 May Your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen Your precepts.
Psalm 119:174 I long for Your salvation, O LORD,
and Your law is my delight.
Psalm 119:175 Let me live to praise You; may
Your judgments sustain me.
Psalm 119:176 I have strayed like a lost sheep;
seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commandments.
Psalm 120:1 A song of ascents. In my distress I
cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
Psalm 120:2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying
lips and a deceitful tongue.
Psalm 120:3 What will He do to you, and what
will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?
Psalm 120:4 Sharp arrows will come from the
warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!
Psalm 120:5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Psalm 120:6 Too long have I dwelt among those
who hate peace.
Psalm 120:7 I am in favor of peace; but when I
speak, they want war.
Psalm 121:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes
to the hills. From where does my help come?
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, the
Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
Psalm 121:4 Behold, the Protector of Israel will
neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is
the shade on your right hand.
Psalm 121:6 The sun will not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
Psalm 121:7 The LORD will guard you from all
evil; He will preserve your soul.
Psalm 121:8 The LORD will watch over your coming
and going, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 122:1 A song of ascents. Of David. I was
glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Psalm 122:2 Our feet are standing in your gates,
O Jerusalem.
Psalm 122:3 Jerusalem is built up as a city
united together,
Psalm 122:4 where the tribes go up, the tribes
of the LORD, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name
of the LORD.
Psalm 122:5 For there the thrones of judgment
stand, the thrones of the house of David.
Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper.
Psalm 122:7 May there be peace within your
walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
Psalm 122:8 For the sake of my brothers and
friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”
Psalm 122:9 For the sake of the house of the
LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Psalm 123:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes
to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
Psalm 123:2 As the eyes of servants look to the
hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the
hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He
shows us mercy.
Psalm 123:3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have
mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
Psalm 123:4 We have endured much scorn from the
arrogant, much contempt from the proud.
Psalm 124:1 A song of ascents. Of David. If the
LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—
Psalm 124:2 if the LORD had not been on our side
when men attacked us,
Psalm 124:3 when their anger flared against us,
then they would have swallowed us alive,
Psalm 124:4 then the floods would have engulfed
us, then the torrent would have overwhelmed us,
Psalm 124:5 then the raging waters would have
swept us away.
Psalm 124:6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not
given us as prey to their teeth.
Psalm 124:7 We have escaped like a bird from the
snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 125:1 A song of ascents. Those who trust
in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides
forever.
Psalm 125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore.
Psalm 125:3 For the scepter of the wicked will
not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous, so that the
righteous will not put forth their hands to injustice.
Psalm 125:4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are
good, and to the upright in heart.
Psalm 125:5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.
Psalm 126:1 A song of ascents. When the LORD
restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.
Psalm 126:2 Then our mouths were filled with
laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among
the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
Psalm 126:3 The LORD has done great things for
us; we are filled with joy.
Psalm 126:4 Restore our captives, O LORD, like
streams in the Negev.
Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears will reap
with shouts of joy.
Psalm 126:6 He who goes out weeping, bearing a
trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying
sheaves of grain.
Psalm 127:1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain;
unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in
vain.
Psalm 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up
late, toiling for bread to eat—for He gives sleep to His beloved.
Psalm 127:3 Children are indeed a heritage from
the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.
Psalm 127:4 Like arrows in the hand of a
warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.
Psalm 127:5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is
full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the
enemies at the gate.
Psalm 128:1 A song of ascents. Blessed are all
who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways!
Psalm 128:2 For when you eat the fruit of your
labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Psalm 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful
vine flourishing within your house, your sons like olive shoots
sitting around your table.
Psalm 128:4 In this way indeed shall blessing
come to the man who fears the LORD.
Psalm 128:5 May the LORD bless you from Zion,
that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your
life,
Psalm 128:6 that you may see your children’s
children. Peace be upon Israel!
Psalm 129:1 A song of ascents. Many a time they
have persecuted me from my youth—let Israel now declare—
Psalm 129:2 many a time they have persecuted me
from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.
Psalm 129:3 The plowmen plowed over my back;
they made their furrows long.
Psalm 129:4 The LORD is righteous; He has cut me
from the cords of the wicked.
Psalm 129:5 May all who hate Zion be turned back
in shame.
Psalm 129:6 May they be like grass on the
rooftops, which withers before it can grow,
Psalm 129:7 unable to fill the hands of the
reaper, or the arms of the binder of sheaves.
Psalm 129:8 May none who pass by say to them,
“The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of
the LORD.”
Psalm 130:1 A song of ascents. Out of the depths
I cry to You, O LORD!
Psalm 130:2 O Lord, hear my voice; let Your ears
be attentive to my plea for mercy.
Psalm 130:3 If You, O LORD, kept track of
iniquities, then who, O Lord, could stand?
Psalm 130:4 But with You there is forgiveness,
so that You may be feared.
Psalm 130:5 I wait for the LORD; my soul does
wait, and in His word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:6 My soul waits for the Lord more than
watchmen wait for the morning—more than watchmen wait for the
morning.
Psalm 130:7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption
in abundance.
Psalm 130:8 And He will redeem Israel from all
iniquity.
Psalm 131:1 A song of ascents. Of David. My
heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not
aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me.
Psalm 131:2 Surely I have stilled and quieted my
soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is
my soul within me.
Psalm 131:3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 132:1 A song of ascents. O LORD, remember
on behalf of David all the hardships he endured,
Psalm 132:2 how he swore an oath to the LORD,
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
Psalm 132:3 “I will not enter my house or get
into my bed,
Psalm 132:4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or
slumber to my eyelids,
Psalm 132:5 until I find a place for the LORD, a
dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Psalm 132:6 We heard that the ark was in
Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Psalm 132:7 Let us go to His dwelling place; let
us worship at His footstool.
Psalm 132:8 Arise, O LORD, to Your resting
place, You and the ark of Your strength.
Psalm 132:9 May Your priests be clothed with
righteousness, and Your saints shout for joy.
Psalm 132:10 For the sake of Your servant David,
do not reject Your anointed one.
Psalm 132:11 The LORD swore an oath to David, a
promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place
on your throne.
Psalm 132:12 If your sons keep My covenant and
the testimony I will teach them, then their sons will also sit on
your throne forever and ever.”
Psalm 132:13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; He
has desired it for His home:
Psalm 132:14 “This is My resting place forever
and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.
Psalm 132:15 I will bless her with abundant
provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Psalm 132:16 I will clothe her priests with
salvation, and her saints will sing out in joy.
Psalm 132:17 There I will make a horn grow for
David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.
Psalm 132:18 I will clothe his enemies with
shame, but the crown upon him will gleam.”
Psalm 133:1 A song of ascents. Of David. Behold,
how good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in
harmony!
Psalm 133:2 It is like fine oil on the head,
running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard over the
collar of his robes.
Psalm 133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon falling
on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the
blessing of life forevermore.
Psalm 134:1 A song of ascents. Come, bless the
LORD, all you servants of the LORD who serve by night in the house
of the LORD!
Psalm 134:2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary
and bless the LORD!
Psalm 134:3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven
and earth, bless you from Zion.
Psalm 135:1 Hallelujah! Praise the name of the
LORD. Give praise, O servants of the LORD,
Psalm 135:2 who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Psalm 135:3 Hallelujah, for the LORD is good;
sing praises to His name, for it is lovely.
Psalm 135:4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob as His
own, Israel as His treasured possession.
Psalm 135:5 For I know that the LORD is great;
our Lord is above all gods.
Psalm 135:6 The LORD does all that pleases Him
in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and in all their
depths.
Psalm 135:7 He causes the clouds to rise from
the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain
and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.
Psalm 135:8 He struck down the firstborn of
Egypt, of both man and beast.
Psalm 135:9 He sent signs and wonders into your
midst, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.
Psalm 135:10 He struck down many nations and
slaughtered mighty kings:
Psalm 135:11 Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king
of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.
Psalm 135:12 He gave their land as an
inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.
Psalm 135:13 Your name, O LORD, endures forever,
Your renown, O LORD, through all generations.
Psalm 135:14 For the LORD will vindicate His
people and will have compassion on His servants.
Psalm 135:15 The idols of the nations are silver
and gold, made by the hands of men.
Psalm 135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak;
they have eyes, but cannot see;
Psalm 135:17 they have ears, but cannot hear;
nor is there breath in their mouths.
Psalm 135:18 Those who make them become like
them, as do all who trust in them.
Psalm 135:19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD;
O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;
Psalm 135:20 O house of Levi, bless the LORD;
you who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!
Psalm 135:21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion—He
who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is
good. His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:4 He alone does great wonders. His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:5 By His insight He made the heavens.
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:6 He spread out the earth upon the
waters. His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:7 He made the great lights—His loving
devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:8 the sun to rule the day, His loving
devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:9 the moon and stars to govern the
night. His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:10 He struck down the firstborn of
Egypt His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:11 and brought Israel out from among
them His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:12 with a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm. His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:13 He divided the Red Sea in two His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:14 and led Israel through the midst,
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into
the Red Sea. His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:16 He led His people through the
wilderness. His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:17 He struck down great kings His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:18 and slaughtered mighty kings—His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:19 Sihon king of the Amorites His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:20 and Og king of Bashan—His loving
devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:21 and He gave their land as an
inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:22 a heritage to His servant Israel.
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:23 He remembered us in our low estate
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:24 and freed us from our enemies. His
loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:25 He gives food to every creature.
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!
His loving devotion endures forever.
Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and
wept when we remembered Zion.
Psalm 137:2 There on the willows we hung our
harps,
Psalm 137:3 for there our captors requested a
song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy: “Sing us a song of
Zion.”
Psalm 137:4 How can we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
Psalm 137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my
right hand cease to function.
Psalm 137:6 May my tongue cling to the roof of
my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as
my greatest joy!
Psalm 137:7 Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom
on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down
to its foundations!”
Psalm 137:8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to
destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us.
Psalm 137:9 Blessed is he who seizes your
infants and dashes them against the rocks.
Psalm 138:1 Of David. I give You thanks with all
my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises.
Psalm 138:2 I bow down toward Your holy temple
and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your
faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all
else.
Psalm 138:3 On the day I called, You answered
me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.
Psalm 138:4 All the kings of the earth will give
You thanks, O LORD, when they hear the words of Your mouth.
Psalm 138:5 They will sing of the ways of the
LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.
Psalm 138:6 Though the LORD is on high, He
attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.
Psalm 138:7 If I walk in the midst of trouble,
You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand,
and Your right hand saves me.
Psalm 138:8 The LORD will fulfill His purpose
for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not
abandon the works of Your hands.
Psalm 139:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Psalm 139:2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
Psalm 139:3 You search out my path and my lying
down; You are aware of all my ways.
Psalm 139:4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, O LORD.
Psalm 139:5 You hem me in behind and before; You
have laid Your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for
me, too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 139:7 Where can I go to escape Your
Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?
Psalm 139:8 If I ascend to the heavens, You are
there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
Psalm 139:9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle by the farthest sea,
Psalm 139:10 even there Your hand will guide me;
Your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139:11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will
hide me, and the light become night around me”—
Psalm 139:12 even the darkness is not dark to
You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light
to You.
Psalm 139:13 For You formed my inmost being; You
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:14 I praise You, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this
very well.
Psalm 139:15 My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret, when I was woven together in the depths
of the earth.
Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all
my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one
of them came to be.
Psalm 139:17 How precious to me are Your
thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum!
Psalm 139:18 If I were to count them, they would
outnumber the grains of sand; and when I awake, I am still with
You.
Psalm 139:19 O God, that You would slay the
wicked—away from me, you bloodthirsty men—
Psalm 139:20 who speak of You deceitfully; Your
enemies take Your name in vain.
Psalm 139:21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O
LORD, and detest those who rise against You?
Psalm 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I
count them as my enemies.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my
heart; test me and know my concerns.
Psalm 139:24 See if there is any offensive way
in me; lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 140:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of
David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of
violence,
Psalm 140:2 who devise evil in their hearts and
stir up war all day long.
Psalm 140:3 They sharpen their tongues like
snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
Psalm 140:4 Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of
the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make
me stumble.
Psalm 140:5 The proud hide a snare for me; the
cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set
out for me. Selah
Psalm 140:6 I say to the LORD, “You are my God.”
Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.
Psalm 140:7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my
salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle.
Psalm 140:8 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of
the wicked; do not promote their evil plans, lest they be exalted.
Selah
Psalm 140:9 May the heads of those who surround
me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
Psalm 140:10 May burning coals fall on them; may
they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise
again.
Psalm 140:11 May no slanderer be established in
the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
Psalm 140:12 I know that the LORD upholds
justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy.
Psalm 140:13 Surely the righteous will praise
Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.
Psalm 141:1 A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O
LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.
Psalm 141:2 May my prayer be set before You like
incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering.
Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:4 Do not let my heart be drawn to any
evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do
iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.
Psalm 141:5 Let the righteous man strike me; let
his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head;
let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of
the wicked.
Psalm 141:6 When their rulers are thrown down
from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are
pleasant.
Psalm 141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the
soil, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
Psalm 141:8 But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD
the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
Psalm 141:9 Keep me from the snares they have
laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.
Psalm 141:10 Let the wicked fall into their own
nets, while I pass by in safety.
Psalm 142:1 A Maskil of David, when he was in
the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to
the LORD for mercy.
Psalm 142:2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.
Psalm 142:3 Although my spirit grows faint
within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have
hidden a snare for me.
Psalm 142:4 Look to my right and see; no one
attends to me. There is no refuge for me; no one cares for my
soul.
Psalm 142:5 I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my
refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
Psalm 142:6 Listen to my cry, for I am brought
quite low. Rescue me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for
me.
Psalm 142:7 Free my soul from prison, that I may
praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because of
Your goodness to me.
Psalm 143:1 A Psalm of David. O LORD, hear my
prayer. In Your faithfulness, give ear to my plea; in Your
righteousness, answer me.
Psalm 143:2 Do not bring Your servant into
judgment, for no one alive is righteous before You.
Psalm 143:3 For the enemy has pursued my soul,
crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like
those long since dead.
Psalm 143:4 My spirit grows faint within me; my
heart is dismayed inside me.
Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old; I
meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands.
Psalm 143:6 I stretch out my hands to You; my
soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
Psalm 143:7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit
fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who
descend to the Pit.
Psalm 143:8 Let me hear Your loving devotion in
the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I
should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
Psalm 143:9 Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD;
I flee to You for refuge.
Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do Your will, for You
are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Psalm 143:11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD,
revive me. In Your righteousness, bring my soul out of trouble.
Psalm 143:12 And in Your loving devotion, cut
off my enemies. Destroy all who afflict me, for I am Your servant.
Psalm 144:1 Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my
Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
Psalm 144:2 He is my steadfast love and my
fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom
I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
Psalm 144:3 O LORD, what is man, that You regard
him, the son of man that You think of him?
Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are
like a passing shadow.
Psalm 144:5 Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come
down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
Psalm 144:6 Flash forth Your lightning and
scatter them; shoot Your arrows and rout them.
Psalm 144:7 Reach down from on high; set me free
and rescue me from the deep waters, from the grasp of foreigners,
Psalm 144:8 whose mouths speak falsehood, whose
right hands are deceitful.
Psalm 144:9 I will sing to You a new song, O
God; on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You—
Psalm 144:10 to Him who gives victory to kings,
who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.
Psalm 144:11 Set me free and rescue me from the
grasp of foreigners, whose mouths speak falsehood, whose right
hands are deceitful.
Psalm 144:12 Then our sons will be like plants
nurtured in their youth, our daughters like corner pillars carved
to adorn a palace.
Psalm 144:13 Our storehouses will be full,
supplying all manner of produce; our flocks will bring forth
thousands, tens of thousands in our fields.
Psalm 144:14 Our oxen will bear great loads.
There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and
no cry of lament in our streets.
Psalm 144:15 Blessed are the people of whom this
is so; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.
Psalm 145:1 A Psalm of praise. Of David. I will
exalt You, my God and King; I will bless Your name forever and
ever.
Psalm 145:2 Every day I will bless You, and I
will praise Your name forever and ever.
Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be
praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:4 One generation will commend Your
works to the next, and will proclaim Your mighty acts—
Psalm 145:5 the glorious splendor of Your
majesty. And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.
Psalm 145:6 They will proclaim the power of Your
awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.
Psalm 145:7 They will extol the fame of Your
abundant goodness and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
Psalm 145:9 The LORD is good to all; His
compassion rests on all He has made.
Psalm 145:10 All You have made will give You
thanks, O LORD, and Your saints will bless You.
Psalm 145:11 They will tell of the glory of Your
kingdom and speak of Your might,
Psalm 145:12 to make known to men Your mighty
acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Psalm 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The
LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His actions.
Psalm 145:14 The LORD upholds all who fall and
lifts up all who are bowed down.
Psalm 145:15 The eyes of all look to You, and
You give them their food in season.
Psalm 145:16 You open Your hand and satisfy the
desire of every living thing.
Psalm 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all His
ways and kind in all His deeds.
Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on
Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
Psalm 145:19 He fulfills the desires of those
who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
Psalm 145:20 The LORD preserves all who love
Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.
Psalm 145:21 My mouth will declare the praise of
the LORD; let every creature bless His holy name forever and ever.
Psalm 146:1 Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my
soul.
Psalm 146:2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, in
mortal man, who cannot save.
Psalm 146:4 When his spirit departs, he returns
to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.
Psalm 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God
of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Psalm 146:6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the
sea, and everything in them. He remains faithful forever.
Psalm 146:7 He executes justice for the
oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the
prisoners free,
Psalm 146:8 the LORD opens the eyes of the
blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves
the righteous.
Psalm 146:9 The LORD protects foreigners; He
sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked
He frustrates.
Psalm 146:10 The LORD reigns forever, your God,
O Zion, for all generations. Hallelujah!
Psalm 147:1 Hallelujah! How good it is to sing
praises to our God, how pleasant and lovely to praise Him!
Psalm 147:2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He
gathers the exiles of Israel.
Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds
up their wounds.
Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the
stars; He calls them each by name.
Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in
power; His understanding has no limit.
Psalm 147:6 The LORD sustains the humble, but
casts the wicked to the ground.
Psalm 147:7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make music on the harp to our God,
Psalm 147:8 who covers the sky with clouds, who
prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the hills.
Psalm 147:9 He provides food for the animals,
and for the young ravens when they call.
Psalm 147:10 He does not delight in the strength
of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.
Psalm 147:11 The LORD is pleased with those who
fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
Psalm 147:12 Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise
your God, O Zion!
Psalm 147:13 For He strengthens the bars of your
gates and blesses the children within you.
Psalm 147:14 He makes peace at your borders; He
fills you with the finest wheat.
Psalm 147:15 He sends forth His command to the
earth; His word runs swiftly.
Psalm 147:16 He spreads the snow like wool; He
scatters the frost like ashes;
Psalm 147:17 He casts forth His hail like
pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast?
Psalm 147:18 He sends forth His word and melts
them; He unleashes His winds, and the waters flow.
Psalm 147:19 He declares His word to Jacob, His
statutes and judgments to Israel.
Psalm 147:20 He has done this for no other
nation; they do not know His judgments. Hallelujah!
Psalm 148:1 Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the
heavens; praise Him in the highest places.
Psalm 148:2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise
Him, all His heavenly hosts.
Psalm 148:3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise
Him, all you shining stars.
Psalm 148:4 Praise Him, O highest heavens, and
you waters above the skies.
Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the
LORD, for He gave the command and they were created.
Psalm 148:6 He established them forever and
ever; He issued a decree that will never pass away.
Psalm 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, all
great sea creatures and ocean depths,
Psalm 148:8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
powerful wind fulfilling His word,
Psalm 148:9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees
and all cedars,
Psalm 148:10 wild animals and all cattle,
crawling creatures and flying birds,
Psalm 148:11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth,
Psalm 148:12 young men and maidens, old and
young together.
Psalm 148:13 Let them praise the name of the
LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the
earth and the heavens.
Psalm 148:14 He has raised up a horn for His
people, the praise of all His saints, of Israel, a people near to
Him. Hallelujah!
Psalm 149:1 Hallelujah! Sing to the LORD a new
song—His praise in the assembly of the godly.
Psalm 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Psalm 149:3 Let them praise His name with
dancing, and make music to Him with tambourine and harp.
Psalm 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His
people; He adorns the afflicted with salvation.
Psalm 149:5 Let the saints exult in glory; let
them shout for joy upon their beds.
Psalm 149:6 May the high praises of God be in
their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,
Psalm 149:7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
Psalm 149:8 to bind their kings with chains and
their nobles with shackles of iron,
Psalm 149:9 to execute the judgment written
against them. This honor is for all His saints. Hallelujah!
Psalm 150:1 Hallelujah! Praise God in His
sanctuary. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Psalm 150:2 Praise Him for His mighty acts;
praise Him for His excellent greatness.
Psalm 150:3 Praise Him with the sound of the
horn; praise Him with the harp and lyre.
Psalm 150:4 Praise Him with tambourine and
dancing; praise Him with strings and flute.
Psalm 150:5 Praise Him with clashing cymbals;
praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Hallelujah!
PROVERBS
Proverbs 1:1 These are the proverbs of Solomon
son of David, king of Israel,
Proverbs 1:2 for gaining wisdom and discipline,
for comprehending words of insight,
Proverbs 1:3 and for receiving instruction in
wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity.
Proverbs 1:4 To impart prudence to the simple
and knowledge and discretion to the young,
Proverbs 1:5 let the wise listen and gain
instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel
Proverbs 1:6 by understanding the proverbs and
parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s
instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
Proverbs 1:9 For they are a garland of grace on
your head and a pendant around your neck.
Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice you, do
not yield to them.
Proverbs 1:11 If they say, “Come along, let us
lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
Proverbs 1:12 let us swallow them alive like
Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit.
Proverbs 1:13 We will find all manner of
precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder.
Proverbs 1:14 Throw in your lot with us; let us
all share one purse”—
Proverbs 1:15 my son, do not walk the road with
them or set foot upon their path.
Proverbs 1:16 For their feet run to evil, and
they are swift to shed blood.
Proverbs 1:17 How futile it is to spread the net
where any bird can see it!
Proverbs 1:18 But they lie in wait for their own
blood; they ambush their own lives.
Proverbs 1:19 Such is the fate of all who are
greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.
Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom calls out in the street,
she lifts her voice in the square;
Proverbs 1:21 in the main concourse she cries
aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech:
Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you
love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their
scorn and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 1:23 If you had repented at my rebuke,
then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have
made my words known to you.
Proverbs 1:24 Because you refused my call, and
no one took my outstretched hand,
Proverbs 1:25 because you neglected all my
counsel, and wanted none of my correction,
Proverbs 1:26 in turn I will mock your calamity;
I will sneer when terror strikes you,
Proverbs 1:27 when your dread comes like a
storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and
anguish overwhelm you.
Proverbs 1:28 Then they will call on me, but I
will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find
me.
Proverbs 1:29 For they hated knowledge and chose
not to fear the LORD.
Proverbs 1:30 They accepted none of my counsel;
they despised all my reproof.
Proverbs 1:31 So they will eat the fruit of
their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Proverbs 1:32 For the waywardness of the simple
will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
Proverbs 1:33 But whoever listens to me will
dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.”
Proverbs 2:1 My son, if you accept my words and
hide my commandments within you,
Proverbs 2:2 if you incline your ear to wisdom
and direct your heart to understanding,
Proverbs 2:3 if you truly call out to insight
and lift your voice to understanding,
Proverbs 2:4 if you seek it like silver and
search it out like hidden treasure,
Proverbs 2:5 then you will discern the fear of
the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His
mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:7 He stores up sound wisdom for the
upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
Proverbs 2:8 to guard the paths of justice and
protect the way of His saints.
Proverbs 2:9 Then you will discern righteousness
and justice and equity—every good path.
Proverbs 2:10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will delight your soul.
Proverbs 2:11 Discretion will watch over you,
and understanding will guard you,
Proverbs 2:12 to deliver you from the way of
evil, from the man who speaks perversity,
Proverbs 2:13 from those who leave the straight
paths to walk in the ways of darkness,
Proverbs 2:14 from those who enjoy doing evil
and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
Proverbs 2:15 whose paths are crooked and whose
ways are devious.
Proverbs 2:16 It will rescue you from the
forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words
Proverbs 2:17 who abandons the partner of her
youth and forgets the covenant of her God.
Proverbs 2:18 For her house sinks down to death,
and her tracks to the departed spirits.
Proverbs 2:19 None who go to her return or
negotiate the paths of life.
Proverbs 2:20 So you will follow in the ways of
the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
Proverbs 2:21 For the upright will inhabit the
land, and the blameless will remain in it;
Proverbs 2:22 but the wicked will be cut off
from the land, and the unfaithful will be uprooted.
Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
Proverbs 3:2 for they will add length to your
days, years and peace to your life.
Proverbs 3:3 Never let loving devotion or
faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on
the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:4 Then you will find favor and high
regard in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your
heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
Proverbs 3:6 in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear
the LORD and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:8 This will bring healing to your
body and refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the LORD with your wealth and
with the firstfruits of all your harvest;
Proverbs 3:10 then your barns will be filled
with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not reject the
discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;
Proverbs 3:12 for the LORD disciplines the one
He loves, as does a father the son in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:13 Blessed is the man who finds
wisdom, the man who acquires understanding,
Proverbs 3:14 for she is more profitable than
silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.
Proverbs 3:15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire compares with her.
Proverbs 3:16 Long life is in her right hand; in
her left hand are riches and honor.
Proverbs 3:17 All her ways are pleasant, and all
her paths are peaceful.
Proverbs 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who
embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
Proverbs 3:19 The LORD founded the earth by
wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.
Proverbs 3:20 By His knowledge the watery depths
were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.
Proverbs 3:21 My son, do not lose sight of this:
Preserve sound judgment and discernment.
Proverbs 3:22 They will be life to your soul and
adornment to your neck.
Proverbs 3:23 Then you will go on your way in
safety, and your foot will not stumble.
Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be
afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.
Proverbs 3:25 Do not fear sudden danger or the
ruin that overtakes the wicked,
Proverbs 3:26 for the LORD will be your
confidence and will keep your foot from the snare.
Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from the
deserving when it is within your power to act.
Proverbs 3:28 Do not tell your neighbor, “Come
back tomorrow and I will provide”—when you already have the means.
Proverbs 3:29 Do not devise evil against your
neighbor, for he trustfully dwells beside you.
Proverbs 3:30 Do not accuse a man without cause,
when he has done you no harm.
Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy a violent man or
choose any of his ways;
Proverbs 3:32 for the LORD detests the perverse,
but He is a friend to the upright.
Proverbs 3:33 The curse of the LORD is on the
house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous.
Proverbs 3:34 He mocks the mockers, but gives
grace to the humble.
Proverbs 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, but
fools are held up to shame.
Proverbs 4:1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s
instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
Proverbs 4:2 For I give you sound teaching; do
not abandon my directive.
Proverbs 4:3 When I was a son to my father,
tender and the only child of my mother,
Proverbs 4:4 he taught me and said, “Let your
heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.
Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do
not forget my words or turn from them.
Proverbs 4:6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will
preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.
Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is supreme; so acquire
wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
Proverbs 4:8 Prize her, and she will exalt you;
if you embrace her, she will honor you.
Proverbs 4:9 She will set a garland of grace on
your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
Proverbs 4:10 Listen, my son, and receive my
words, and the years of your life will be many.
Proverbs 4:11 I will guide you in the way of
wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.
Proverbs 4:12 When you walk, your steps will not
be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.
Proverbs 4:13 Hold on to instruction; do not let
go. Guard it, for it is your life.
Proverbs 4:14 Do not set foot on the path of the
wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.
Proverbs 4:15 Avoid it; do not travel on it.
Turn from it and pass on by.
Proverbs 4:16 For they cannot sleep unless they
do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone
fall.
Proverbs 4:17 For they eat the bread of
wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like
the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until
midday.
Proverbs 4:19 But the way of the wicked is like
the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:20 My son, pay attention to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Proverbs 4:21 Do not lose sight of them; keep
them within your heart.
Proverbs 4:22 For they are life to those who
find them, and health to the whole body.
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart with all
diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
Proverbs 4:24 Put away deception from your
mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.
Proverbs 4:25 Let your eyes look forward; fix
your gaze straight ahead.
Proverbs 4:26 Make a level path for your feet,
and all your ways will be sure.
Proverbs 4:27 Do not swerve to the right or to
the left; turn your feet away from evil.
Proverbs 5:1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my insight,
Proverbs 5:2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
Proverbs 5:3 Though the lips of the forbidden
woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
Proverbs 5:4 in the end she is bitter as
wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword.
Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her
steps lead straight to Sheol.
Proverbs 5:6 She does not consider the path of
life; she does not know that her ways are unstable.
Proverbs 5:7 So now, my sons, listen to me, and
do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 5:8 Keep your path far from her; do not
go near the door of her house,
Proverbs 5:9 lest you concede your vigor to
others, and your years to one who is cruel;
Proverbs 5:10 lest strangers feast on your
wealth, and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.
Proverbs 5:11 At the end of your life you will
groan when your flesh and your body are spent,
Proverbs 5:12 and you will say, “How I hated
discipline, and my heart despised reproof!
Proverbs 5:13 I did not listen to the voice of
my teachers or incline my ear to my mentors.
Proverbs 5:14 I am on the brink of utter ruin in
the midst of the whole assembly.”
Proverbs 5:15 Drink water from your own cistern,
and running water from your own well.
Proverbs 5:16 Why should your springs flow in
the streets, your streams of water in the public squares?
Proverbs 5:17 Let them be yours alone, never to
be shared with strangers.
Proverbs 5:18 May your fountain be blessed, and
may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:
Proverbs 5:19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may
her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love
forever.
Proverbs 5:20 Why be captivated, my son, by an
adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?
Proverbs 5:21 For a man’s ways are before the
eyes of the LORD, and the LORD examines all his paths.
Proverbs 5:22 The iniquities of a wicked man
entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.
Proverbs 5:23 He dies for lack of discipline,
led astray by his own great folly.
Proverbs 6:1 My son, if you have put up security
for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a
stranger,
Proverbs 6:2 if you have been trapped by the
words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth,
Proverbs 6:3 then do this, my son, to free
yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go,
humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor.
Proverbs 6:4 Allow no sleep to your eyes or
slumber to your eyelids.
Proverbs 6:5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from
the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
Proverbs 6:6 Walk in the manner of the ant, O
slacker; observe its ways and become wise.
Proverbs 6:7 Without a commander, without an
overseer or ruler,
Proverbs 6:8 it prepares its provisions in
summer; it gathers its food at harvest.
Proverbs 6:9 How long will you lie there, O
slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
Proverbs 6:10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
Proverbs 6:11 and poverty will come upon you
like a robber, and need like a bandit.
Proverbs 6:12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
walks with a perverse mouth,
Proverbs 6:13 winking his eyes, speaking with
his feet, and pointing with his fingers.
Proverbs 6:14 With deceit in his heart he
devises evil; he continually sows discord.
Proverbs 6:15 Therefore calamity will come upon
him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.
Proverbs 6:16 There are six things that the LORD
hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
Proverbs 6:17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
Proverbs 6:18 a heart that devises wicked
schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
Proverbs 6:19 a false witness who gives false
testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.
Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father’s
commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Proverbs 6:21 Bind them always upon your heart;
tie them around your neck.
Proverbs 6:22 When you walk, they will guide
you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake,
they will speak to you.
Proverbs 6:23 For this commandment is a lamp,
this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the
way to life,
Proverbs 6:24 to keep you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Proverbs 6:25 Do not lust in your heart for her
beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
Proverbs 6:26 For the levy of the prostitute is
poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.
Proverbs 6:27 Can a man embrace fire and his
clothes not be burned?
Proverbs 6:28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without scorching his feet?
Proverbs 6:29 So is he who sleeps with another
man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.
Proverbs 6:30 Men do not despise the thief if he
steals to satisfy his hunger.
Proverbs 6:31 Yet if caught, he must pay
sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
Proverbs 6:32 He who commits adultery lacks
judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
Proverbs 6:33 Wounds and dishonor will befall
him, and his reproach will never be wiped away.
Proverbs 6:34 For jealousy enrages a husband,
and he will show no mercy in the day of vengeance.
Proverbs 6:35 He will not be appeased by any
ransom, or persuaded by lavish gifts.
Proverbs 7:1 My son, keep my words and treasure
my commandments within you.
Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments and live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Proverbs 7:3 Tie them to your fingers; write
them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 7:4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call understanding your kinsman,
Proverbs 7:5 that they may keep you from the
adulteress, from the stranger with seductive words.
Proverbs 7:6 For at the window of my house I
looked through the lattice.
Proverbs 7:7 I saw among the simple, I noticed
among the youths, a young man lacking judgment,
Proverbs 7:8 crossing the street near her
corner, strolling down the road to her house,
Proverbs 7:9 at twilight, as the day was fading
into the dark of the night.
Proverbs 7:10 Then a woman came out to meet him,
with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.
Proverbs 7:11 She is loud and defiant; her feet
do not remain at home.
Proverbs 7:12 Now in the street, now in the
squares, she lurks at every corner.
Proverbs 7:13 She seizes him and kisses him; she
brazenly says to him:
Proverbs 7:14 “I have made my peace offerings;
today I have paid my vows.
Proverbs 7:15 So I came out to meet you; I
sought you, and I have found you.
Proverbs 7:16 I have decked my bed with
coverings, with colored linen from Egypt.
Proverbs 7:17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
with aloes, and with cinnamon.
Proverbs 7:18 Come, let us take our fill of love
till morning. Let us delight in loving caresses!
Proverbs 7:19 For my husband is not at home; he
has gone on a long journey.
Proverbs 7:20 He took with him a bag of money
and will not return till the moon is full.”
Proverbs 7:21 With her great persuasion she
entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.
Proverbs 7:22 He follows her on impulse, like an
ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,
Proverbs 7:23 until an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his
life.
Proverbs 7:24 Now, my sons, listen to me, and
attend to the words of my mouth.
Proverbs 7:25 Do not let your heart turn aside
to her ways; do not stray into her paths.
Proverbs 7:26 For she has brought many down to
death; her slain are many in number.
Proverbs 7:27 Her house is the road to Sheol,
descending to the chambers of death.
Proverbs 8:1 Does not wisdom call out, and
understanding raise her voice?
Proverbs 8:2 On the heights overlooking the
road, at the crossroads she takes her stand.
Proverbs 8:3 Beside the gates to the city, at
the entrances she cries out:
Proverbs 8:4 “To you, O men, I call out, and my
cry is to the sons of men.
Proverbs 8:5 O simple ones, learn to be shrewd;
O fools, gain understanding.
Proverbs 8:6 Listen, for I speak of noble
things, and the opening of my lips will reveal right.
Proverbs 8:7 For my mouth will speak the truth,
and wickedness is detestable to my lips.
Proverbs 8:8 All the words of my mouth are
righteous; none are crooked or perverse.
Proverbs 8:9 They are all plain to the
discerning, and upright to those who find knowledge.
Proverbs 8:10 Receive my instruction instead of
silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.
Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is more precious than
rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.
Proverbs 8:12 I, wisdom, dwell together with
prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.
Proverbs 8:13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
Proverbs 8:14 Counsel and sound judgment are
mine; I have insight and strength.
Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign, and rulers
enact just laws;
Proverbs 8:16 By me princes rule, and all nobles
who govern justly.
Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and
those who seek me early shall find me.
Proverbs 8:18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
Proverbs 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, pure
gold, and my harvest surpasses choice silver.
Proverbs 8:20 I walk in the way of
righteousness, along the paths of justice,
Proverbs 8:21 bestowing wealth on those who love
me and making their treasuries full.
Proverbs 8:22 The LORD created me as His first
course, before His works of old.
Proverbs 8:23 From everlasting I was
established, from the beginning, before the earth began.
Proverbs 8:24 When there were no watery depths,
I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water.
Proverbs 8:25 Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
Proverbs 8:26 before He made the land or fields,
or any of the dust of the earth.
Proverbs 8:27 I was there when He established
the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
Proverbs 8:28 when He established the clouds
above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,
Proverbs 8:29 when He set a boundary for the
sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He
marked out the foundations of the earth.
Proverbs 8:30 Then I was a skilled craftsman at
His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His
presence.
Proverbs 8:31 I was rejoicing in His whole
world, delighting together in the sons of men.
Proverbs 8:32 Now therefore, my sons, listen to
me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
Proverbs 8:33 Listen to instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.
Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to
me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my
doorway.
Proverbs 8:35 For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains the favor of the LORD.
Proverbs 8:36 But he who fails to find me harms
himself; all who hate me love death.”
Proverbs 9:1 Wisdom has built her house; she has
carved out her seven pillars.
Proverbs 9:2 She has prepared her meat and mixed
her wine; she has also set her table.
Proverbs 9:3 She has sent out her maidservants;
she calls out from the heights of the city.
Proverbs 9:4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in
here!” she says to him who lacks judgment.
Proverbs 9:5 “Come, eat my bread and drink the
wine I have mixed.
Proverbs 9:6 Leave your folly behind, and you
will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
Proverbs 9:7 He who corrects a mocker brings
shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.
Proverbs 9:8 Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will
hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Proverbs 9:9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be
wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his
learning.
Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding.
Proverbs 9:11 For through wisdom your days will
be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.
Proverbs 9:12 If you are wise, you are wise to
your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the
consequences.
Proverbs 9:13 The woman named Folly is loud; she
is naive and knows nothing.
Proverbs 9:14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat in the heights of the city,
Proverbs 9:15 calling out to those who pass by,
who make their paths straight.
Proverbs 9:16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn
in here!” she says to him who lacks judgment.
Proverbs 9:17 “Stolen water is sweet, and bread
eaten in secret is tasty!”
Proverbs 9:18 But they do not know that the dead
are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise
son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his
mother.
Proverbs 10:2 Ill-gotten treasures profit
nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
Proverbs 10:3 The LORD does not let the
righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked.
Proverbs 10:4 Idle hands make one poor, but
diligent hands bring wealth.
Proverbs 10:5 He who gathers in summer is a wise
son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.
Proverbs 10:6 Blessings are on the head of the
righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the righteous is a
blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
Proverbs 10:8 A wise heart will receive
commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin.
Proverbs 10:9 He who walks in integrity walks
securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.
Proverbs 10:10 He who winks the eye causes
grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.
Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a
fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension, but
love covers all transgressions.
Proverbs 10:13 Wisdom is found on the lips of
the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks
judgment.
Proverbs 10:14 The wise store up knowledge, but
the mouth of the fool invites destruction.
Proverbs 10:15 The wealth of the rich man is his
fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
Proverbs 10:16 The labor of the righteous leads
to life, but the gain of the wicked brings punishment.
Proverbs 10:17 Whoever heeds instruction is on
the path to life, but he who ignores reproof goes astray.
Proverbs 10:18 The one who conceals hatred has
lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is
unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the righteous is
choice silver, but the heart of the wicked has little worth.
Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed
many, but fools die for lack of judgment.
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD
enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.
Proverbs 10:23 The fool delights in shameful
conduct, but a man of understanding has wisdom.
Proverbs 10:24 What the wicked man dreads will
overtake him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Proverbs 10:25 When the whirlwind passes, the
wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.
Proverbs 10:26 Like vinegar to the teeth and
smoke to the eyes, so is the slacker to those who send him.
Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongs
life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short.
Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous is joy,
but the expectations of the wicked will perish.
Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is a refuge
to the upright, but destruction awaits those who do evil.
Proverbs 10:30 The righteous will never be
shaken, but the wicked will not inhabit the land.
Proverbs 10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings
forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
Proverbs 10:32 The lips of the righteous know
what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are an
abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, disgrace
follows, but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright
guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
Proverbs 11:4 Riches are worthless in the day of
wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless
directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
Proverbs 11:6 The righteousness of the upright
delivers them, but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.
Proverbs 11:7 When the wicked man dies, his hope
perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes.
Proverbs 11:8 The righteous man is delivered
from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.
Proverbs 11:9 With his mouth the ungodly man
destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are
rescued.
Proverbs 11:10 When the righteous thrive, the
city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of
joy.
Proverbs 11:11 By the blessing of the upright a
city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
Proverbs 11:12 Whoever shows contempt for his
neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains
silent.
Proverbs 11:13 A gossip reveals a secret, but a
trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
Proverbs 11:14 For lack of guidance, a nation
falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.
Proverbs 11:15 He who puts up security for a
stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is
secure.
Proverbs 11:16 A gracious woman attains honor,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
Proverbs 11:17 A kind man benefits himself, but
a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
Proverbs 11:18 The wicked man earns an empty
wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.
Proverbs 11:19 Genuine righteousness leads to
life, but the pursuit of evil brings death.
Proverbs 11:20 The perverse in heart are an
abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His
delight.
Proverbs 11:21 Be assured that the wicked will
not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
Proverbs 11:22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous leads
only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.
Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet gains even
more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
Proverbs 11:25 A generous soul will prosper, and
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:26 The people will curse the hoarder
of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.
Proverbs 11:27 He who searches out good finds
favor, but evil will come to him who seeks it.
Proverbs 11:28 He who trusts in his riches will
fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
Proverbs 11:29 He who brings trouble on his
house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the
wise of heart.
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a
tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Proverbs 11:31 If the righteous receive their
due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves
knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 12:2 The good man obtains favor from
the LORD, but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil.
Proverbs 12:3 A man cannot be established
through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
Proverbs 12:4 A wife of noble character is her
husband’s crown, but she who causes shame is like decay in his
bones.
Proverbs 12:5 The plans of the righteous are
just, but the counsel of the wicked leads to deceit.
Proverbs 12:6 The words of the wicked lie in
wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
Proverbs 12:7 The wicked are overthrown and
perish, but the house of the righteous will stand.
Proverbs 12:8 A man is praised according to his
wisdom, but a twisted mind is despised.
Proverbs 12:9 Better to be lightly esteemed yet
have a servant, than to be self-important but lack food.
Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regards the life
of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are only
cruelty.
Proverbs 12:11 The one who works his land will
have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
Proverbs 12:12 The wicked desire the plunder of
evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.
Proverbs 12:13 An evil man is trapped by his
rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.
Proverbs 12:14 By fruitful speech a man is
filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his
own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.
Proverbs 12:16 A fool’s anger is known at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Proverbs 12:17 He who speaks the truth declares
what is right, but a false witness speaks deceit.
Proverbs 12:18 Speaking rashly is like a
piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but
a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the hearts of those
who devise evil, but the counselors of peace have joy.
Proverbs 12:21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are detestable to the
LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.
Proverbs 12:23 A shrewd man keeps his knowledge
to himself, but a foolish heart proclaims its folly.
Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent will
rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety weighs down the heart of
a man, but a good word cheers it up.
Proverbs 12:26 A righteous man is cautious in
friendship, but the ways of the wicked lead them astray.
Proverbs 12:27 A lazy man does not roast his
game, but a diligent man prizes his possession.
Proverbs 12:28 There is life in the path of
righteousness, but another path leads to death.
Proverbs 13:1 A wise son heeds his father’s
discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.
Proverbs 13:2 From the fruit of his lips a man
enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence.
Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his mouth protects
his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.
Proverbs 13:4 The slacker craves yet has
nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
Proverbs 13:5 The righteous hate falsehood, but
the wicked bring shame and disgrace.
Proverbs 13:6 Righteousness guards the man of
integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.
Proverbs 13:7 One pretends to be rich, but has
nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
Proverbs 13:8 Riches may ransom a man’s life,
but a poor man hears no threat.
Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous shines
brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
Proverbs 13:10 Arrogance leads only to strife,
but wisdom is with the well-advised.
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest wealth will dwindle,
but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart
sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:13 He who despises instruction will
pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be
rewarded.
Proverbs 13:14 The teaching of the wise is a
fountain of life, turning one from the snares of death.
Proverbs 13:15 Good understanding wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is difficult.
Proverbs 13:16 Every prudent man acts with
knowledge, but a fool displays his folly.
Proverbs 13:17 A wicked messenger falls into
trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.
Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame come to him who
ignores discipline, but whoever heeds correction is honored.
Proverbs 13:19 Desire fulfilled is sweet to the
soul, but turning from evil is detestable to fools.
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise will
become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Proverbs 13:21 Disaster pursues sinners, but
prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance
to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to
the righteous.
Proverbs 13:23 Abundant food is in the fallow
ground of the poor, but without justice it is swept away.
Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his
son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
Proverbs 13:25 A righteous man eats to his
heart’s content, but the stomach of the wicked is empty.
Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman builds her house,
but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
Proverbs 14:2 He who walks in uprightness fears
the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
Proverbs 14:3 The proud speech of a fool brings
a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.
Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the
manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the
strength of the ox.
Proverbs 14:5 An honest witness does not
deceive, but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.
Proverbs 14:6 A mocker seeks wisdom and finds
none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
Proverbs 14:7 Stay away from a foolish man; you
will gain no knowledge from his speech.
Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to
discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.
Proverbs 14:9 Fools mock the making of amends,
but goodwill is found among the upright.
Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own
bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy.
Proverbs 14:11 The house of the wicked will be
destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right
to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may
ache, and joy may end in sorrow.
Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart receives
the fill of his own ways, but a good man is rewarded for his ways.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple man believes every
word, but the prudent man watches his steps.
Proverbs 14:16 A wise man fears and turns from
evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.
Proverbs 14:17 A quick-tempered man acts
foolishly, and a devious man is hated.
Proverbs 14:18 The simple inherit folly, but the
prudent are crowned with knowledge.
Proverbs 14:19 The evil bow before the good, and
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
Proverbs 14:20 The poor man is hated even by his
neighbor, but many are those who love the rich.
Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor
sins, but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.
Proverbs 14:22 Do not those who contrive evil go
astray? But those who plan goodness find loving devotion and
faithfulness.
Proverbs 14:23 There is profit in all labor, but
mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 14:24 The crown of the wise is their
wealth, but the effort of fools is folly.
Proverbs 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who utters lies is deceitful.
Proverbs 14:26 He who fears the LORD is secure
in confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a
fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
Proverbs 14:28 A large population is a king’s
splendor, but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.
Proverbs 14:29 A patient man has great
understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
Proverbs 14:30 A tranquil heart is life to the
body, but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor taunts
their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
Proverbs 14:32 The wicked man is thrown down by
his own sin, but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.
Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the
discerning; even among fools she is known.
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a disgrace to any people.
Proverbs 14:35 A king delights in a wise
servant, but his anger falls on the shameful.
Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise commends
knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every
place, observing the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:4 A soothing tongue is a tree of
life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:5 A fool rejects his father’s
discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.
Proverbs 15:6 The house of the righteous has
great treasure, but the income of the wicked is trouble.
Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise spread
knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is
detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His
delight.
Proverbs 15:9 The LORD detests the way of the
wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness.
Proverbs 15:10 Discipline is harsh for him who
leaves the path; he who hates correction will die.
Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before
the LORD—how much more the hearts of men!
Proverbs 15:12 A mocker does not love to be
reproved, nor will he consult the wise.
Proverbs 15:13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful
countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 15:14 A discerning heart seeks
knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the oppressed are
bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Proverbs 15:16 Better a little with the fear of
the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.
Proverbs 15:17 Better a dish of vegetables where
there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.
Proverbs 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up
strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
Proverbs 15:19 The way of the slacker is like a
hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
Proverbs 15:20 A wise son brings joy to his
father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
Proverbs 15:21 Folly is joy to one who lacks
judgment, but a man of understanding walks a straight path.
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 15:23 A man takes joy in a fitting
reply—and how good is a timely word!
Proverbs 15:24 The path of life leads upward for
the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
Proverbs 15:25 The LORD tears down the house of
the proud, but He protects the boundaries of the widow.
Proverbs 15:26 The LORD detests the thoughts of
the wicked, but the words of the pure are pleasant to Him.
Proverbs 15:27 He who is greedy for unjust gain
brings trouble on his household, but he who hates bribes will
live.
Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous
ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out
evil.
Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked,
but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes cheers the
heart, and good news nourishes the bones.
Proverbs 15:31 He who listens to life-giving
reproof will dwell among the wise.
Proverbs 15:32 He who ignores discipline
despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains
understanding.
Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the
instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 16:1 The plans of the heart belong to
man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:2 All a man’s ways are pure in his
own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the LORD and
your plans will be achieved.
Proverbs 16:4 The LORD has made everything for
His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.
Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is
detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:6 By loving devotion and
faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD
one turns aside from evil.
Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD,
He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:8 Better a little with righteousness
than great gain with injustice.
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 16:10 A divine verdict is on the lips
of a king; his mouth must not betray justice.
Proverbs 16:11 Honest scales and balances are
from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern.
Proverbs 16:12 Wicked behavior is detestable to
kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are a king’s
delight, and he who speaks honestly is beloved.
Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a king is a
messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
Proverbs 16:15 When a king’s face brightens,
there is life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
Proverbs 16:16 How much better to acquire wisdom
than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
Proverbs 16:17 The highway of the upright leads
away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:19 It is better to be lowly in
spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 16:20 Whoever heeds instruction will
find success, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart are called
discerning, and pleasant speech promotes instruction.
Proverbs 16:22 Understanding is a fountain of
life to its possessor, but the discipline of fools is folly.
Proverbs 16:23 The heart of the wise man
instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right
to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Proverbs 16:26 A worker’s appetite works for him
because his hunger drives him onward.
Proverbs 16:27 A worthless man digs up evil, and
his speech is like a scorching fire.
Proverbs 16:28 A perverse man spreads
dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.
Proverbs 16:29 A violent man entices his
neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good.
Proverbs 16:30 He who winks his eye devises
perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil.
Proverbs 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it
is attained along the path of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:32 He who is slow to anger is better
than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one
who captures a city.
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but
its every decision is from the LORD.
Proverbs 17:1 Better a dry morsel in quietness
than a house full of feasting with strife.
Proverbs 17:2 A wise servant will rule over a
disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
Proverbs 17:3 A crucible for silver and a
furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
Proverbs 17:4 A wicked man listens to evil lips;
a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
Proverbs 17:5 He who mocks the poor insults
their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 17:6 Grandchildren are the crown of the
aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
Proverbs 17:7 Eloquent words are unfit for a
fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
Proverbs 17:8 A bribe is a charm to its giver;
wherever he turns, he succeeds.
Proverbs 17:9 Whoever conceals an offense
promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
Proverbs 17:10 A rebuke cuts into a man of
discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
Proverbs 17:11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Proverbs 17:12 It is better to meet a bear
robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
Proverbs 17:13 If anyone returns evil for good,
evil will never leave his house.
Proverbs 17:14 To start a quarrel is to release
a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
Proverbs 17:15 Acquitting the guilty and
condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.
Proverbs 17:16 Why should the fool have money in
his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and
a brother is born for adversity.
Proverbs 17:18 A man lacking judgment strikes
hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
Proverbs 17:19 He who loves transgression loves
strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
Proverbs 17:20 The one with a perverse heart
finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into
trouble.
Proverbs 17:21 A man fathers a fool to his own
grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man takes a covert bribe
to subvert the course of justice.
Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is the focus of the
discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the
earth.
Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his
father and bitterness to her who bore him.
Proverbs 17:26 It is surely not good to punish
the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
Proverbs 17:27 A man of knowledge restrains his
words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool is considered wise if
he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.
Proverbs 18:1 He who isolates himself pursues
selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in
understanding, but only in airing his opinions.
Proverbs 18:3 With a wicked man comes contempt
as well, and shame is accompanied by disgrace.
Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are
deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
Proverbs 18:5 Showing partiality to the wicked
is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.
Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips bring him strife,
and his mouth invites a beating.
Proverbs 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and
his lips are a snare to his soul.
Proverbs 18:8 The words of a gossip are like
choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.
Proverbs 18:9 Whoever is slothful in his work is
brother to him who destroys.
Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong
tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:11 A rich man’s wealth is his
fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.
Proverbs 18:12 Before his downfall a man’s heart
is proud, but humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 18:13 He who answers a matter before he
hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.
Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man can endure
his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?
Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the discerning
acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it out.
Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift opens doors for him,
and brings him before great men.
Proverbs 18:17 The first to state his case seems
right until another comes and cross-examines him.
Proverbs 18:18 Casting the lot ends quarrels and
separates strong opponents.
Proverbs 18:19 An offended brother is harder to
win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a
castle.
Proverbs 18:20 From the fruit of his mouth a
man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is
satisfied.
Proverbs 18:21 Life and death are in the power
of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good
thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
Proverbs 18:23 The poor man pleads for mercy,
but the rich man answers harshly.
Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come
to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
Proverbs 19:1 Better a poor man who walks with
integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.
Proverbs 19:2 Even zeal is no good without
knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
Proverbs 19:3 A man’s own folly subverts his
way, yet his heart rages against the LORD.
Proverbs 19:4 Wealth attracts many friends, but
a poor man is deserted by his friend.
Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go
unpunished, and one who utters lies will not escape.
Proverbs 19:6 Many seek the favor of the prince,
and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
Proverbs 19:7 All the brothers of a poor man
hate him—how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue
them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.
Proverbs 19:8 He who acquires wisdom loves
himself; one who safeguards understanding will find success.
Proverbs 19:9 A false witness will not go
unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish.
Proverbs 19:10 Luxury is unseemly for a fool—how
much worse for a slave to rule over princes!
Proverbs 19:11 A man’s insight gives him
patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
Proverbs 19:12 A king’s rage is like the roar of
a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
Proverbs 19:13 A foolish son is his father’s
ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.
Proverbs 19:14 Houses and wealth are inherited
from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Proverbs 19:15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
Proverbs 19:16 He who keeps a commandment
preserves his soul, but he who is careless in his ways will die.
Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to
the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son, for in that
there is hope; do not be party to his death.
Proverbs 19:19 A man of great anger must pay the
penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do so again.
Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and accept
discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.
Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s heart,
but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
Proverbs 19:22 The desire of a man is loving
devotion; better to be poor than a liar.
Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to
life, that one may rest content, without visitation from harm.
Proverbs 19:24 The slacker buries his hand in
the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.
Proverbs 19:25 Strike a mocker, and the simple
will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain
knowledge.
Proverbs 19:26 He who assaults his father or
evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
Proverbs 19:27 If you cease to hear instruction,
my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.
Proverbs 19:28 A corrupt witness mocks justice,
and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.
Proverbs 19:29 Judgments are prepared for
mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is
a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
Proverbs 20:2 The terror of a king is like the
roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.
Proverbs 20:3 It is honorable for a man to
resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.
Proverbs 20:4 The slacker does not plow in
season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.
Proverbs 20:5 The intentions of a man’s heart
are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.
Proverbs 20:6 Many a man proclaims his loving
devotion, but who can find a trustworthy man?
Proverbs 20:7 The righteous man walks with
integrity; blessed are his children after him.
Proverbs 20:8 A king who sits on a throne to
judge sifts out all evil with his eyes.
Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart
pure; I am cleansed from my sin”?
Proverbs 20:10 Differing weights and unequal
measures—both are detestable to the LORD.
Proverbs 20:11 Even a young man is known by his
actions—whether his conduct is pure and upright.
Proverbs 20:12 Ears that hear and eyes that
see—the LORD has made them both.
Proverbs 20:13 Do not love sleep, or you will
grow poor; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.
Proverbs 20:14 “Worthless, worthless!” says the
buyer, but on the way out, he gloats.
Proverbs 20:15 There is an abundance of gold and
rubies, but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.
Proverbs 20:16 Take the garment of the one who
posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a
foreigner.
Proverbs 20:17 Food gained by fraud is sweet to
a man, but later his mouth is full of gravel.
Proverbs 20:18 Set plans by consultation, and
wage war under sound guidance.
Proverbs 20:19 He who reveals secrets is a
constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.
Proverbs 20:20 Whoever curses his father or
mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
Proverbs 20:21 An inheritance gained quickly
will not be blessed in the end.
Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, “I will avenge this
evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.
Proverbs 20:23 Unequal weights are detestable to
the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.
Proverbs 20:24 A man’s steps are from the LORD,
so how can anyone understand his own way?
Proverbs 20:25 It is a trap for a man to
dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.
Proverbs 20:26 A wise king separates out the
wicked and drives the threshing wheel over them.
Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of a man is the lamp
of the LORD, searching out his inmost being.
Proverbs 20:28 Loving devotion and faithfulness
preserve a king; by these he maintains his throne.
Proverbs 20:29 The glory of young men is their
strength, and gray hair is the splendor of the old.
Proverbs 20:30 Lashes and wounds scour evil, and
beatings cleanse the inmost parts.
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is a waterway in
the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.
Proverbs 21:2 All a man’s ways seem right to
him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is
more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the
guides of the wicked—are sin.
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent bring
plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Proverbs 21:6 Making a fortune by a lying tongue
is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.
Proverbs 21:7 The violence of the wicked will
sweep them away because they refuse to do what is just.
Proverbs 21:8 The way of a guilty man is
crooked, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
Proverbs 21:9 Better to live on a corner of the
roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 21:10 The soul of the wicked man craves
evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
Proverbs 21:11 When a mocker is punished, the
simple gain wisdom; and when a wise man is instructed, he acquires
knowledge.
Proverbs 21:12 The Righteous One considers the
house of the wicked and brings the wicked to ruin.
Proverbs 21:13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry
of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.
Proverbs 21:14 A gift in secret soothes anger,
and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.
Proverbs 21:15 Justice executed is a joy to the
righteous, but a terror to the workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 21:16 The man who strays from the path
of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Proverbs 21:17 He who loves pleasure will become
poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.
Proverbs 21:18 The wicked become a ransom for
the righteous, and the faithless for the upright.
Proverbs 21:19 Better to live in the desert than
with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.
Proverbs 21:20 Precious treasures and oil are in
the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man consumes them.
Proverbs 21:21 He who pursues righteousness and
loving devotion finds life, righteousness, and honor.
Proverbs 21:22 A wise man scales the city of the
mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and
tongue keeps his soul from distress.
Proverbs 21:24 Mocker is the name of the proud
and arrogant man—of him who acts with excessive pride.
Proverbs 21:25 The craving of the slacker kills
him because his hands refuse to work.
Proverbs 21:26 All day long he covets more, but
the righteous give without restraint.
Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is
detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!
Proverbs 21:28 A lying witness will perish, but
the man who listens to truth will speak forever.
Proverbs 21:29 A wicked man hardens his face,
but the upright man makes his way sure.
Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom, no
understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
Proverbs 21:31 A horse is prepared for the day
of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than
great riches; favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:2 The rich and the poor have this in
common: The LORD is Maker of them all.
Proverbs 22:3 The prudent see danger and take
cover, but the simple keep going and suffer the consequences.
Proverbs 22:4 The rewards of humility and the
fear of the LORD are wealth and honor and life.
Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares lie on the path
of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he
should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and
the borrower is slave to the lender.
Proverbs 22:8 He who sows injustice will reap
disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Proverbs 22:10 Drive out the mocker, and
conflict will depart; even quarreling and insults will cease.
Proverbs 22:11 He who loves a pure heart and
gracious lips will have the king for a friend.
Proverbs 22:12 The LORD’s eyes keep watch over
knowledge, but He frustrates the words of the faithless.
Proverbs 22:13 The slacker says, “There is a
lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”
Proverbs 22:14 The mouth of an adulteress is a
deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.
Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the
heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from
him.
Proverbs 22:16 Oppressing the poor to enrich
oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.
Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear and hear the
words of the wise—apply your mind to my knowledge—
Proverbs 22:18 for it is pleasing when you keep
them within you and they are constantly on your lips.
Proverbs 22:19 So that your trust may be in the
LORD, I instruct you today—yes, you.
Proverbs 22:20 Have I not written for you thirty
sayings about counsel and knowledge,
Proverbs 22:21 to show you true and reliable
words, that you may soundly answer those who sent you?
Proverbs 22:22 Do not rob a poor man because he
is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
Proverbs 22:23 for the LORD will take up their
case and will plunder those who rob them.
Proverbs 22:24 Do not make friends with an angry
man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,
Proverbs 22:25 or you may learn his ways and
entangle yourself in a snare.
Proverbs 22:26 Do not be one who gives pledges,
who puts up security for debts.
Proverbs 22:27 If you have nothing with which to
pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
Proverbs 22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary
stone which your fathers have placed.
Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his
work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not
stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 23:1 When you sit down to dine with a
ruler, consider carefully what is set before you,
Proverbs 23:2 and put a knife to your throat if
you possess a great appetite.
Proverbs 23:3 Do not crave his delicacies, for
that food is deceptive.
Proverbs 23:4 Do not wear yourself out to get
rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.
Proverbs 23:5 When you glance at wealth, it
disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle
to the sky.
Proverbs 23:6 Do not eat the bread of a stingy
man, and do not crave his delicacies;
Proverbs 23:7 for he is keeping track, inwardly
counting the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart
is not with you.
Proverbs 23:8 You will vomit up what little you
have eaten and waste your pleasant words.
Proverbs 23:9 Do not speak to a fool, for he
will despise the wisdom of your words.
Proverbs 23:10 Do not move an ancient boundary
stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
Proverbs 23:11 for their Redeemer is strong; He
will take up their case against you.
Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ears to words of knowledge.
Proverbs 23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a
child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
Proverbs 23:14 Strike him with a rod, and you
will deliver his soul from Sheol.
Proverbs 23:15 My son, if your heart is wise, my
own heart will indeed rejoice.
Proverbs 23:16 My inmost being will rejoice when
your lips speak what is right.
Proverbs 23:17 Do not let your heart envy
sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is a future, and
your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:19 Listen, my son, and be wise, and
guide your heart on the right course.
Proverbs 23:20 Do not join those who drink too
much wine or gorge themselves on meat.
Proverbs 23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton
will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father who gave
you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Proverbs 23:23 Invest in truth and never sell
it—in wisdom and instruction and understanding.
Proverbs 23:24 The father of a righteous man
will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight
in him.
Proverbs 23:25 May your father and mother be
glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!
Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me your heart, and
let your eyes delight in my ways.
Proverbs 23:27 For a prostitute is a deep pit,
and an adulteress is a narrow well.
Proverbs 23:28 Like a robber she lies in wait
and multiplies the faithless among men.
Proverbs 23:29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who
has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has needless wounds? Who
has bloodshot eyes?
Proverbs 23:30 Those who linger over wine, who
go to taste mixed drinks.
Proverbs 23:31 Do not gaze at wine while it is
red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
Proverbs 23:32 In the end it bites like a snake
and stings like a viper.
Proverbs 23:33 Your eyes will see strange
things, and your mind will utter perversities.
Proverbs 23:34 You will be like one sleeping on
the high seas or lying on the top of a mast:
Proverbs 23:35 “They struck me, but I feel no
pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to
search for another drink?”
Proverbs 24:1 Do not envy wicked men or desire
their company;
Proverbs 24:2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips declare trouble.
Proverbs 24:3 By wisdom a house is built and by
understanding it is established;
Proverbs 24:4 through knowledge its rooms are
filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
Proverbs 24:5 A wise man is strong, and a man of
knowledge enhances his strength.
Proverbs 24:6 Only with sound guidance should
you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors.
Proverbs 24:7 Wisdom is too high for a fool; he
does not open his mouth in the meeting place.
Proverbs 24:8 He who plots evil will be called a
schemer.
Proverbs 24:9 A foolish scheme is sin, and a
mocker is detestable to men.
Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of
distress, how small is your strength!
Proverbs 24:11 Rescue those being led away to
death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not
know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does
not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man
according to his deeds?
Proverbs 24:13 Eat honey, my son, for it is
good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
Proverbs 24:14 Know therefore that wisdom is
sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and
your hope will never be cut off.
Proverbs 24:15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man,
near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting
place.
Proverbs 24:16 For though a righteous man may
fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad
times.
Proverbs 24:17 Do not gloat when your enemy
falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
Proverbs 24:18 or the LORD will see and
disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.
Proverbs 24:19 Do not fret over evildoers, and
do not be envious of the wicked.
Proverbs 24:20 For the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the
king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
Proverbs 24:22 For they will bring sudden
destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring?
Proverbs 24:23 These also are sayings of the
wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
Proverbs 24:24 Whoever tells the guilty, “You
are innocent”—peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce
him;
Proverbs 24:25 but it will go well with those
who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.
Proverbs 24:26 An honest answer given is like a
kiss on the lips.
Proverbs 24:27 Complete your outdoor work and
prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.
Proverbs 24:28 Do not testify against your
neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, “I will do to him as
he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.”
Proverbs 24:30 I went past the field of a
slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.
Proverbs 24:31 Thorns had grown up everywhere,
thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken
down.
Proverbs 24:32 I observed and took it to heart;
I looked and received instruction:
Proverbs 24:33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
Proverbs 24:34 and poverty will come upon you
like a robber, and need like a bandit.
Proverbs 25:1 These are additional proverbs of
Solomon, which were copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal
a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.
Proverbs 25:3 As the heavens are high and the
earth is deep, so the hearts of kings cannot be searched.
Proverbs 25:4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and a vessel for a silversmith will come forth.
Proverbs 25:5 Remove the wicked from the king’s
presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Proverbs 25:6 Do not exalt yourself in the
presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;
Proverbs 25:7 for it is better that he says to
you, “Come up here!” than that you should be demoted in the
presence of the prince. Even what you have seen with your own
eyes,
Proverbs 25:8 do not bring hastily to court.
Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you
to shame?
Proverbs 25:9 Argue your case with your neighbor
without betraying another’s confidence,
Proverbs 25:10 lest the one who hears may
disgrace you, and your infamy never go away.
Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like
apples of gold in settings of silver.
Proverbs 25:12 Like an earring of gold or an
ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.
Proverbs 25:13 Like the cold of snow in the time
of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he
refreshes the soul of his masters.
Proverbs 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is the man who boasts of gifts never given.
Proverbs 25:15 Through patience a ruler can be
persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
Proverbs 25:16 If you find honey, eat just what
you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up.
Proverbs 25:17 Seldom set foot in your
neighbor’s house, lest he grow weary and hate you.
Proverbs 25:18 Like a club or sword or sharp
arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.
Proverbs 25:19 Like a broken tooth or a foot out
of joint is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.
Proverbs 25:20 Like one who removes a garment on
a cold day or vinegar poured on a wound is one who sings songs to
a heavy heart.
Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him
food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
Proverbs 25:22 For in so doing, you will heap
burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
Proverbs 25:23 As the north wind brings forth
rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.
Proverbs 25:24 Better to live on a corner of the
roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 25:25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.
Proverbs 25:26 Like a muddied spring or a
polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.
Proverbs 25:27 It is not good to eat too much
honey or to search out one’s own glory.
Proverbs 25:28 Like a city whose walls are
broken down is a man who does not control his temper.
Proverbs 26:1 Like snow in summer and rain at
harvest, honor does not befit a fool.
Proverbs 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow or
darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
Proverbs 26:3 A whip for the horse, a bridle for
the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!
Proverbs 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to
his folly, or you yourself will be like him.
Proverbs 26:5 Answer a fool according to his
folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:6 Like cutting off one’s own feet or
drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a
fool.
Proverbs 26:7 Like lame legs hanging limp is a
proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Proverbs 26:8 Like binding a stone into a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.
Proverbs 26:9 Like a thorn that falls into the
hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Proverbs 26:10 Like an archer who wounds at
random is he who hires a fool or passerby.
Proverbs 26:11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so
a fool repeats his folly.
Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man who is wise in
his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 26:13 The slacker says, “A lion is in
the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
Proverbs 26:14 As a door turns on its hinges, so
the slacker turns on his bed.
Proverbs 26:15 The slacker buries his hand in
the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
Proverbs 26:16 The slacker is wiser in his own
eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
Proverbs 26:17 Like one who grabs a dog by the
ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.
Proverbs 26:18 Like a madman shooting firebrands
and deadly arrows,
Proverbs 26:19 so is the man who deceives his
neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”
Proverbs 26:20 Without wood, a fire goes out;
without gossip, a conflict ceases.
Proverbs 26:21 Like charcoal for embers and wood
for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
Proverbs 26:22 The words of a gossip are like
choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.
Proverbs 26:23 Like glaze covering an earthen
vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.
Proverbs 26:24 A hateful man disguises himself
with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.
Proverbs 26:25 When he speaks graciously, do not
believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.
Proverbs 26:26 Though his hatred is concealed by
deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
Proverbs 26:27 He who digs a pit will fall into
it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it
crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for
you do not know what a day may bring.
Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not
your own mouth—a stranger, and not your own lips.
Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heavy and sand is a
burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger is like a
flood, but who can withstand jealousy?
Proverbs 27:5 Better an open rebuke than love
that is concealed.
Proverbs 27:6 The wounds of a friend are
faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:7 The soul that is full loathes
honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet.
Proverbs 27:8 Like a bird that strays from its
nest is a man who wanders from his home.
Proverbs 27:9 Oil and incense bring joy to the
heart, and the sweetness of a friend is counsel to the soul.
Proverbs 27:10 Do not forsake your friend or
your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the
day of your calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far
away.
Proverbs 27:11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to
my heart, so that I can answer him who taunts me.
Proverbs 27:12 The prudent see danger and take
cover; but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
Proverbs 27:13 Take the garment of him who posts
security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.
Proverbs 27:14 If one blesses his neighbor with
a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted to him as a
curse.
Proverbs 27:15 A constant dripping on a rainy
day and a contentious woman are alike—
Proverbs 27:16 restraining her is like holding
back the wind or grasping oil with one’s right hand.
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man
sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat
its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.
Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects the face, so
the heart reflects the true man.
Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never
satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Proverbs 27:21 A crucible for silver and a
furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him.
Proverbs 27:22 Though you grind a fool like
grain with mortar and a pestle, yet his folly will not depart from
him.
Proverbs 27:23 Be sure to know the state of your
flocks, and pay close attention to your herds;
Proverbs 27:24 for riches are not forever, nor
does a crown endure to every generation.
Proverbs 27:25 When hay is removed and new
growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered,
Proverbs 27:26 the lambs will provide you with
clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.
Proverbs 27:27 You will have plenty of goats’
milk to feed you—food for your household and nourishment for your
maidservants.
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one
pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:2 A land in rebellion has many
rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.
Proverbs 28:3 A destitute leader who oppresses
the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
Proverbs 28:4 Those who forsake the law praise
the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
Proverbs 28:5 Evil men do not understand
justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.
Proverbs 28:6 Better a poor man who walks with
integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
Proverbs 28:7 A discerning son keeps the law,
but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.
Proverbs 28:8 He who increases his wealth by
interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.
Proverbs 28:9 Whoever turns his ear away from
hearing the law, even his prayer is detestable.
Proverbs 28:10 He who leads the upright along
the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless
will inherit what is good.
Proverbs 28:11 A rich man is wise in his own
eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.
Proverbs 28:12 When the righteous triumph, there
is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins will not
prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
Proverbs 28:14 Blessed is the man who is always
reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.
Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion or a charging
bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
Proverbs 28:16 A leader who lacks judgment is
also a great oppressor, but he who hates dishonest profit will
prolong his days.
Proverbs 28:17 A man burdened by bloodguilt will
flee into the Pit; let no one support him.
Proverbs 28:18 He who walks with integrity will
be kept safe, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly
fall.
Proverbs 28:19 The one who works his land will
have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his
fill of poverty.
Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with
blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 28:21 To show partiality is not good,
yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
Proverbs 28:22 A stingy man hastens after wealth
and does not know that poverty awaits him.
Proverbs 28:23 He who rebukes a man will later
find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.
Proverbs 28:24 He who robs his father or mother,
saying, “It is not wrong,” is a companion to the man who destroys.
Proverbs 28:25 A greedy man stirs up strife, but
he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in himself is a
fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.
Proverbs 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will
not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many
curses.
Proverbs 28:28 When the wicked come to power,
people hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous
flourish.
Proverbs 29:1 A man who remains stiff-necked
after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.
Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous flourish, the
people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
Proverbs 29:3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy
to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his
wealth.
Proverbs 29:4 By justice a king brings stability
to the land, but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.
Proverbs 29:5 A man who flatters his neighbor
spreads a net for his feet.
Proverbs 29:6 An evil man is caught by his own
sin, but a righteous one sings and rejoices.
Proverbs 29:7 The righteous consider the cause
of the poor, but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.
Proverbs 29:8 Mockers inflame a city, but the
wise turn away anger.
Proverbs 29:9 If a wise man goes to court with a
fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.
Proverbs 29:10 Men of bloodshed hate a blameless
man, but the upright care for his life.
Proverbs 29:11 A fool vents all his anger, but a
wise man holds it back.
Proverbs 29:12 If a ruler listens to lies, all
his officials will be wicked.
Proverbs 29:13 The poor man and the oppressor
have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
Proverbs 29:14 A king who judges the poor with
fairness—his throne will be established forever.
Proverbs 29:15 A rod of correction imparts
wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
Proverbs 29:16 When the wicked thrive, rebellion
increases; but the righteous will see their downfall.
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will
give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the
people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the Law.
Proverbs 29:19 A servant cannot be corrected by
words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.
Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who speaks in
haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 29:21 A servant pampered from his youth
will bring grief in the end.
Proverbs 29:22 An angry man stirs up dissension,
and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride will bring him low,
but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
Proverbs 29:24 A partner to a thief hates his
own soul; he receives the oath, but does not testify.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man is a snare, but
whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.
Proverbs 29:26 Many seek the ruler’s favor, but
a man receives justice from the LORD.
Proverbs 29:27 An unjust man is detestable to
the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the
wicked.
Proverbs 30:1 These are the words of Agur son of
Jakeh—the burden that this man declared to Ithiel: “I am weary, O
God, and worn out.
Proverbs 30:2 Surely I am the most ignorant of
men, and I lack the understanding of a man.
Proverbs 30:3 I have not learned wisdom, and I
have no knowledge of the Holy One.
Proverbs 30:4 Who has ascended to heaven and
come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound
up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of
the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His
Son—surely you know!
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; He
is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words, lest He
rebuke you and prove you a liar.
Proverbs 30:7 Two things I ask of You—do not
refuse me before I die:
Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words
far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the
bread that is my portion.
Proverbs 30:9 Otherwise, I may have too much and
deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and
steal, profaning the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:10 Do not slander a servant to his
master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.
Proverbs 30:11 There is a generation of those
who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers.
Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation of those
who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.
Proverbs 30:13 There is a generation—how haughty
are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—
Proverbs 30:14 there is a generation whose teeth
are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from
the earth and the needy from among men.
Proverbs 30:15 The leech has two daughters: Give
and Give. There are three things that are never satisfied, four
that never say, ‘Enough!’:
Proverbs 30:16 Sheol, the barren womb, land
never satisfied with water, and fire that never says, ‘Enough!’
Proverbs 30:17 As for the eye that mocks a
father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the
valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.
Proverbs 30:18 There are three things too
wonderful for me, four that I cannot understand:
Proverbs 30:19 the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea, and the
way of a man with a maiden.
Proverbs 30:20 This is the way of an adulteress:
She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done nothing
wrong.’
Proverbs 30:21 Under three things the earth
trembles, under four it cannot bear up:
Proverbs 30:22 a servant who becomes king, a
fool who is filled with food,
Proverbs 30:23 an unloved woman who marries, and
a maidservant who supplants her mistress.
Proverbs 30:24 Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
Proverbs 30:25 The ants are creatures of little
strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;
Proverbs 30:26 the rock badgers are creatures of
little power, yet they make their homes in the rocks;
Proverbs 30:27 the locusts have no king, yet
they all advance in formation;
Proverbs 30:28 and the lizard can be caught in
one’s hands, yet it is found in the palaces of kings.
Proverbs 30:29 There are three things that are
stately in their stride, and four that are impressive in their
walk:
Proverbs 30:30 a lion, mighty among beasts,
refusing to retreat before anything;
Proverbs 30:31 a strutting rooster; a he-goat;
and a king with his army around him.
Proverbs 30:32 If you have foolishly exalted
yourself or if you have plotted evil, put your hand over your
mouth.
Proverbs 30:33 For as the churning of milk
yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the
stirring of anger brings forth strife.”
Proverbs 31:1 These are the words of King
Lemuel—the burden that his mother taught him:
Proverbs 31:2 What shall I say, O my son? What,
O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?
Proverbs 31:3 Do not spend your strength on
women or your vigor on those who ruin kings.
Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it
is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong
drink,
Proverbs 31:5 lest they drink and forget what is
decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.
Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink to one who is
perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul.
Proverbs 31:7 Let him drink and forget his
poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Proverbs 31:8 Open your mouth for those with no
voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.
Proverbs 31:9 Open your mouth, judge
righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:10 A wife of noble character, who
can find? She is far more precious than rubies.
Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts
in her, and he lacks nothing of value.
Proverbs 31:12 She brings him good and not harm
all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:13 She selects wool and flax and
works with eager hands.
Proverbs 31:14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
Proverbs 31:15 She rises while it is still night
to provide food for her household and portions for her
maidservants.
Proverbs 31:16 She appraises a field and buys
it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Proverbs 31:17 She girds herself with strength
and shows that her arms are strong.
Proverbs 31:18 She sees that her gain is good,
and her lamp is not extinguished at night.
Proverbs 31:19 She stretches out her hands to
the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Proverbs 31:20 She opens her arms to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
Proverbs 31:21 When it snows, she has no fear
for her household, for they are all clothed in scarlet.
Proverbs 31:22 She makes coverings for her bed;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Proverbs 31:23 Her husband is known at the city
gate, where he sits among the elders of the land.
Proverbs 31:24 She makes linen garments and
sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchants.
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honor are her
clothing, and she can laugh at the days to come.
Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:27 She watches over the affairs of
her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise up and call her
blessed; her husband praises her as well:
Proverbs 31:29 “Many daughters have done noble
things, but you surpass them all!”
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is
fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:31 Give her the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her at the gates.
ECCLESIASTES
Ecclesiastes 1:1 These are the words of the
Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Futility of futilities,” says
the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
Ecclesiastes 1:3 What does a man gain from all
his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 1:4 Generations come and
generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Ecclesiastes 1:5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
it hurries back to where it rises.
Ecclesiastes 1:6 The wind blows southward, then
turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its
course.
Ecclesiastes 1:7 All the rivers flow into the
sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the
streams come, there again they flow.
Ecclesiastes 1:8 All things are wearisome, more
than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor
the ear content with hearing.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 What has been will be again,
and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new
under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:10 Is there a case where one can
say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages
before us.
Ecclesiastes 1:11 There is no remembrance of
those who came before, and those yet to come will not be
remembered by those who follow after.
Ecclesiastes 1:12 I, the Teacher, was king over
Israel in Jerusalem.
Ecclesiastes 1:13 And I set my mind to seek and
explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy
burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the things
that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile,
a pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:15 What is crooked cannot be
straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
Ecclesiastes 1:16 I said to myself, “Behold, I
have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who
were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom
and knowledge.”
Ecclesiastes 1:17 So I set my mind to know
wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a
pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with much wisdom comes
much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, “Come now, I
will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to
be futile.
Ecclesiastes 2:2 I said of laughter, “It is
folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
Ecclesiastes 2:3 I sought to cheer my body with
wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with
wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under
heaven during the few days of their lives.
Ecclesiastes 2:4 I expanded my pursuits. I built
houses and planted vineyards for myself.
Ecclesiastes 2:5 I made gardens and parks for
myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
Ecclesiastes 2:6 I built reservoirs to water my
groves of flourishing trees.
Ecclesiastes 2:7 I acquired menservants and
maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned
more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,
Ecclesiastes 2:8 and I accumulated for myself
silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I
gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of
the sons of men—many concubines.
Ecclesiastes 2:9 So I became great and surpassed
all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with
me.
Ecclesiastes 2:10 Anything my eyes desired, I
did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart
took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my
labor.
Ecclesiastes 2:11 Yet when I considered all the
works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to
achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind;
there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:12 Then I turned to consider
wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s
successor do than what has already been accomplished?
Ecclesiastes 2:13 And I saw that wisdom exceeds
folly, just as light exceeds darkness:
Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise man has eyes in his
head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize
that one fate overcomes them both.
Ecclesiastes 2:15 So I said to myself, “The fate
of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being
wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.
Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no lasting
remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both
will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die
just like the fool!
Ecclesiastes 2:17 So I hated life, because the
work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything
is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:18 I hated all for which I had
toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes
after me.
Ecclesiastes 2:19 And who knows whether that man
will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at
which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
Ecclesiastes 2:20 So my heart began to despair
over all the labor that I had done under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:21 When there is a man who has
labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his
portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and
a great evil.
Ecclesiastes 2:22 For what does a man get for
all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 2:23 Indeed, all his days are
filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his
mind does not rest. This too is futile.
Ecclesiastes 2:24 Nothing is better for a man
than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that
this is from the hand of God.
Ecclesiastes 2:25 For apart from Him, who can
eat and who can find enjoyment?
Ecclesiastes 2:26 To the man who is pleasing in
His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the
sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that
which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile
and a pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a
season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:2 a time to be born and a time to
die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
Ecclesiastes 3:3 a time to kill and a time to
heal, a time to break down and a time to build,
Ecclesiastes 3:4 a time to weep and a time to
laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Ecclesiastes 3:5 a time to cast away stones and
a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to
refrain from embracing,
Ecclesiastes 3:6 a time to search and a time to
count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard,
Ecclesiastes 3:7 a time to tear and a time to
mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
Ecclesiastes 3:8 a time to love and a time to
hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:9 What does the worker gain from
his toil?
Ecclesiastes 3:10 I have seen the burden that
God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything
beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of
men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from
beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is nothing
better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,
Ecclesiastes 3:13 and also that every man should
eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the
gift of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that everything God
does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it.
God does it so that they should fear Him.
Ecclesiastes 3:15 What exists has already been,
and what will be has already been, for God will call to account
what has passed.
Ecclesiastes 3:16 Furthermore, I saw under the
sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the
place of righteousness there is wickedness.
Ecclesiastes 3:17 I said in my heart, “God will
judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for
every activity and every deed.”
Ecclesiastes 3:18 I said to myself, “As for the
sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves
that they are but beasts.”
Ecclesiastes 3:19 For the fates of both men and
beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have
the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since
everything is futile.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go to one place; all come
from dust, and all return to dust.
Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knows if the spirit of man
rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?
Ecclesiastes 3:22 I have seen that there is
nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is
his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?
Ecclesiastes 4:1 Again I looked, and I
considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw
the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power
lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
Ecclesiastes 4:2 So I admired the dead, who had
already died, above the living, who are still alive.
Ecclesiastes 4:3 But better than both is he who
has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under
the sun.
Ecclesiastes 4:4 I saw that all labor and
success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is
futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 4:5 The fool folds his hands and
consumes his own flesh.
Ecclesiastes 4:6 Better one handful with
tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 4:7 Again, I saw futility under the
sun.
Ecclesiastes 4:8 There is a man all alone,
without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his
labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom
do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a
miserable task.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor.
Ecclesiastes 4:10 For if one falls down, his
companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without
another to help him up!
Ecclesiastes 4:11 Again, if two lie down
together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
Ecclesiastes 4:12 And though one may be
overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is
not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:13 Better is a poor but wise
youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take
a warning.
Ecclesiastes 4:14 For the youth has come from
the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own
kingdom.
Ecclesiastes 4:15 I saw that all who lived and
walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who
succeeded the king.
Ecclesiastes 4:16 There is no limit to all the
people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be
celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a
pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 Guard your steps when you go to
the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the
sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 Do not be quick to speak, and
do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After
all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be
few.
Ecclesiastes 5:3 As a dream comes through many
cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do
not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools.
Fulfill your vow.
Ecclesiastes 5:5 It is better not to vow than to
make a vow and not fulfill it.
Ecclesiastes 5:6 Do not let your mouth cause
your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was
a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the
work of your hands?
Ecclesiastes 5:7 For as many dreams bring
futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of
the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the
province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is
watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
Ecclesiastes 5:9 The produce of the earth is
taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money is never
satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by
income. This too is futile.
Ecclesiastes 5:11 When good things increase, so
do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner,
except to behold them with his eyes?
Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of the worker is
sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the
rich man permits him no sleep.
Ecclesiastes 5:13 There is a grievous evil I
have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
Ecclesiastes 5:14 or wealth lost in a failed
venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
Ecclesiastes 5:15 As a man came from his
mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He
takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
Ecclesiastes 5:16 This too is a grievous evil:
Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as
he toils for the wind?
Ecclesiastes 5:17 Moreover, all his days he eats
in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.
Ecclesiastes 5:18 Here is what I have seen to be
good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in
all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life
that God has given him—for this is his lot.
Ecclesiastes 5:19 Furthermore, God has given
riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy
them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a
gift from God.
Ecclesiastes 5:20 For a man seldom considers the
days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of
his heart.
Ecclesiastes 6:1 There is another evil I have
seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily upon mankind:
Ecclesiastes 6:2 God gives a man riches, wealth,
and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God
does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy
them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.
Ecclesiastes 6:3 A man may father a hundred
children and live for many years; yet no matter how long he lives,
if he is unsatisfied with his prosperity and does not even receive
a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than
he.
Ecclesiastes 6:4 For a stillborn child enters in
futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in
obscurity.
Ecclesiastes 6:5 The child, though neither
seeing the sun nor knowing anything, has more rest than that man,
Ecclesiastes 6:6 even if he lives a thousand
years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go
to the same place?
Ecclesiastes 6:7 All a man’s labor is for his
mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.
Ecclesiastes 6:8 What advantage, then, has the
wise man over the fool? What gain comes to the poor man who knows
how to conduct himself before others?
Ecclesiastes 6:9 Better what the eye can see
than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of
the wind.
Ecclesiastes 6:10 Whatever exists was named long
ago, and what happens to a man is foreknown; but he cannot contend
with one stronger than he.
Ecclesiastes 6:11 For the more words, the more
futility—and how does that profit anyone?
Ecclesiastes 6:12 For who knows what is good for
a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting
life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him
under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than fine
perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to enter a house
of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of
every man, and the living should take this to heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the
house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of
pleasure.
Ecclesiastes 7:5 It is better to heed a wise
man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:6 For like the crackling of
thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is
futile.
Ecclesiastes 7:7 Surely extortion turns a wise
man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a matter is better
than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud
one.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Do not be quickly provoked in
your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old
days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about
this.
Ecclesiastes 7:11 Wisdom, like an inheritance,
is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
Ecclesiastes 7:12 For wisdom, like money, is a
shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves
the life of its owner.
Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God: Who
can straighten what He has bent?
Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity, be
joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made
one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover
anything that will come after him.
Ecclesiastes 7:15 In my futile life I have seen
both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and
a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Ecclesiastes 7:16 Do not be overly righteous,
and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy
yourself?
Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked,
and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God
will follow both warnings.
Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom makes the wise man
stronger than ten rulers in a city.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is no righteous
man on earth who does good and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:21 Do not pay attention to every
word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Ecclesiastes 7:22 For you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Ecclesiastes 7:23 All this I tested by wisdom,
saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
Ecclesiastes 7:24 What exists is out of reach
and very deep. Who can fathom it?
Ecclesiastes 7:25 I directed my mind to
understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and
to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of
madness.
Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than
death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose
hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the
sinner is ensnared.
Ecclesiastes 7:27 “Behold,” says the Teacher, “I
have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an
explanation.
Ecclesiastes 7:28 While my soul was still
searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one
upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
Ecclesiastes 7:29 Only this have I found: I have
discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out
many schemes.”
Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is like the wise man? Who
knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his
face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
Ecclesiastes 8:2 Keep the king’s command, I say,
because of your oath before God.
Ecclesiastes 8:3 Do not hasten to leave his
presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do
whatever he pleases.
Ecclesiastes 8:4 For the king’s word is supreme,
and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
Ecclesiastes 8:5 Whoever keeps his command will
come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and
procedure.
Ecclesiastes 8:6 For there is a right time and
procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily
upon him.
Ecclesiastes 8:7 Since no one knows what will
happen, who can tell him what is to come?
Ecclesiastes 8:8 As no man has power over the
wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death.
As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not
release those who practice it.
Ecclesiastes 8:9 All this I have seen, applying
my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time
when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.
Ecclesiastes 8:10 Then too, I saw the burial of
the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they
were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is
futile.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 When the sentence for a crime
is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on
doing evil.
Ecclesiastes 8:12 Although a sinner does evil a
hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will
go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.
Ecclesiastes 8:13 Yet because the wicked do not
fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not
lengthen like a shadow.
Ecclesiastes 8:14 There is a futility that is
done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the
actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get
what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is
futile.
Ecclesiastes 8:15 So I commended the enjoyment
of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun
than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany
him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him
under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 8:16 When I applied my mind to know
wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the
earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the
night—
Ecclesiastes 8:17 I saw every work of God, and
that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the
sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its
meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to
comprehend.
Ecclesiastes 9:1 So I took all this to heart and
concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds,
are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether
love or hate.
Ecclesiastes 9:2 It is the same for all: There
is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good
and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who
sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it
is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is
for the one who refuses to take a vow.
Ecclesiastes 9:3 This is an evil in everything
that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone.
Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while
they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.
Ecclesiastes 9:4 There is hope, however, for
anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than
a dead lion.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they
will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward,
because the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecclesiastes 9:6 Their love, their hate, and
their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a
share in all that is done under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 9:7 Go, eat your bread with joy,
and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already
approved your works:
Ecclesiastes 9:8 Let your garments always be
white, and never spare the oil for your head.
Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with your beloved
wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you
under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in
life and in your labor under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with
your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are
going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I saw something else under the
sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong;
neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the
intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance
happen to all.
Ecclesiastes 9:12 For surely no man knows his
time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare,
so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.
Ecclesiastes 9:13 I have also seen this wisdom
under the sun, and it was great to me:
Ecclesiastes 9:14 There was a small city with
few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built
large siege ramps against it.
Ecclesiastes 9:15 Now a poor wise man was found
in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one
remembered that poor man.
Ecclesiastes 9:16 And I said, “Wisdom is better
than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his
words are not heeded.”
Ecclesiastes 9:17 The calm words of the wise are
heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.
Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons
of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 As dead flies bring a stench
to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and
honor.
Ecclesiastes 10:2 A wise man’s heart inclines to
the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
Ecclesiastes 10:3 Even as the fool walks along
the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a
fool.
Ecclesiastes 10:4 If the ruler’s temper flares
against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great
offenses to rest.
Ecclesiastes 10:5 There is an evil I have seen
under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:
Ecclesiastes 10:6 Folly is appointed to great
heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions.
Ecclesiastes 10:7 I have seen slaves on
horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
Ecclesiastes 10:8 He who digs a pit may fall
into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
Ecclesiastes 10:9 The one who quarries stones
may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the axe is dull and the
blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill
produces success.
Ecclesiastes 10:11 If the snake bites before it
is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s
mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
Ecclesiastes 10:13 The beginning of his talk is
folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.
Ecclesiastes 10:14 Yet the fool multiplies
words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will
come after him?
Ecclesiastes 10:15 The toil of a fool wearies
him, for he does not know the way to the city.
Ecclesiastes 10:16 Woe to you, O land whose king
is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
Ecclesiastes 10:17 Blessed are you, O land whose
king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper
time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
Ecclesiastes 10:18 Through laziness the roof
caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.
Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is prepared for
laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for
everything.
Ecclesiastes 10:20 Do not curse the king even in
your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird
of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report
your speech.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast your bread upon the
waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Ecclesiastes 11:2 Divide your portion among
seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall
the land.
Ecclesiastes 11:3 If the clouds are full, they
will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the
south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will
lie.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 He who watches the wind will
fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you do not know the path of
the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you
cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know
which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally
prosper.
Ecclesiastes 11:7 Light is sweet, and it pleases
the eyes to see the sun.
Ecclesiastes 11:8 So if a man lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of
darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.
Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, while
you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your
youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your
eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to
judgment.
Ecclesiastes 11:10 So banish sorrow from your
heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are
fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember your Creator in the
days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the
years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in
them,”
Ecclesiastes 12:2 before the light of the sun,
moon, and stars is darkened, and the clouds return after the rain,
Ecclesiastes 12:3 on the day the keepers of the
house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease
because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly,
Ecclesiastes 12:4 when the doors to the street
are shut and the sound of the mill fades away, when one rises at
the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song grow faint,
Ecclesiastes 12:5 when men fear the heights and
dangers of the road, when the almond tree blossoms, the
grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry shrivels—for
then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets.
Ecclesiastes 12:6 Remember Him before the silver
cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher
is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well,
Ecclesiastes 12:7 before the dust returns to the
ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave
it.
Ecclesiastes 12:8 “Futility of futilities,” says
the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”
Ecclesiastes 12:9 Not only was the Teacher wise,
but he also taught the people knowledge; he pondered, searched
out, and arranged many proverbs.
Ecclesiastes 12:10 The Teacher searched to find
delightful sayings and to record accurate words of truth.
Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are
like goads, and the anthologies of the masters are like firmly
embedded nails driven by a single Shepherd.
Ecclesiastes 12:12 And by these, my son, be
further warned: There is no end to the making of many books, and
much study wearies the body.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 When all has been heard, the
conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His
commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed
into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or
evil.
SONG OF SOLOMON
Song of Solomon 1:1 This is Solomon’s Song of
Songs.
Song of Solomon 1:2 Let him kiss me with the
kisses of his mouth! For your love is more delightful than wine.
Song of Solomon 1:3 The fragrance of your
perfume is pleasing; your name is like perfume poured out. No
wonder the maidens adore you.
Song of Solomon 1:4 Take me away with you—let us
hurry! May the king bring me to his chambers. We will rejoice and
delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. It is
only right that they adore you.
Song of Solomon 1:5 I am dark, yet lovely, O
daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains
of Solomon.
Song of Solomon 1:6 Do not stare because I am
dark, for the sun has gazed upon me. My mother’s sons were angry
with me; they made me a keeper of the vineyards, but my own
vineyard I have neglected.
Song of Solomon 1:7 Tell me, O one I love, where
do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why
should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your
companions?
Song of Solomon 1:8 If you do not know, O
fairest of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and graze your
young goats near the tents of the shepherds.
Song of Solomon 1:9 I compare you, my darling,
to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
Song of Solomon 1:10 Your cheeks are beautiful
with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.
Song of Solomon 1:11 We will make you ornaments
of gold, studded with beads of silver.
Song of Solomon 1:12 While the king was at his
table, my perfume spread its fragrance.
Song of Solomon 1:13 My beloved is to me a
sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts.
Song of Solomon 1:14 My beloved is to me a
cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.
Song of Solomon 1:15 How beautiful you are, my
darling! Oh, how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.
Song of Solomon 1:16 How handsome you are, my
beloved! Oh, how delightful! The soft grass is our bed.
Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our house are
cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.
Song of Solomon 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, a
lily of the valley.
Song of Solomon 2:2 Like a lily among the thorns
is my darling among the maidens.
Song of Solomon 2:3 Like an apple tree among the
trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight
to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
Song of Solomon 2:4 He has brought me to the
house of wine, and his banner over me is love.
Song of Solomon 2:5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.
Song of Solomon 2:6 His left hand is under my
head, and his right arm embraces me.
Song of Solomon 2:7 O daughters of Jerusalem, I
adjure you by the gazelles and does of the field: Do not arouse or
awaken love until the time is right.
Song of Solomon 2:8 Listen! My beloved
approaches. Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
Song of Solomon 2:9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag. Look, he stands behind our wall, gazing through
the windows, peering through the lattice.
Song of Solomon 2:10 My beloved calls to me,
“Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one.
Song of Solomon 2:11 For now the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers have appeared
in the countryside; the season of singing has come, and the cooing
of turtledoves is heard in our land.
Song of Solomon 2:13 The fig tree ripens its
figs; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come
away, my darling; come away with me, my beautiful one.”
Song of Solomon 2:14 O my dove in the clefts of
the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let
me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your countenance
is lovely.
Song of Solomon 2:15 Catch for us the foxes—the
little foxes that ruin the vineyards—for our vineyards are in
bloom.
Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is mine and I am
his; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Song of Solomon 2:17 Before the day breaks and
shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young
stag on the mountains of Bether.
Song of Solomon 3:1 On my bed at night I sought
the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him.
Song of Solomon 3:2 I will arise now and go
about the city, through the streets and squares. I will seek the
one I love. So I sought him but did not find him.
Song of Solomon 3:3 I encountered the watchmen
on their rounds of the city: “Have you seen the one I love?”
Song of Solomon 3:4 I had just passed them when
I found the one I love. I held him and would not let go until I
had brought him to my mother’s house, to the chamber of the one
who conceived me.
Song of Solomon 3:5 O daughters of Jerusalem, I
adjure you by the gazelles and does of the field: Do not arouse or
awaken love until the time is right.
Song of Solomon 3:6 Who is this coming up from
the wilderness like a column of smoke, scented with myrrh and
frankincense from all the spices of the merchant?
Song of Solomon 3:7 Behold, it is Solomon’s
carriage, escorted by sixty of the mightiest men of Israel.
Song of Solomon 3:8 All are skilled with the
sword, experienced in warfare. Each has his sword at his side
prepared for the terror of the night.
Song of Solomon 3:9 King Solomon has made his
carriage out of the timber of Lebanon.
Song of Solomon 3:10 He has made its posts of
silver, its base of gold, its seat of purple fabric. Its interior
is inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
Song of Solomon 3:11 Come out, O daughters of
Zion, and gaze at King Solomon, wearing the crown his mother
bestowed on the day of his wedding—the day of his heart’s
rejoicing.
Song of Solomon 4:1 How beautiful you are, my
darling—how very beautiful! Your eyes are like doves behind your
veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount
Gilead.
Song of Solomon 4:2 Your teeth are like a flock
of newly shorn sheep coming up from the washing; each has its
twin, and not one of them is lost.
Song of Solomon 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet
ribbon, and your mouth is lovely. Your brow behind your veil is
like a slice of pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 4:4 Your neck is like the tower
of David, built with rows of stones; on it hang a thousand
shields, all of them shields of warriors.
Song of Solomon 4:5 Your breasts are like two
fawns, twins of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
Song of Solomon 4:6 Before the day breaks and
the shadows flee, I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and
to the hill of frankincense.
Song of Solomon 4:7 You are altogether
beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.
Song of Solomon 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon,
my bride, come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of
Amana, from the summits of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the
lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
Song of Solomon 4:9 You have captured my heart,
my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of
your eyes, with one jewel of your neck.
Song of Solomon 4:10 How delightful is your
love, my sister, my bride! Your love is much better than wine, and
the fragrance of your perfume than all spices.
Song of Solomon 4:11 Your lips, my bride, drip
sweetness like the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your
tongue, and the fragrance of your garments is like the aroma of
Lebanon.
Song of Solomon 4:12 My sister, my bride, you
are a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed.
Song of Solomon 4:13 Your branches are an
orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna
and nard,
Song of Solomon 4:14 with nard and saffron, with
calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of frankincense tree, with
myrrh and aloes, with all the finest spices.
Song of Solomon 4:15 You are a garden spring, a
well of fresh water flowing down from Lebanon.
Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind, and
come, O south wind. Breathe on my garden and spread the fragrance
of its spices. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its
choicest fruits.
Song of Solomon 5:1 I have come to my garden, my
sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have
eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my
milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; drink freely, O beloved.
Song of Solomon 5:2 I sleep, but my heart is
awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my
darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
Song of Solomon 5:3 I have taken off my
robe—must I put it back on? I have washed my feet—must I soil them
again?
Song of Solomon 5:4 My beloved put his hand to
the latch; my heart pounded for him.
Song of Solomon 5:5 I rose up to open for my
beloved. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing
myrrh on the handles of the bolt.
Song of Solomon 5:6 I opened for my beloved, but
he had turned and gone. My heart sank at his departure. I sought
him, but did not find him. I called, but he did not answer.
Song of Solomon 5:7 I encountered the watchmen
on their rounds of the city. They beat me and bruised me; they
took away my cloak, those guardians of the walls.
Song of Solomon 5:8 O daughters of Jerusalem, I
adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.
Song of Solomon 5:9 How is your beloved better
than others, O most beautiful among women? How is your beloved
better than another, that you charge us so?
Song of Solomon 5:10 My beloved is dazzling and
ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
Song of Solomon 5:11 His head is purest gold;
his hair is wavy and black as a raven.
Song of Solomon 5:12 His eyes are like doves
beside the streams of water, bathed in milk and mounted like
jewels.
Song of Solomon 5:13 His cheeks are like beds of
spice, towers of perfume. His lips are like lilies, dripping with
flowing myrrh.
Song of Solomon 5:14 His arms are rods of gold
set with beryl. His body is an ivory panel bedecked with
sapphires.
Song of Solomon 5:15 His legs are pillars of
marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon,
as majestic as the cedars.
Song of Solomon 5:16 His mouth is most sweet; he
is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O
daughters of Jerusalem.
Song of Solomon 6:1 Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women? Which way has he turned? We will
seek him with you.
Song of Solomon 6:2 My beloved has gone down to
his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his flock in the
gardens and to gather lilies.
Song of Solomon 6:3 I belong to my beloved and
he belongs to me; he pastures his flock among the lilies.
Song of Solomon 6:4 You are as beautiful, my
darling, as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops
with banners.
Song of Solomon 6:5 Turn your eyes away from me,
for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down from Gilead.
Song of Solomon 6:6 Your teeth are like a flock
of sheep coming up from the washing; each has its twin, and not
one of them is lost.
Song of Solomon 6:7 Your brow behind your veil
is like a slice of pomegranate.
Song of Solomon 6:8 There are sixty queens and
eighty concubines, and maidens without number,
Song of Solomon 6:9 but my dove, my perfect one,
is unique, the favorite of the mother who bore her. The maidens
see her and call her blessed; the queens and concubines sing her
praises.
Song of Solomon 6:10 Who is this who shines like
the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic
as the stars in procession?
Song of Solomon 6:11 I went down to the walnut
grove to see the blossoms of the valley, to see if the vines were
budding or the pomegranates were in bloom.
Song of Solomon 6:12 Before I realized it, my
desire had set me among the royal chariots of my people.
Song of Solomon 6:13 Come back, come back, O
Shulammite! Come back, come back, that we may gaze upon you. Why
do you look at the Shulammite, as on the dance of Mahanaim?
Song of Solomon 7:1 How beautiful are your
sandaled feet, O daughter of the prince! The curves of your thighs
are like jewels, the handiwork of a master.
Song of Solomon 7:2 Your navel is a rounded
goblet; it never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of
wheat encircled by the lilies.
Song of Solomon 7:3 Your breasts are like two
fawns, twins of a gazelle.
Song of Solomon 7:4 Your neck is like a tower
made of ivory; your eyes are like the pools of Heshbon by the gate
of Bath-rabbim; your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, facing
toward Damascus.
Song of Solomon 7:5 Your head crowns you like
Mount Carmel, the hair of your head like purple threads; the king
is captured in your tresses.
Song of Solomon 7:6 How fair and pleasant you
are, O love, with your delights!
Song of Solomon 7:7 Your stature is like a palm
tree; your breasts are clusters of fruit.
Song of Solomon 7:8 I said, “I will climb the
palm tree; I will take hold of its fruit.” May your breasts be
like clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like
apples,
Song of Solomon 7:9 and your mouth like the
finest wine. May it flow smoothly to my beloved, gliding gently
over lips and teeth.
Song of Solomon 7:10 I belong to my beloved, and
his desire is for me.
Song of Solomon 7:11 Come, my beloved, let us go
to the countryside; let us spend the night among the wildflowers.
Song of Solomon 7:12 Let us go early to the
vineyards to see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has
opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my
love.
Song of Solomon 7:13 The mandrakes send forth a
fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, new as well as old,
that I have treasured up for you, my beloved.
Song of Solomon 8:1 O that you were to me like a
brother who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I found you
outdoors, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me.
Song of Solomon 8:2 I would lead you and bring
you to the house of my mother who taught me. I would give you
spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.
Song of Solomon 8:3 His left hand is under my
head, and his right arm embraces me.
Song of Solomon 8:4 O daughters of Jerusalem, I
adjure you: Do not arouse or awaken love until the time is right.
Song of Solomon 8:5 Who is this coming up from
the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? I roused you under the
apple tree; there your mother conceived you; there she travailed
and brought you forth.
Song of Solomon 8:6 Set me as a seal over your
heart, as a seal upon your arm. For love is as strong as death,
its jealousy as unrelenting as Sheol. Its sparks are fiery flames,
the fiercest blaze of all.
Song of Solomon 8:7 Mighty waters cannot quench
love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the
wealth of his house for love, his offer would be utterly scorned.
Song of Solomon 8:8 We have a little sister, and
her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on
the day she is spoken for?
Song of Solomon 8:9 If she is a wall, we will
build a tower of silver upon her. If she is a door, we will
enclose her with panels of cedar.
Song of Solomon 8:10 I am a wall, and my breasts
are like towers. So I have become in his eyes like one who brings
peace.
Song of Solomon 8:11 Solomon had a vineyard in
Baal-hamon. He leased it to the tenants. For its fruit, each was
to bring a thousand shekels of silver.
Song of Solomon 8:12 But my own vineyard is mine
to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon, and two
hundred are for those who tend its fruit.
Song of Solomon 8:13 You who dwell in the
gardens, my companions are listening for your voice. Let me hear
it!
Song of Solomon 8:14 Come away, my beloved, and
be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.
ISAIAH
Isaiah 1:1 This is the vision concerning Judah
and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah 1:2 Listen, O heavens, and give ear, O
earth, for the LORD has spoken: “I have raised children and
brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me.
Isaiah 1:3 The ox knows its owner, and the
donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know; My people do
not understand.”
Isaiah 1:4 Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden
with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They
have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on Him.
Isaiah 1:5 Why do you want more beatings? Why do
you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole
heart is afflicted.
Isaiah 1:6 From the sole of your foot to the top
of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and
festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with
oil.
Isaiah 1:7 Your land is desolate; your cities
are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you—a
desolation demolished by strangers.
Isaiah 1:8 And the Daughter of Zion is abandoned
like a shelter in a vineyard, like a shack in a cucumber field,
like a city besieged.
Isaiah 1:9 Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us
a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have
resembled Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, you
rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people
of Gomorrah!
Isaiah 1:11 “What good to Me is your multitude
of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings
of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the
blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
Isaiah 1:12 When you come to appear before Me,
who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts?
Isaiah 1:13 Bring your worthless offerings no
more; your incense is detestable to Me—your New Moons, Sabbaths,
and convocations. I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly.
Isaiah 1:14 I hate your New Moons and your
appointed feasts. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of
bearing them.
Isaiah 1:15 When you spread out your hands in
prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply
your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with
blood.
Isaiah 1:16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove
your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!
Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do right; seek justice and
correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of
the widow.”
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as
white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become
like wool.
Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you
will eat the best of the land.
Isaiah 1:20 But if you resist and rebel, you
will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has
spoken.
Isaiah 1:21 See how the faithful city has become
a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness resided
within her, but now only murderers!
Isaiah 1:22 Your silver has become dross; your
fine wine is diluted with water.
Isaiah 1:23 Your rulers are rebels, friends of
thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do
not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes
before them.
Isaiah 1:24 Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the
Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes
and avenge Myself on My enemies.
Isaiah 1:25 I will turn My hand against you; I
will thoroughly purge your dross; I will remove all your
impurities.
Isaiah 1:26 I will restore your judges as at
first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you
will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”
Isaiah 1:27 Zion will be redeemed with justice,
her repentant ones with righteousness.
Isaiah 1:28 But rebels and sinners will together
be shattered, and those who forsake the LORD will perish.
Isaiah 1:29 Surely you will be ashamed of the
sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed
by the gardens that you have chosen.
Isaiah 1:30 For you will become like an oak
whose leaves are withered, like a garden without water.
Isaiah 1:31 The strong man will become tinder
and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one
to quench the flames.
Isaiah 2:1 This is the message that was revealed
to Isaiah son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
Isaiah 2:2 In the last days the mountain of the
house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the
mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will
stream to it.
Isaiah 2:3 And many peoples will come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of
the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in
His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of
the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:4 Then He will judge between the
nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their
swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation
will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore
for war.
Isaiah 2:5 Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk
in the light of the LORD.
Isaiah 2:6 For You have abandoned Your people,
the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from
the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike
hands with the children of foreigners.
Isaiah 2:7 Their land is full of silver and
gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of
horses, with no limit to their chariots.
Isaiah 2:8 Their land is full of idols; they bow
down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.
Isaiah 2:9 So mankind is brought low, and man is
humbled—do not forgive them!
Isaiah 2:10 Go into the rocks and hide in the
dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty.
Isaiah 2:11 The proud look of man will be
humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will
be exalted in that day.
Isaiah 2:12 For the Day of the LORD of Hosts
will come against all the proud and lofty, against all that is
exalted—it will be humbled—
Isaiah 2:13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan,
Isaiah 2:14 against all the tall mountains,
against all the high hills,
Isaiah 2:15 against every high tower, against
every fortified wall,
Isaiah 2:16 against every ship of Tarshish, and
against every stately vessel.
Isaiah 2:17 So the pride of man will be brought
low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will
be exalted in that day,
Isaiah 2:18 and the idols will vanish
completely.
Isaiah 2:19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and holes in the ground, away from the terror of the LORD and from
the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth.
Isaiah 2:20 In that day men will cast away to
the moles and bats their idols of silver and gold—the idols they
made to worship.
Isaiah 2:21 They will flee to caverns in the
rocks and crevices in the cliffs, away from the terror of the LORD
and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the
earth.
Isaiah 2:22 Put no more trust in man, who has
only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?
Isaiah 3:1 For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is
about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support:
the whole supply of food and water,
Isaiah 3:2 the mighty man and the warrior, the
judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder,
Isaiah 3:3 the commander of fifty and the
dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever
enchanter.
Isaiah 3:4 “I will make mere lads their leaders,
and children will rule over them.”
Isaiah 3:5 The people will oppress one another,
man against man, neighbor against neighbor; the young will rise up
against the old, and the base against the honorable.
Isaiah 3:6 A man will seize his brother within
his father’s house: “You have a cloak—you be our leader! Take
charge of this heap of rubble.”
Isaiah 3:7 On that day he will cry aloud: “I am
not a healer. I have no food or clothing in my house. Do not make
me leader of the people!”
Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah
has fallen because they spoke and acted against the LORD, defying
His glorious presence.
Isaiah 3:9 The expression on their faces
testifies against them, and like Sodom they flaunt their sin; they
do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster
upon themselves.
Isaiah 3:10 Tell the righteous it will be well
with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.
Isaiah 3:11 Woe to the wicked; disaster is upon
them! For they will be repaid with what their hands have done.
Isaiah 3:12 Youths oppress My people, and women
rule over them. O My people, your guides mislead you; they turn
you from your paths.
Isaiah 3:13 The LORD arises to contend; He
stands to judge the people.
Isaiah 3:14 The LORD brings this charge against
the elders and leaders of His people: “You have devoured the
vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses.
Isaiah 3:15 Why do you crush My people and grind
the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
Isaiah 3:16 The LORD also says: “Because the
daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and
wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the
bracelets on their ankles—
Isaiah 3:17 the Lord will bring sores on the
heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their
foreheads bare.”
Isaiah 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away
their finery: their anklets and headbands and crescents;
Isaiah 3:19 their pendants, bracelets, and
veils;
Isaiah 3:20 their headdresses, ankle chains, and
sashes; their perfume bottles and charms;
Isaiah 3:21 their signet rings and nose rings;
Isaiah 3:22 their festive robes, capes, cloaks,
and purses;
Isaiah 3:23 and their mirrors, linen garments,
tiaras, and shawls.
Isaiah 3:24 Instead of fragrance there will be a
stench; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of styled hair,
baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty,
shame.
Isaiah 3:25 Your men will fall by the sword, and
your warriors in battle.
Isaiah 3:26 And the gates of Zion will lament
and mourn; destitute, she will sit on the ground.
Isaiah 4:1 In that day seven women will take
hold of one man and say, “We will eat our own bread and provide
our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name. Take away our
disgrace!”
Isaiah 4:2 On that day the Branch of the LORD
will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be
the pride and glory of Israel’s survivors.
Isaiah 4:3 Whoever remains in Zion and whoever
is left in Jerusalem will be called holy—all in Jerusalem who are
recorded among the living—
Isaiah 4:4 when the Lord has washed away the
filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from
the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of
fire.
Isaiah 4:5 Then the LORD will create over all of
Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a
glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will
be a canopy,
Isaiah 4:6 a shelter to give shade from the heat
by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and the rain.
Isaiah 5:1 I will sing for my beloved a song of
his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
Isaiah 5:2 He dug it up and cleared the stones
and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle
and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to
yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
Isaiah 5:3 “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and
men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard.
Isaiah 5:4 What more could I have done for My
vineyard than I already did for it? Why, when I expected sweet
grapes, did it bring forth sour fruit?
Isaiah 5:5 Now I will tell you what I am about
to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be
consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.
Isaiah 5:6 I will make it a wasteland, neither
pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will
command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”
Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts
is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His
delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for
righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
Isaiah 5:8 Woe to you who add house to house and
join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in
the land.
Isaiah 5:9 I heard the LORD of Hosts declare:
“Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left
unoccupied.
Isaiah 5:10 For ten acres of vineyard will yield
but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain.”
Isaiah 5:11 Woe to those who rise early in the
morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening,
to be inflamed by wine.
Isaiah 5:12 At their feasts are the lyre and
harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions
of the LORD and fail to see the work of His hands.
Isaiah 5:13 Therefore My people will go into
exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are
starving and their masses are parched with thirst.
Isaiah 5:14 Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat
and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and
masses, her revelers and carousers!
Isaiah 5:15 So mankind will be brought low, and
each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
Isaiah 5:16 But the LORD of Hosts will be
exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in
righteousness.
Isaiah 5:17 Lambs will graze as in their own
pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.
Isaiah 5:18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with
cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
Isaiah 5:19 to those who say, “Let Him hurry and
hasten His work so that we may see it! Let the plan of the Holy
One of Israel come so that we may know it!”
Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and
good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who
replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their
own eyes and clever in their own sight.
Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes in
drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,
Isaiah 5:23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe
and deprive the innocent of justice.
Isaiah 5:24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire
consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so
their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like
dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5:25 Therefore the anger of the LORD
burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to
strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like
refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned
away; His hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 5:26 He lifts a banner for the distant
nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth.
Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!
Isaiah 5:27 None of them grows weary or
stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no
sandal strap is broken.
Isaiah 5:28 Their arrows are sharpened, and all
their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint;
their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
Isaiah 5:29 Their roaring is like that of a
lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey;
they carry it away from deliverance.
Isaiah 5:30 In that day they will roar over it,
like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will
see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by
clouds.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I
saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train
of His robe filled the temple.
Isaiah 6:2 Above Him stood seraphim, each having
six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they
covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isaiah 6:3 And they were calling out to one
another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is
full of His glory.”
Isaiah 6:4 At the sound of their voices the
doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with
smoke.
Isaiah 6:5 Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am
ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people
of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of
Hosts.”
Isaiah 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken with tongs
from the altar.
Isaiah 6:7 And with it he touched my mouth and
said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is
removed and your sin is atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord
saying: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?” And I said: “Here
am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:9 And He replied: “Go and tell this
people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing,
but never perceiving.’
Isaiah 6:10 Make the hearts of this people
calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they
might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with
their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Isaiah 6:11 Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?”
And He replied: “Until the cities lie ruined and without
inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is
desolate and ravaged,
Isaiah 6:12 until the LORD has driven men far
away and the land is utterly forsaken.
Isaiah 6:13 And though a tenth remains in the
land, it will be burned again. As the terebinth and oak leave
stumps when felled, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land.”
Isaiah 7:1 Now in the days that Ahaz son of
Jotham, the son of Uzziah, was king of Judah, Rezin king of Aram
marched up to wage war against Jerusalem. He was accompanied by
Pekah son of Remaliah the king of Israel, but he could not
overpower the city.
Isaiah 7:2 When it was reported to the house of
David that Aram was in league with Ephraim, the hearts of Ahaz and
his people trembled like trees in the forest shaken by the wind.
Isaiah 7:3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out
with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct
that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,
Isaiah 7:4 and say to him: Calm down and be
quiet. Do not be afraid or disheartened over these two smoldering
stubs of firewood—over the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of
the son of Remaliah.
Isaiah 7:5 For Aram, along with Ephraim and the
son of Remaliah, has plotted your ruin, saying:
Isaiah 7:6 ‘Let us invade Judah, terrorize it,
and divide it among ourselves. Then we can install the son of
Tabeal over it as king.’
Isaiah 7:7 But this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘It will not arise; it will not happen.
Isaiah 7:8 For the head of Aram is Damascus, and
the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim
will be shattered as a people.
Isaiah 7:9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and
the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand
firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.’”
Isaiah 7:10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz,
saying,
Isaiah 7:11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your
God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
Isaiah 7:12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask; I
will not test the LORD.”
Isaiah 7:13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house
of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you
try the patience of my God as well?
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give
you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:15 By the time He knows enough to
reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.
Isaiah 7:16 For before the boy knows enough to
reject evil and choose good, the land of the two kings you dread
will be laid waste.
Isaiah 7:17 The LORD will bring on you and on
your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any
since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king
of Assyria.”
Isaiah 7:18 On that day the LORD will whistle to
the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in
the land of Assyria.
Isaiah 7:19 And they will all come and settle in
the steep ravines and clefts of the rocks, in all the thornbushes
and watering holes.
Isaiah 7:20 On that day the Lord will use a
razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave
your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as
well.
Isaiah 7:21 On that day a man will raise a young
cow and two sheep,
Isaiah 7:22 and from the abundance of milk they
give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat
curds and honey.
Isaiah 7:23 And on that day, in every place that
had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only
briers and thorns will be found.
Isaiah 7:24 Men will go there with bow and
arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns.
Isaiah 7:25 For fear of the briers and thorns,
you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they
will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.
Isaiah 8:1 Then the LORD said to me, “Take a
large scroll and write on it with an ordinary stylus:
Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
Isaiah 8:2 And I will appoint for Myself
trustworthy witnesses—Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of
Jeberekiah.”
Isaiah 8:3 And I had relations with the
prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD
said to me, “Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
Isaiah 8:4 For before the boy knows how to cry
‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of
Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”
Isaiah 8:5 And the LORD spoke to me further:
Isaiah 8:6 “Because this people has rejected the
gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoiced in Rezin and the son
of Remaliah,
Isaiah 8:7 the Lord will surely bring against
them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria
and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its
banks.
Isaiah 8:8 It will pour into Judah, swirling and
sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams
will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!
Isaiah 8:9 Huddle together, O peoples, and be
shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for
battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
Isaiah 8:10 Devise a plan, but it will be
thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is
with us.”
Isaiah 8:11 For this is what the LORD has spoken
to me with a strong hand, instructing me not to walk in the way of
this people:
Isaiah 8:12 “Do not call conspiracy everything
these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do
not live in dread.
Isaiah 8:13 The LORD of Hosts is the One you
shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be
dreaded.
Isaiah 8:14 And He will be a sanctuary—but to
both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.
Isaiah 8:15 Many will stumble over these; they
will fall and be broken; they will be ensnared and captured.”
Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony and seal the
law among my disciples.
Isaiah 8:17 I will wait for the LORD, who is
hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in
Him.
Isaiah 8:18 Here am I, and the children the LORD
has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of
Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
Isaiah 8:19 When men tell you to consult the
spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,
shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead
on behalf of the living?
Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If
they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of
dawn.
Isaiah 8:21 They will roam the land, dejected
and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and
looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.
Isaiah 8:22 Then they will look to the earth and
see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they
will be driven into utter darkness.
Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more
gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of
Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:
Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have
seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of
death, a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:3 You have enlarged the nation and
increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice
at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.
Isaiah 9:4 For as in the day of Midian You have
shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their
shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.
Isaiah 9:5 For every trampling boot of battle
and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the
fire.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us
a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And
He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and
peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and
righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD
of Hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:8 The Lord has sent a message against
Jacob, and it has fallen upon Israel.
Isaiah 9:9 All the people will know it—Ephraim
and the dwellers of Samaria. With pride and arrogance of heart
they will say:
Isaiah 9:10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will
rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but
we will replace them with cedars.”
Isaiah 9:11 The LORD has raised up the foes of
Rezin against him and joined his enemies together.
Isaiah 9:12 Aram from the east and Philistia
from the west have devoured Israel with open mouths. Despite all
this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 9:13 But the people did not return to Him
who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.
Isaiah 9:14 So the LORD will cut off Israel’s
head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day.
Isaiah 9:15 The head is the elder and honorable
man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.
Isaiah 9:16 For those who guide this people
mislead them, and those they mislead are swallowed up.
Isaiah 9:17 Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure
in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and
widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every
mouth speaks folly. Despite all this, His anger is not turned
away; His hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burns like a fire
that consumes the thorns and briers and kindles the forest
thickets which roll upward in billows of smoke.
Isaiah 9:19 By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts
the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man
even spares his brother.
Isaiah 9:20 They carve out what is on the right,
but they are still hungry; they eat what is on the left, but they
are still not satisfied. Each one devours the flesh of his own
offspring.
Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and
Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all
this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 10:1 Woe to those who enact unjust
statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
Isaiah 10:2 to deprive the poor of fair
treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to
make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.
Isaiah 10:3 What will you do on the day of
reckoning when devastation comes from afar? To whom will you flee
for help? Where will you leave your wealth?
Isaiah 10:4 Nothing will remain but to crouch
among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His
anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 10:5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger;
the staff in their hands is My wrath.
Isaiah 10:6 I will send him against a godless
nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage,
to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like
clay in the streets.
Isaiah 10:7 But this is not his intention; this
is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off
many nations.
Isaiah 10:8 “Are not all my commanders kings?”
he says.
Isaiah 10:9 “Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is
not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
Isaiah 10:10 As my hand seized the idolatrous
kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria,
Isaiah 10:11 and as I have done to Samaria and
its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?”
Isaiah 10:12 So when the Lord has completed all
His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will
punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and
the proud look in his eyes.
Isaiah 10:13 For he says: ‘By the strength of my
hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have
removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures;
like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.
Isaiah 10:14 My hand reached as into a nest to
seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned
eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened
or chirped.’”
Isaiah 10:15 Does an axe raise itself above the
one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It
would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff
lifting him who is not wood!
Isaiah 10:16 Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts
will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and
under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame.
Isaiah 10:17 And the Light of Israel will become
a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and
devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles.
Isaiah 10:18 The splendor of its forests and
orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a
sickness consumes a man.
Isaiah 10:19 The remaining trees of its forests
will be so few that a child could count them.
Isaiah 10:20 On that day the remnant of Israel
and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on
him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the
Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 10:21 A remnant will return—a remnant of
Jacob—to the Mighty God.
Isaiah 10:22 Though your people, O Israel, be
like the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction
has been decreed, overflowing with righteousness.
Isaiah 10:23 For the Lord GOD of Hosts will
carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.
Isaiah 10:24 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
of Hosts says: “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear
Assyria, who strikes you with a rod and lifts his staff against
you as the Egyptians did.
Isaiah 10:25 For in just a little while My fury
against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their
destruction.”
Isaiah 10:26 And the LORD of Hosts will brandish
a whip against them, as when He struck Midian at the rock of Oreb.
He will raise His staff over the sea, as He did in Egypt.
Isaiah 10:27 On that day the burden will be
lifted from your shoulders, and the yoke from your neck. The yoke
will be broken because your neck will be too large.
Isaiah 10:28 Assyria has entered Aiath and
passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.
Isaiah 10:29 They have crossed at the ford: “We
will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul
flees.
Isaiah 10:30 Cry aloud, O Daughter of Gallim!
Listen, O Laishah! O wretched Anathoth!
Isaiah 10:31 Madmenah flees; the people of Gebim
take refuge.
Isaiah 10:32 Yet today they will halt at Nob,
shaking a fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of
Jerusalem.
Isaiah 10:33 Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will
lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be
cut down, the lofty ones will be felled.
Isaiah 10:34 He will clear the forest thickets
with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.
Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will spring up from the
stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on
Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel
and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
Isaiah 11:3 And He will delight in the fear of
the LORD. He will not judge by what His eyes see, and He will not
decide by what His ears hear,
Isaiah 11:4 but with righteousness He will judge
the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the
earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay
the wicked with the breath of His lips.
Isaiah 11:5 Righteousness will be the belt
around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young
lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead
them.
Isaiah 11:7 The cow will graze with the bear,
their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw
like the ox.
Isaiah 11:8 The infant will play by the cobra’s
den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest.
Isaiah 11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the
knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.
Isaiah 11:10 On that day the Root of Jesse will
stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and
His place of rest will be glorious.
Isaiah 11:11 On that day the Lord will extend
His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from
Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from
Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Isaiah 11:12 He will raise a banner for the
nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will collect the
scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 11:13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will
depart, and the adversaries of Judah will be cut off. Ephraim will
no longer envy Judah, nor will Judah harass Ephraim.
Isaiah 11:14 They will swoop down on the slopes
of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the
sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and
the Ammonites will be subject to them.
Isaiah 11:15 The LORD will devote to destruction
the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep
His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams
for men to cross with dry sandals.
Isaiah 11:16 There will be a highway for the
remnant of His people who remain from Assyria, as there was for
Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 12:1 In that day you will say: “O LORD, I
will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has
turned away, and You have comforted me.
Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will
trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my
song, and He also has become my salvation.”
Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from
the springs of salvation,
Isaiah 12:4 and on that day you will say: “Give
praise to the LORD; proclaim His name! Make His works known among
the peoples; declare that His name is exalted.
Isaiah 12:5 Sing to the LORD, for He has done
glorious things. Let this be known in all the earth.
Isaiah 12:6 Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion,
for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 13:1 This is the burden against Babylon
that Isaiah son of Amoz received:
Isaiah 13:2 Raise a banner on a barren hilltop;
call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates
of the nobles.
Isaiah 13:3 I have commanded My sanctified ones;
I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in
My triumph.
Isaiah 13:4 Listen, a tumult on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the
kingdoms, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts is
mobilizing an army for war.
Isaiah 13:5 They are coming from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His
wrath—to destroy the whole country.
Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the Day of the LORD is
near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Isaiah 13:7 Therefore all hands will fall limp,
and every man’s heart will melt.
Isaiah 13:8 Terror, pain, and anguish will seize
them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at
one another, their faces flushed with fear.
Isaiah 13:9 Behold, the Day of the LORD is
coming—cruel, with fury and burning anger—to make the earth a
desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.
Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and their
constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light.
Isaiah 13:11 I will punish the world for its
evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness
of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
Isaiah 13:12 I will make man scarcer than pure
gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.
Isaiah 13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens
tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the wrath
of the LORD of Hosts on the day of His burning anger.
Isaiah 13:14 Like a hunted gazelle, like a sheep
without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will
flee to his native land.
Isaiah 13:15 Whoever is caught will be stabbed,
and whoever is captured will die by the sword.
Isaiah 13:16 Their infants will be dashed to
pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their
wives will be ravished.
Isaiah 13:17 Behold, I will stir up against them
the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.
Isaiah 13:18 Their bows will dash young men to
pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they
will not look with pity on the children.
Isaiah 13:19 And Babylon, the jewel of the
kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be
overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
Isaiah 13:20 She will never be inhabited or
settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his
tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.
Isaiah 13:21 But desert creatures will lie down
there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will
dwell there, and wild goats will leap about.
Isaiah 13:22 Hyenas will howl in her fortresses
and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.
Isaiah 14:1 For the LORD will have compassion on
Jacob; once again He will choose Israel and settle them in their
own land. The foreigner will join them and unite with the house of
Jacob.
Isaiah 14:2 The nations will escort Israel and
bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess
the nations as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s land.
They will make captives of their captors and rule over their
oppressors.
Isaiah 14:3 On the day that the LORD gives you
rest from your pain and torment, and from the hard labor into
which you were forced,
Isaiah 14:4 you will sing this song of contempt
against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has ceased, and how
his fury has ended!
Isaiah 14:5 The LORD has broken the staff of the
wicked, the scepter of the rulers.
Isaiah 14:6 It struck the peoples in anger with
unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless
persecution.
Isaiah 14:7 All the earth is at peace and at
rest; they break out in song.
Isaiah 14:8 Even the cypresses and cedars of
Lebanon exult over you: “Since you have been laid low, no
woodcutter comes against us.”
Isaiah 14:9 Sheol beneath is eager to meet you
upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet
you—all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the
nations rise from their thrones.
Isaiah 14:10 They will all respond to you,
saying, “You too have become weak, as we are; you have become like
us!”
Isaiah 14:11 Your pomp has been brought down to
Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed
and worms your blanket.
Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O
day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O
destroyer of nations.
Isaiah 14:13 You said in your heart: “I will
ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of
God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of
the north.
Isaiah 14:14 I will ascend above the tops of the
clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Isaiah 14:15 But you will be brought down to
Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
Isaiah 14:16 Those who see you will stare; they
will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and
made the kingdoms tremble,
Isaiah 14:17 who turned the world into a desert
and destroyed its cities, who refused to let the captives return
to their homes?”
Isaiah 14:18 All the kings of the nations lie in
state, each in his own tomb.
Isaiah 14:19 But you are cast out of your grave
like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and
dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot.
Isaiah 14:20 You will not join them in burial,
since you have destroyed your land and slaughtered your own
people. The offspring of the wicked will never again be mentioned.
Isaiah 14:21 Prepare a place to slaughter his
sons for the iniquities of their forefathers. They will never rise
up to possess a land or cover the earth with their cities.
Isaiah 14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon her name
and her remnant, her offspring and her posterity,” declares the
LORD.
Isaiah 14:23 “I will make her a place for owls
and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of
destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD of Hosts has sworn:
“Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so
will it stand.
Isaiah 14:25 I will break Assyria in My land; I
will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My
people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
Isaiah 14:26 This is the plan devised for the
whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the
nations.
Isaiah 14:27 The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and
who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it
back?
Isaiah 14:28 In the year that King Ahaz died,
this burden was received:
Isaiah 14:29 Do not rejoice, all you
Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken. For a viper
will spring from the root of the snake, and a flying serpent from
its egg.
Isaiah 14:30 Then the firstborn of the poor will
find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety, but I will
kill your root by famine, and your remnant will be slain.
Isaiah 14:31 Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt
away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the
north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks.
Isaiah 14:32 What answer will be given to the
envoys of that nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, where His
afflicted people will find refuge.”
Isaiah 15:1 This is the burden against Moab: Ar
in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is
devastated, destroyed in a night!
Isaiah 15:2 Dibon goes up to its temple to weep
at its high places. Moab wails over Nebo, as well as over Medeba.
Every head is shaved, every beard is cut off.
Isaiah 15:3 In its streets they wear sackcloth;
on the rooftops and in the public squares they all wail, falling
down weeping.
Isaiah 15:4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out; their
voices are heard as far as Jahaz. Therefore the soldiers of Moab
cry out; their souls tremble within.
Isaiah 15:5 My heart cries out over Moab; her
fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath-shelishiyah. With
weeping they ascend the slope of Luhith; they lament their
destruction on the road to Horonaim.
Isaiah 15:6 The waters of Nimrim are dried up,
and the grass is withered; the vegetation is gone, and the
greenery is no more.
Isaiah 15:7 So they carry their wealth and
belongings over the Brook of the Willows.
Isaiah 15:8 For their outcry echoes to the
border of Moab. Their wailing reaches Eglaim; it is heard in
Beer-elim.
Isaiah 15:9 The waters of Dimon are full of
blood, but I will bring more upon Dimon—a lion upon the fugitives
of Moab and upon the remnant of the land.
Isaiah 16:1 Send the tribute lambs to the ruler
of the land, from Sela in the desert to the mount of Daughter
Zion.
Isaiah 16:2 Like fluttering birds pushed out of
the nest, so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon:
Isaiah 16:3 “Give us counsel; render a decision.
Shelter us at noonday with shade as dark as night. Hide the
refugees; do not betray the one who flees.
Isaiah 16:4 Let my fugitives stay with you; be a
refuge for Moab from the destroyer.” When the oppressor has gone,
destruction has ceased, and the oppressors have vanished from the
land,
Isaiah 16:5 in loving devotion a throne will be
established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and
hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.
Isaiah 16:6 We have heard of Moab’s pomposity,
his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But
his boasting is empty.
Isaiah 16:7 Therefore let Moab wail; let them
wail together for Moab. Moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth,
you who are utterly stricken.
Isaiah 16:8 For the fields of Heshbon have
withered, along with the grapevines of Sibmah. The rulers of the
nations have trampled its choicest vines, which had reached as far
as Jazer and spread toward the desert. Their shoots had spread out
and passed over the sea.
Isaiah 16:9 So I weep with Jazer for the vines
of Sibmah; I drench Heshbon and Elealeh with my tears. Triumphant
shouts have fallen silent over your summer fruit and your harvest.
Isaiah 16:10 Joy and gladness are removed from
the orchard; no one sings or shouts in the vineyards. No one
tramples the grapes in the winepresses; I have put an end to the
cheering.
Isaiah 16:11 Therefore my heart laments for Moab
like a harp, my inmost being for Kir-heres.
Isaiah 16:12 When Moab appears on the high
place, when he wearies himself and enters his sanctuary to pray,
it will do him no good.
Isaiah 16:13 This is the message that the LORD
spoke earlier concerning Moab.
Isaiah 16:14 And now the LORD says, “In three
years, as a hired worker counts the years, Moab’s splendor will
become an object of contempt, with all her many people. And those
who are left will be few and feeble.”
Isaiah 17:1 This is the burden against Damascus:
“Behold, Damascus is no longer a city; it has become a heap of
ruins.
Isaiah 17:2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
they will be left to the flocks, which will lie down with no one
to fear.
Isaiah 17:3 The fortress will disappear from
Ephraim, and the sovereignty from Damascus. The remnant of Aram
will be like the splendor of the Israelites,” declares the LORD of
Hosts.
Isaiah 17:4 “In that day the splendor of Jacob
will fade, and the fat of his body will waste away,
Isaiah 17:5 as the reaper gathers the standing
grain and harvests the ears with his arm, as one gleans heads of
grain in the Valley of Rephaim.
Isaiah 17:6 Yet gleanings will remain, like an
olive tree that has been beaten—two or three berries atop the
tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD,
the God of Israel.
Isaiah 17:7 In that day men will look to their
Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 17:8 They will not look to the altars
they have fashioned with their hands or to the Asherahs and
incense altars they have made with their fingers.
Isaiah 17:9 In that day their strong cities will
be like forsaken thickets and summits, abandoned to the Israelites
and to utter desolation.
Isaiah 17:10 For you have forgotten the God of
your salvation and failed to remember the Rock of your refuge.
Therefore, though you cultivate delightful plots and set out
cuttings from exotic vines—
Isaiah 17:11 though on the day you plant you
make them grow, and on that morning you help your seed sprout—yet
the harvest will vanish on the day of disease and incurable pain.
Isaiah 17:12 Alas, the tumult of many peoples;
they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble
like the crashing of mighty waters.
Isaiah 17:13 The nations rage like the rush of
many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven
before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a
gale.
Isaiah 17:14 In the evening, there is sudden
terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of
those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us.
Isaiah 18:1 Woe to the land of whirring wings,
along the rivers of Cush,
Isaiah 18:2 which sends couriers by sea, in
papyrus vessels on the waters. Go, swift messengers, to a people
tall and smooth-skinned, to a people widely feared, to a powerful
nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.
Isaiah 18:3 All you people of the world and
dwellers of the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains,
you will see it; when a ram’s horn sounds, you will hear it.
Isaiah 18:4 For this is what the LORD has told
me: “I will quietly look on from My dwelling place, like
shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat
of harvest.”
Isaiah 18:5 For before the harvest, when the
blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will
cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the
branches.
Isaiah 18:6 They will all be left to the
mountain birds of prey, and to the beasts of the land. The birds
will feed on them in summer, and all the wild animals in winter.
Isaiah 18:7 At that time gifts will be brought
to the LORD of Hosts—from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a
people widely feared, from a powerful nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers—to Mount Zion, the place of the
Name of the LORD of Hosts.
Isaiah 19:1 This is the burden against Egypt:
Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the
Egyptians will melt within them.
Isaiah 19:2 “So I will incite Egyptian against
Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against
neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Isaiah 19:3 Then the spirit of the Egyptians
will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their
plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead,
to mediums and spiritists.
Isaiah 19:4 I will deliver the Egyptians into
the hands of harsh masters, and a fierce king will rule over
them,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
Isaiah 19:5 The waters of the Nile will dry up,
and the riverbed will be parched and empty.
Isaiah 19:6 The canals will stink; the streams
of Egypt will trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will
wither.
Isaiah 19:7 The bulrushes by the Nile, by the
mouth of the river, and all the fields sown along the Nile, will
wither, blow away, and be no more.
Isaiah 19:8 Then the fishermen will mourn, all
who cast a hook into the Nile will lament, and those who spread
nets on the waters will pine away.
Isaiah 19:9 The workers in flax will be
dismayed, and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale.
Isaiah 19:10 The workers in cloth will be
dejected, and all the hired workers will be sick at heart.
Isaiah 19:11 The princes of Zoan are mere fools;
Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice. How can you say
to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise, a son of eastern kings”?
Isaiah 19:12 Where are your wise men now? Let
them tell you and reveal what the LORD of Hosts has planned
against Egypt.
Isaiah 19:13 The princes of Zoan have become
fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. The cornerstones of
her tribes have led Egypt astray.
Isaiah 19:14 The LORD has poured into her a
spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as
a drunkard staggers through his own vomit.
Isaiah 19:15 There is nothing Egypt can do—head
or tail, palm or reed.
Isaiah 19:16 In that day the Egyptians will be
like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand
of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes it against them.
Isaiah 19:17 The land of Judah will bring terror
to Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble over
what the LORD of Hosts has planned against it.
Isaiah 19:18 In that day five cities in the land
of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to
the LORD of Hosts. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.
Isaiah 19:19 In that day there will be an altar
to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to
the LORD near her border.
Isaiah 19:20 It will be a sign and a witness to
the LORD of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the
LORD because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and
defender to rescue them.
Isaiah 19:21 The LORD will make Himself known to
Egypt, and on that day Egypt will acknowledge the LORD. They will
worship with sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the
LORD and fulfill them.
Isaiah 19:22 And the LORD will strike Egypt with
a plague; He will strike them but heal them. They will turn to the
LORD, and He will hear their prayers and heal them.
Isaiah 19:23 In that day there will be a highway
from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the
Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship
together.
Isaiah 19:24 In that day Israel will join a
three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon the
earth.
Isaiah 19:25 The LORD of Hosts will bless them,
saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and
Israel My inheritance.”
Isaiah 20:1 Before the year that the chief
commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and
attacked and captured it,
Isaiah 20:2 the LORD had already spoken through
Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your
waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking
around naked and barefoot.
Isaiah 20:3 Then the LORD said, “Just as My
servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a
sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,
Isaiah 20:4 so the king of Assyria will lead
away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old
alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.
Isaiah 20:5 Those who made Cush their hope and
Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.
Isaiah 20:6 And on that day the dwellers of this
coastland will say, ‘See what has happened to our source of hope,
those to whom we fled for help and deliverance from the king of
Assyria! How then can we escape?’”
Isaiah 21:1 This is the burden against the
Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev, an
invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
Isaiah 21:2 A dire vision is declared to me:
“The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go
up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her
groaning.”
Isaiah 21:3 Therefore my body is filled with
anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am
bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.
Isaiah 21:4 My heart falters; fear makes me
tremble. The twilight of my desire has turned to horror.
Isaiah 21:5 They prepare a table, they lay out a
carpet, they eat, they drink! Rise up, O princes, oil the shields!
Isaiah 21:6 For this is what the Lord says to
me: “Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees.
Isaiah 21:7 When he sees chariots with teams of
horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert,
fully alert.”
Isaiah 21:8 Then the lookout shouted: “Day after
day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay
at my post.
Isaiah 21:9 Look, here come the riders, horsemen
in pairs.” And one answered, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon!
All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
Isaiah 21:10 O my people, crushed on the
threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel.
Isaiah 21:11 This is the burden against Dumah:
One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
Isaiah 21:12 The watchman replies, “Morning has
come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire. Come
back yet again.”
Isaiah 21:13 This is the burden against Arabia:
In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.
Isaiah 21:14 Bring water for the thirsty, O
dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.
Isaiah 21:15 For they flee from the sword—the
sword that is drawn—from the bow that is bent, and from the stress
of battle.
Isaiah 21:16 For this is what the Lord says to
me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the
glory of Kedar will be gone.
Isaiah 21:17 The remaining archers, the warriors
of Kedar, will be few.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has
spoken.
Isaiah 22:1 This is the burden against the
Valley of Vision: What ails you now, that you have all gone up to
the rooftops,
Isaiah 22:2 O city of commotion, O town of
revelry? Your slain did not die by the sword, nor were they killed
in battle.
Isaiah 22:3 All your rulers have fled together,
captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together,
having fled to a distant place.
Isaiah 22:4 Therefore I said, “Turn away from
me, let me weep bitterly! Do not try to console me over the
destruction of the daughter of my people.”
Isaiah 22:5 For the Lord GOD of Hosts has set a
day of tumult and trampling and confusion in the Valley of
Vision—of breaking down the walls and crying to the mountains.
Isaiah 22:6 Elam takes up a quiver, with
chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovers the shield.
Isaiah 22:7 Your choicest valleys are full of
chariots, and horsemen are posted at the gates.
Isaiah 22:8 He has uncovered the defenses of
Judah. On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the
Forest.
Isaiah 22:9 You saw that there were many
breaches in the walls of the City of David. You collected water
from the lower pool.
Isaiah 22:10 You counted the houses of Jerusalem
and tore them down to strengthen the wall.
Isaiah 22:11 You built a reservoir between the
walls for the waters of the ancient pool, but you did not look to
the One who made it, or consider Him who planned it long ago.
Isaiah 22:12 On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts
called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing
of sackcloth.
Isaiah 22:13 But look, there is joy and
gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating
of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow
we die!”
Isaiah 22:14 The LORD of Hosts has revealed in
my hearing: “Until your dying day, this sin of yours will never be
atoned for,” says the Lord GOD of Hosts.
Isaiah 22:15 This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts
says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace:
Isaiah 22:16 What are you doing here, and who
authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel
your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?
Isaiah 22:17 Look, O mighty man! The LORD is
about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you,
Isaiah 22:18 roll you into a ball, and sling you
into a wide land. There you will die, and there your glorious
chariots will remain—a disgrace to the house of your master.
Isaiah 22:19 I will remove you from office, and
you will be ousted from your position.
Isaiah 22:20 On that day I will summon My
servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.
Isaiah 22:21 I will clothe him with your robe
and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his
hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to
the house of Judah.
Isaiah 22:22 I will place on his shoulder the
key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what
he shuts no one can open.
Isaiah 22:23 I will drive him like a peg into a
firm place, and he will be a throne of glory for the house of his
father.
Isaiah 22:24 So they will hang on him the whole
burden of his father’s house: the descendants and the
offshoots—all the lesser vessels, from bowls to every kind of jar.
Isaiah 22:25 In that day, declares the LORD of
Hosts, the peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will be
sheared off and fall, and the load upon it will be cut down.”
Indeed, the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 23:1 This is the burden against Tyre:
Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house
or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
Isaiah 23:2 Be silent, O dwellers of the
coastland, you merchants of Sidon, whose traders have crossed the
sea.
Isaiah 23:3 On the great waters came the grain
of Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre; she
was the merchant of the nations.
Isaiah 23:4 Be ashamed, O Sidon, the stronghold
of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have not been in labor or
given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young
women.”
Isaiah 23:5 When the report reaches Egypt, they
will writhe in agony over the news of Tyre.
Isaiah 23:6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, O
inhabitants of the coastland!
Isaiah 23:7 Is this your jubilant city, whose
origin is from antiquity, whose feet have taken her to settle far
away?
Isaiah 23:8 Who planned this against Tyre, the
bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are
renowned on the earth?
Isaiah 23:9 The LORD of Hosts planned it, to
defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of
the earth.
Isaiah 23:10 Cultivate your land like the Nile,
O Daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer a harbor.
Isaiah 23:11 The LORD has stretched out His hand
over the sea; He has made kingdoms tremble. He has given a command
that the strongholds of Canaan be destroyed.
Isaiah 23:12 He said, “You shall rejoice no
more, O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over
to Cyprus—even there you will find no rest.”
Isaiah 23:13 Look at the land of the Chaldeans—a
people now of no account. The Assyrians destined it for the desert
creatures; they set up their siege towers and stripped its
palaces. They brought it to ruin.
Isaiah 23:14 Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for your
harbor has been destroyed!
Isaiah 23:15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten
for seventy years—the span of a king’s life. But at the end of
seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the
harlot:
Isaiah 23:16 “Take up your harp, stroll through
the city, O forgotten harlot. Make sweet melody, sing many a song,
so you will be remembered.”
Isaiah 23:17 And at the end of seventy years,
the LORD will restore Tyre. Then she will return to hire as a
prostitute and sell herself to all the kingdoms on the face of the
earth.
Isaiah 23:18 Yet her profits and wages will be
set apart to the LORD; they will not be stored or saved, for her
profit will go to those who live before the LORD, for abundant
food and fine clothing.
Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the LORD lays waste the
earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and
scatter its inhabitants—
Isaiah 24:2 people and priest alike, servant and
master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower,
creditor and debtor.
Isaiah 24:3 The earth will be utterly laid waste
and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.
Isaiah 24:4 The earth mourns and withers; the
world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.
Isaiah 24:5 The earth is defiled by its people;
they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees
and broken the everlasting covenant.
Isaiah 24:6 Therefore a curse has consumed the
earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s
dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.
Isaiah 24:7 The new wine dries up, the vine
withers. All the merrymakers now groan.
Isaiah 24:8 The joyful tambourines have ceased;
the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent.
Isaiah 24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine;
strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.
Isaiah 24:10 The city of chaos is shattered;
every house is closed to entry.
Isaiah 24:11 In the streets they cry out for
wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
Isaiah 24:12 The city is left in ruins; its gate
is reduced to rubble.
Isaiah 24:13 So will it be on the earth and
among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning
after a grape harvest.
Isaiah 24:14 They raise their voices, they shout
for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD.
Isaiah 24:15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the
east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands
of the sea.
Isaiah 24:16 From the ends of the earth we hear
singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting
away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the
treacherous deal in treachery.
Isaiah 24:17 Terror and pit and snare await you,
O dweller of the earth.
Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees the sound of panic
will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be
caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the
foundations of the earth are shaken.
Isaiah 24:19 The earth is utterly broken apart,
the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.
Isaiah 24:20 The earth staggers like a drunkard
and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it
falls, never to rise again.
Isaiah 24:21 In that day the LORD will punish
the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.
Isaiah 24:22 They will be gathered together like
prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and
punished after many days.
Isaiah 24:23 The moon will be confounded and the
sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount
Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, You are my God! I will exalt
You; I will praise Your name. For You have worked wonders—plans
formed long ago—in perfect faithfulness.
Isaiah 25:2 Indeed, You have made the city a
heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin. The fortress of
strangers is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
Isaiah 25:3 Therefore, a strong people will
honor You. The cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a refuge for the
poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the
storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is
like rain against a wall,
Isaiah 25:5 like heat in a dry land. You subdue
the uproar of foreigners. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat,
so the song of the ruthless is silenced.
Isaiah 25:6 On this mountain the LORD of Hosts
will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine,
of choice meat, of finely aged wine.
Isaiah 25:7 On this mountain He will swallow up
the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all
nations;
Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove
the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has
spoken.
Isaiah 25:9 And in that day it will be said,
“Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved
us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and
be glad in His salvation.”
Isaiah 25:10 For the hand of the LORD will rest
on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw
is trodden into the dung pile.
Isaiah 25:11 He will spread out his hands within
it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be
brought low, despite the skill of his hands.
Isaiah 25:12 The high-walled fortress will be
brought down, cast to the ground, into the dust.
Isaiah 26:1 In that day this song will be sung
in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation is
established as its walls and ramparts.
Isaiah 26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation
may enter—one that remains faithful.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace the
steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the LORD forever, because
GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:5 For He has humbled those who dwell
on high; He lays the lofty city low. He brings it down to the
ground; He casts it into the dust.
Isaiah 26:6 Feet trample it down—the feet of the
oppressed, the steps of the poor.
Isaiah 26:7 The path of the righteous is level;
You clear a straight path for the upright.
Isaiah 26:8 Yes, we wait for You, O LORD; we
walk in the path of Your judgments. Your name and renown are the
desire of our souls.
Isaiah 26:9 My soul longs for You in the night;
indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come
upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:10 Though grace is shown to the wicked
man, he does not learn righteousness. In the land of righteousness
he acts unjustly and fails to see the majesty of the LORD.
Isaiah 26:11 O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but
they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be
put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
Isaiah 26:12 O LORD, You will establish peace
for us. For all that we have accomplished, You have done for us.
Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords besides
You have had dominion, but Your name alone do we confess.
Isaiah 26:14 The dead will not live; the
departed spirits will not rise. Therefore You have punished and
destroyed them; You have wiped out all memory of them.
Isaiah 26:15 You have enlarged the nation, O
LORD; You have enlarged the nation. You have gained glory for
Yourself; You have extended all the borders of the land.
Isaiah 26:16 O LORD, they sought You in their
distress; when You disciplined them, they poured out a quiet
prayer.
Isaiah 26:17 As a woman with child about to give
birth writhes and cries out in pain, so were we in Your presence,
O LORD.
Isaiah 26:18 We were with child; we writhed in
pain; but we gave birth to wind. We have given no salvation to the
earth, nor brought any life into the world.
Isaiah 26:19 Your dead will live; their bodies
will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew
is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her
dead.
Isaiah 26:20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and
shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until
the wrath has passed.
Isaiah 26:21 For behold, the LORD is coming out
of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their
iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer
conceal her slain.
Isaiah 27:1 In that day the LORD will take His
sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan
the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay
the dragon of the sea.
Isaiah 27:2 In that day: “Sing about a fruitful
vineyard.
Isaiah 27:3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; I water
it continually. I guard it night and day so no one can disturb it;
Isaiah 27:4 I am not angry. If only thorns and
briers confronted Me, I would march and trample them, I would burn
them to the ground.
Isaiah 27:5 Or let them lay claim to My
protection; let them make peace with Me—yes, let them make peace
with Me.”
Isaiah 27:6 In the days to come, Jacob will take
root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole world with
fruit.
Isaiah 27:7 Has the LORD struck Israel as He
struck her oppressors? Was she killed like those who slayed her?
Isaiah 27:8 By warfare and exile You contended
with her and removed her with a fierce wind, as on the day the
east wind blows.
Isaiah 27:9 Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be
atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be
this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of
chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
Isaiah 27:10 For the fortified city lies
deserted—a homestead abandoned, a wilderness forsaken. There the
calves graze, and there they lie down; they strip its branches
bare.
Isaiah 27:11 When its limbs are dry, they are
broken off. Women come and use them for kindling; for this is a
people without understanding. Therefore their Maker has no
compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
Isaiah 27:12 In that day the LORD will thresh
from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, O
Israelites, will be gathered one by one.
Isaiah 27:13 And in that day a great ram’s horn
will sound, and those who were perishing in Assyria will come
forth with those who were exiles in Egypt. And they will worship
the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 28:1 Woe to the majestic crown of
Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious
splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of
those overcome by wine.
Isaiah 28:2 Behold, the Lord has one who is
strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a
driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the
ground.
Isaiah 28:3 The majestic crown of Ephraim’s
drunkards will be trampled underfoot.
Isaiah 28:4 The fading flower of his beautiful
splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like
a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it
in his hand and swallow it.
Isaiah 28:5 On that day the LORD of Hosts will
be a crown of glory, a diadem of splendor to the remnant of His
people,
Isaiah 28:6 a spirit of justice to him who sits
in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at
the gate.
Isaiah 28:7 These also stagger from wine and
stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong
drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong
drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.
Isaiah 28:8 For all their tables are covered
with vomit; there is not a place without filth.
Isaiah 28:9 Whom is He trying to teach? To whom
is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To
babies removed from the breast?
Isaiah 28:10 For they hear: “Order on order,
order on order, line on line, line on line; a little here, a
little there.”
Isaiah 28:11 Indeed, with mocking lips and
foreign tongues, He will speak to this people
Isaiah 28:12 to whom He has said: “This is the
place of rest, let the weary rest; this is the place of repose.”
But they would not listen.
Isaiah 28:13 Then the word of the LORD to them
will become: “Order on order, order on order, line on line, line
on line; a little here, a little there,” so that they will go
stumbling backward and will be injured, ensnared, and captured.
Isaiah 28:14 Therefore hear the word of the
LORD, O scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 28:15 For you said, “We have made a
covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol.
When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us,
because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding
place.”
Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Lord GOD says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious
cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be
shaken.
Isaiah 28:17 I will make justice the measuring
line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge
of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.
Isaiah 28:18 Your covenant with death will be
dissolved, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the
overwhelming scourge passes through, you will be trampled by it.
Isaiah 28:19 As often as it passes through, it
will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning,
by day and by night.” The understanding of this message will bring
sheer terror.
Isaiah 28:20 Indeed, the bed is too short to
stretch out on, and the blanket too small to wrap around you.
Isaiah 28:21 For the LORD will rise up as at
Mount Perazim. He will rouse Himself as in the Valley of Gibeon,
to do His work, His strange work, and to perform His task, His
disturbing task.
Isaiah 28:22 So now, do not mock, or your
shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord
GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.
Isaiah 28:23 Listen and hear my voice. Pay
attention and hear what I say.
Isaiah 28:24 Does the plowman plow for planting
every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil?
Isaiah 28:25 When he has leveled its surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows
and barley in plots, and rye within its border.
Isaiah 28:26 For his God instructs and teaches
him properly.
Isaiah 28:27 Surely caraway is not threshed with
a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin.
But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.
Isaiah 28:28 Grain for bread must be ground, but
it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll
over it, the horses do not crush it.
Isaiah 28:29 This also comes from the LORD of
Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
Isaiah 29:1 Woe to you, O Ariel, the city of
Ariel where David camped! Year upon year let your festivals recur.
Isaiah 29:2 And I will constrain Ariel, and
there will be mourning and lamentation; she will be like an altar
hearth before Me.
Isaiah 29:3 I will camp in a circle around you;
I will besiege you with towers and set up siege works against you.
Isaiah 29:4 You will be brought low, you will
speak from the ground, and out of the dust your words will be
muffled. Your voice will be like a spirit from the ground; your
speech will whisper out of the dust.
Isaiah 29:5 But your many foes will be like fine
dust, the multitude of the ruthless like blowing chaff. Then
suddenly, in an instant,
Isaiah 29:6 you will be visited by the LORD of
Hosts with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with windstorm
and tempest and consuming flame of fire.
Isaiah 29:7 All the many nations going out to
battle against Ariel—even all who war against her, laying siege
and attacking her—will be like a dream, like a vision in the
night,
Isaiah 29:8 as when a hungry man dreams he is
eating, then awakens still hungry; as when a thirsty man dreams he
is drinking, then awakens faint and parched. So will it be for all
the many nations who go to battle against Mount Zion.
Isaiah 29:9 Stop and be astonished; blind
yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not with wine; stagger,
but not from strong drink.
Isaiah 29:10 For the LORD has poured out on you
a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has
covered your heads, O seers.
Isaiah 29:11 And the entire vision will be to
you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to someone
to read, he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.”
Isaiah 29:12 Or if the scroll is handed to one
unable to read, he will say, “I cannot read.”
Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “These
people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but
rules taught by men.
Isaiah 29:14 Therefore I will again confound
these people with wonder upon wonder. The wisdom of the wise will
vanish, and the intelligence of the intelligent will be hidden.”
Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who dig deep to hide
their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and
say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”
Isaiah 29:16 You have turned things upside down,
as if the potter were regarded as clay. Shall what is formed say
to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pottery say of
the potter, “He has no understanding”?
Isaiah 29:17 In a very short time, will not
Lebanon become an orchard, and the orchard seem like a forest?
Isaiah 29:18 On that day the deaf will hear the
words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the
blind will see.
Isaiah 29:19 The humble will increase their joy
in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One
of Israel.
Isaiah 29:20 For the ruthless will vanish, the
mockers will disappear, and all who look for evil will be cut
down—
Isaiah 29:21 those who indict a man with a word,
who ensnare the mediator at the gate, and who with false charges
deprive the innocent of justice.
Isaiah 29:22 Therefore the LORD who redeemed
Abraham says of the house of Jacob: “No longer will Jacob be
ashamed and no more will his face grow pale.
Isaiah 29:23 For when he sees his children
around him, the work of My hands, they will honor My name, they
will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and they will stand in awe of
the God of Israel.
Isaiah 29:24 Then the wayward in spirit will
come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept
instruction.”
Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children,”
declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not
Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin
upon sin.
Isaiah 30:2 They set out to go down to Egypt
without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s
protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.
Isaiah 30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will become
your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.
Isaiah 30:4 For though their princes are at Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
Isaiah 30:5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them. They cannot be of help; they
are good for nothing but shame and reproach.”
Isaiah 30:6 This is the burden against the
beasts of the Negev: Through a land of hardship and distress, of
lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent, they carry their
wealth on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the humps of
camels, to a people of no profit to them.
Isaiah 30:7 Egypt’s help is futile and empty;
therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.
Isaiah 30:8 Go now, write it on a tablet in
their presence and inscribe it on a scroll; it will be for the
days to come, a witness forever and ever.
Isaiah 30:9 These are rebellious people,
deceitful children, children unwilling to obey the LORD’s
instruction.
Isaiah 30:10 They say to the seers, “Stop seeing
visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth!
Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.
Isaiah 30:11 Get out of the way; turn off the
road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”
Isaiah 30:12 Therefore this is what the Holy One
of Israel says: “Because you have rejected this message, trusting
in oppression and relying on deceit,
Isaiah 30:13 this iniquity of yours is like a
breach about to fail, a bulge in a high wall, whose collapse will
come suddenly—in an instant!
Isaiah 30:14 It will break in pieces like a
potter’s jar, shattered so that no fragment can be found. Not a
shard will be found in the dust large enough to scoop the coals
from a hearth or to skim the water from a cistern.”
Isaiah 30:15 For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of
Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your
strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.”
Isaiah 30:16 “No,” you say, “we will flee on
horses.” Therefore you will flee! “We will ride swift horses,” but
your pursuers will be faster.
Isaiah 30:17 A thousand will flee at the threat
of one; at the threat of five you will all flee, until you are
left alone like a pole on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.
Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the LORD longs to be
gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for
the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
Isaiah 30:19 O people in Zion who dwell in
Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious when
you cry for help; when He hears, He will answer you.
Isaiah 30:20 The Lord will give you the bread of
adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no
longer hide Himself—with your own eyes you will see Him.
Isaiah 30:21 And whether you turn to the right
or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This
is the way. Walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:22 So you will desecrate your
silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw
them away like menstrual cloths, saying to them, “Be gone!”
Isaiah 30:23 Then He will send rain for the seed
that you have sown in the ground, and the food that comes from
your land will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will
graze in open pastures.
Isaiah 30:24 The oxen and donkeys that work the
ground will eat salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and pitchfork.
Isaiah 30:25 And from every high mountain and
every raised hill, streams of water will flow in the day of great
slaughter, when the towers fall.
Isaiah 30:26 The light of the moon will be as
bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times
brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the LORD
binds up the brokenness of His people and heals the wounds He has
inflicted.
Isaiah 30:27 Behold, the Name of the LORD comes
from afar, with burning anger and dense smoke. His lips are full
of fury, and His tongue is like a consuming fire.
Isaiah 30:28 His breath is like a rushing
torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a
sieve of destruction; He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead
them astray.
Isaiah 30:29 You will sing as on the night of a
holy festival, and your heart will rejoice like one who walks to
the music of a flute, going up to the mountain of the LORD, to the
Rock of Israel.
Isaiah 30:30 And the LORD will cause His
majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed,
striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with
cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
Isaiah 30:31 For Assyria will be shattered at
the voice of the LORD; He will strike them with His scepter.
Isaiah 30:32 And with every stroke of the rod of
punishment that the LORD brings down on them, the tambourines and
lyres will sound as He battles with weapons brandished.
Isaiah 30:33 For Topheth has long been prepared;
it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and
wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a
torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.
Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt
for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of
chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to
the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
Isaiah 31:2 Yet He too is wise and brings
disaster; He does not call back His words. He will rise up against
the house of the wicked and against the allies of evildoers.
Isaiah 31:3 But the Egyptians are men, not God;
their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out
His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall;
both will perish together.
Isaiah 31:4 For this is what the LORD has said
to me: “Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey—and
though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not
terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamor—so the LORD
of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its
heights.
Isaiah 31:5 Like birds hovering overhead, so the
LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and
deliver it; He will pass over it and preserve it.”
Isaiah 31:6 Return to the One against whom you
have so blatantly rebelled, O children of Israel.
Isaiah 31:7 For on that day, every one of you
will reject the idols of silver and gold that your own hands have
sinfully made.
Isaiah 31:8 “Then Assyria will fall, but not by
the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by
mortals. They will flee before the sword, and their young men will
be put to forced labor.
Isaiah 31:9 Their rock will pass away for fear,
and their princes will panic at the sight of the battle standard,”
declares the LORD, whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in
Jerusalem.
Isaiah 32:1 Behold, a king will reign in
righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.
Isaiah 32:2 Each will be like a shelter from the
wind, a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in a dry
land, like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.
Isaiah 32:3 Then the eyes of those who see will
no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
Isaiah 32:4 The mind of the rash will know and
understand, and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and
fluently.
Isaiah 32:5 No longer will a fool be called
noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.
Isaiah 32:6 For a fool speaks foolishness; his
mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely
about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the
thirsty of drink.
Isaiah 32:7 The weapons of the scoundrel are
destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even
when the plea of the needy is just.
Isaiah 32:8 But a noble man makes honorable
plans; he stands up for worthy causes.
Isaiah 32:9 Stand up, you complacent women;
listen to me. Give ear to my word, you overconfident daughters.
Isaiah 32:10 In a little more than a year you
will tremble, O secure ones. For the grape harvest will fail and
the fruit harvest will not arrive.
Isaiah 32:11 Shudder, you ladies of leisure;
tremble, you daughters of complacency. Strip yourselves bare and
put sackcloth around your waists.
Isaiah 32:12 Beat your breasts for the pleasant
fields, for the fruitful vines,
Isaiah 32:13 and for the land of my people,
overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merriment
in this city of revelry.
Isaiah 32:14 For the palace will be forsaken,
the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become
caves forever—the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for
flocks—
Isaiah 32:15 until the Spirit is poured out upon
us from on high. Then the desert will be an orchard, and the
orchard will seem like a forest.
Isaiah 32:16 Then justice will inhabit the
wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the fertile field.
Isaiah 32:17 The work of righteousness will be
peace; the service of righteousness will be quiet confidence
forever.
Isaiah 32:18 Then my people will dwell in a
peaceful place, in safe and secure places of rest.
Isaiah 32:19 But hail will level the forest, and
the city will sink to the depths.
Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are those who sow beside
abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.
Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, O destroyer never
destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished
destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished
betraying, you will be betrayed.
Isaiah 33:2 O LORD, be gracious to us! We wait
for You. Be our strength every morning and our salvation in time
of trouble.
Isaiah 33:3 The peoples flee the thunder of Your
voice; the nations scatter when You rise.
Isaiah 33:4 Your spoil, O nations, is gathered
as by locusts; like a swarm of locusts men sweep over it.
Isaiah 33:5 The LORD is exalted, for He dwells
on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
Isaiah 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for
your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The
fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
Isaiah 33:7 Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud
in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
Isaiah 33:8 The highways are deserted; travel
has ceased. The treaty has been broken, the witnesses are
despised, and human life is disregarded.
Isaiah 33:9 The land mourns and languishes;
Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan
and Carmel shake off their leaves.
Isaiah 33:10 “Now I will arise,” says the LORD.
“Now I will lift Myself up. Now I will be exalted.
Isaiah 33:11 You conceive chaff; you give birth
to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you.
Isaiah 33:12 The peoples will be burned to
ashes, like thorns cut down and set ablaze.
Isaiah 33:13 You who are far off, hear what I
have done; you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
Isaiah 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming
fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”
Isaiah 33:15 He who walks righteously and speaks
with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never
takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and
shuts his eyes tightly against evil—
Isaiah 33:16 he will dwell on the heights; the
mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided
and his water assured.
Isaiah 33:17 Your eyes will see the King in His
beauty and behold a land that stretches afar.
Isaiah 33:18 Your mind will ponder the former
terror: “Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs? Where is
he who counts the towers?”
Isaiah 33:19 You will no longer see the
insolent, a people whose speech is unintelligible, who stammer in
a language you cannot understand.
Isaiah 33:20 Look upon Zion, the city of our
appointed feasts. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful
pasture, a tent that does not wander; its tent pegs will not be
pulled up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
Isaiah 33:21 But there the Majestic One, our
LORD, will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals, where no
galley with oars will row, and no majestic vessel will pass.
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD
is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who will save us.
Isaiah 33:23 Your ropes are slack; they cannot
secure the mast or spread the sail. Then an abundance of spoils
will be divided, and even the lame will carry off plunder.
Isaiah 33:24 And no resident of Zion will say,
“I am sick.” The people who dwell there will be forgiven of
iniquity.
Isaiah 34:1 Come near, O nations, to listen; pay
attention, O peoples. Let the earth hear, and all that fills it,
the world and all that springs from it.
Isaiah 34:2 The LORD is angry with all the
nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to
destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.
Isaiah 34:3 Their slain will be left unburied,
and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow
with their blood.
Isaiah 34:4 All the stars of heaven will be
dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all
their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like
foliage from the fig tree.
Isaiah 34:5 When My sword has drunk its fill in
the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I
have devoted to destruction.
Isaiah 34:6 The sword of the LORD is bathed in
blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with
the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in
Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
Isaiah 34:7 And the wild oxen will fall with
them, the young bulls with the strong ones. Their land will be
drenched with blood, and their soil will be soaked with fat.
Isaiah 34:8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance,
a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
Isaiah 34:9 Edom’s streams will be turned to
tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch.
Isaiah 34:10 It will not be quenched—day or
night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to
generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass
through it.
Isaiah 34:11 The desert owl and screech owl will
possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD
will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb
line of destruction.
Isaiah 34:12 No nobles will be left to proclaim
a king, and all her princes will come to nothing.
Isaiah 34:13 Her towers will be overgrown with
thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers. She will become a
haunt for jackals, an abode for ostriches.
Isaiah 34:14 The desert creatures will meet with
hyenas, and one wild goat will call to another. There the night
creature will settle and find her place of repose.
Isaiah 34:15 There the owl will make her nest;
she will lay and hatch her eggs and gather her brood under her
shadow. Even there the birds of prey will gather, each with its
mate.
Isaiah 34:16 Search and read the scroll of the
LORD: Not one of these will go missing, not one will lack her
mate, because He has ordered it by His mouth, and He will gather
them by His Spirit.
Isaiah 34:17 He has allotted their portion; His
hand has distributed it by measure. They will possess it forever;
they will dwell in it from generation to generation.
Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the land will be
glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.
Isaiah 35:2 It will bloom profusely and rejoice
with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the
LORD, the splendor of our God.
Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the limp hands and steady
the feeble knees!
Isaiah 35:4 Say to those with anxious hearts:
“Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with
vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be
opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Isaiah 35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer
and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth
in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
Isaiah 35:7 The parched ground will become a
pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where
jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.
Isaiah 35:8 And there will be a highway called
the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who
walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.
Isaiah 35:9 No lion will be there, and no
vicious beast will go up on it. Such will not be found there, but
the redeemed will walk upon it.
Isaiah 35:10 So the redeemed of the LORD will
return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy.
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will
flee.
Isaiah 36:1 In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s
reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the
fortified cities of Judah.
Isaiah 36:2 And the king of Assyria sent the
Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at
Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on
the road to the Launderer’s Field.
Isaiah 36:3 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the
palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the
recorder, went out to him.
Isaiah 36:4 The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell
Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria,
says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?
Isaiah 36:5 You claim to have a strategy and
strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now
trusting, that you have rebelled against me?
Isaiah 36:6 Look now, you are trusting in Egypt,
that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of
anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who
trust in him.
Isaiah 36:7 But if you say to me, ‘We trust in
the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars
Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must
worship before this altar’?
Isaiah 36:8 Now, therefore, make a bargain with
my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand
horses—if you can put riders on them!
Isaiah 36:9 For how can you repel a single
officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on
Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
Isaiah 36:10 So now, was it apart from the LORD
that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD
Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
Isaiah 36:11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said
to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since
we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of
the people on the wall.”
Isaiah 36:12 But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my
master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master,
and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you
to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
Isaiah 36:13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called
out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the words of the great king, the king
of Assyria!
Isaiah 36:14 This is what the king says: Do not
let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot deliver you.
Isaiah 36:15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to
trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us;
this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
Isaiah 36:16 Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this
is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out
to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his
own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern,
Isaiah 36:17 until I come and take you away to a
land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread
and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:18 Do not let Hezekiah mislead you
when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any
nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of
Assyria?
Isaiah 36:19 Where are the gods of Hamath and
Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered
Samaria from my hand?
Isaiah 36:20 Who among all the gods of these
lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD
deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
Isaiah 36:21 But the people remained silent and
did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer
him.”
Isaiah 36:22 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the
palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the
recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they
relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Isaiah 37:1 On hearing this report, King
Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house
of the LORD.
Isaiah 37:2 And he sent Eliakim the palace
administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all
wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
Isaiah 37:3 to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah
says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for
children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength
to deliver them.
Isaiah 37:4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear
the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria
has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the
words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer
for the remnant that still survives.”
Isaiah 37:5 So the servants of King Hezekiah
went to Isaiah,
Isaiah 37:6 who replied, “Tell your master that
this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you
have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have
blasphemed Me.
Isaiah 37:7 Behold, I will put a spirit in him
so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I
will cause him to fall by the sword.’”
Isaiah 37:8 When the Rabshakeh heard that the
king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king
fighting against Libnah.
Isaiah 37:9 Now Sennacherib had been warned
about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against
you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah,
saying,
Isaiah 37:10 “Give this message to Hezekiah king
of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by
saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the
king of Assyria.
Isaiah 37:11 Surely you have heard what the
kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting
them to destruction. Will you then be spared?
Isaiah 37:12 Did the gods of the nations
destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan,
Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?
Isaiah 37:13 Where are the kings of Hamath,
Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
Isaiah 37:14 So Hezekiah received the letter
from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD
and spread it out before the LORD.
Isaiah 37:15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:
Isaiah 37:16 “O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel,
enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the
kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
Isaiah 37:17 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear;
open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to all the words that
Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.
Isaiah 37:18 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria
have laid waste all these countries and their lands.
Isaiah 37:19 They have cast their gods into the
fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and
stone—the work of human hands.
Isaiah 37:20 And now, O LORD our God, save us
from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that
You alone, O LORD, are God.”
Isaiah 37:21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a
message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel,
says: Because you have prayed to Me concerning Sennacherib king of
Assyria,
Isaiah 37:22 this is the word that the LORD has
spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and
mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.
Isaiah 37:23 Whom have you taunted and
blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted
your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
Isaiah 37:24 Through your servants you have
taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have
ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of
Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its
cypresses. I have reached its farthest heights, the densest of its
forests.
Isaiah 37:25 I have dug wells and drunk foreign
waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams
of Egypt.”
Isaiah 37:26 Have you not heard? Long ago I
ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to
pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.
Isaiah 37:27 Therefore their inhabitants, devoid
of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the
field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before
it is grown.
Isaiah 37:28 But I know your sitting down, your
going out and coming in, and your raging against Me.
Isaiah 37:29 Because your rage and arrogance
against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose
and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
Isaiah 37:30 And this will be a sign to you, O
Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the
second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you
will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Isaiah 37:31 And the surviving remnant of the
house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above.
Isaiah 37:32 For a remnant will go forth from
Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of
Hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 37:33 So this is what the LORD says about
the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an
arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build
up a siege ramp against it.
Isaiah 37:34 He will go back the way he came,
and he will not enter this city,’ declares the LORD.
Isaiah 37:35 ‘I will defend this city and save
it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went out
and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the
people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
Isaiah 37:37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria
broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
Isaiah 37:38 One day, while he was worshiping in
the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer
put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his
son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
Isaiah 38:1 In those days Hezekiah became
mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said,
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are
about to die; you will not recover.’”
Isaiah 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the
wall and prayed to the LORD,
Isaiah 38:3 saying, “Please, O LORD, remember
how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted
devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah
wept bitterly.
Isaiah 38:4 And the word of the LORD came to
Isaiah, saying,
Isaiah 38:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah that this is
what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard
your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen
years to your life.
Isaiah 38:6 And I will deliver you and this city
from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
Isaiah 38:7 This will be a sign to you from the
LORD that He will do what He has promised:
Isaiah 38:8 I will make the sun’s shadow that
falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps.’” So the sunlight
went back the ten steps it had descended.
Isaiah 38:9 This is a writing by Hezekiah king
of Judah after his illness and recovery:
Isaiah 38:10 I said, “In the prime of my life I
must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the
remainder of my years.”
Isaiah 38:11 I said, “I will never again see the
LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer
look on mankind with those who dwell in this world.
Isaiah 38:12 My dwelling has been picked up and
removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life
like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night
You make an end of me.
Isaiah 38:13 I composed myself until the
morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night
You make an end of me.
Isaiah 38:14 I chirp like a swallow or crane; I
moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am
oppressed; be my security.”
Isaiah 38:15 What can I say? He has spoken to
me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years
because of the anguish of my soul.
Isaiah 38:16 O Lord, by such things men live,
and in all of them my spirit finds life. You have restored me to
health and have let me live.
Isaiah 38:17 Surely for my own welfare I had
such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of
oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
Isaiah 38:18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death
cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for
Your faithfulness.
Isaiah 38:19 The living, only the living, can
thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about
Your faithfulness.
Isaiah 38:20 The LORD will save me; we will play
songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the
house of the LORD.
Isaiah 38:21 Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a
lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will
recover.”
Isaiah 38:22 And Hezekiah had asked, “What will
be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
Isaiah 39:1 At that time Merodach-baladan son of
Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for
he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness and recovery.
Isaiah 39:2 And Hezekiah welcomed the envoys
gladly and showed them what was in his treasure house—the silver,
the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his entire
armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in
his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.
Isaiah 39:3 Then the prophet Isaiah went to King
Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did
they say to you?” “They came to me from a distant land,” Hezekiah
replied, “from Babylon.”
Isaiah 39:4 “What have they seen in your
palace?” Isaiah asked. “They have seen everything in my palace,”
answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did
not show them.”
Isaiah 39:5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear
the word of the LORD of Hosts:
Isaiah 39:6 The time will surely come when
everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up
until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be
left, says the LORD.
Isaiah 39:7 And some of your descendants, your
own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the
palace of the king of Babylon.”
Isaiah 39:8 But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The
word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought,
“At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says
your God.
Isaiah 40:2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and
proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her
iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of
the LORD double for all her sins.”
Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “Prepare the
way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for
our God in the desert.
Isaiah 40:4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and
every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become
smooth, and the rugged land a plain.
Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the LORD will be
revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of
the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:6 A voice says, “Cry out!” And I
asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all
its glory like the flowers of the field.
Isaiah 40:7 The grass withers and the flowers
fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people
are grass.
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers
fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Isaiah 40:9 Go up on a high mountain, O Zion,
herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald
of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of
Judah, “Here is your God!”
Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with
might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him,
and His recompense accompanies Him.
Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd;
He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His
heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the
hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his
hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed
the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?
Isaiah 40:13 Who has directed the Spirit of the
LORD, or informed Him as His counselor?
Isaiah 40:14 Whom did He consult to enlighten
Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted
knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?
Isaiah 40:15 Surely the nations are like a drop
in a bucket; they are considered a speck of dust on the scales; He
lifts up the islands like fine dust.
Isaiah 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel,
nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.
Isaiah 40:17 All the nations are as nothing
before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.
Isaiah 40:18 To whom will you liken God? To what
image will you compare Him?
Isaiah 40:19 To an idol that a craftsman casts
and a metalworker overlays with gold and fits with silver chains?
Isaiah 40:20 To one bereft of an offering who
chooses wood that will not rot, who seeks a skilled craftsman to
set up an idol that will not topple?
Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know? Have you not
heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have
you not understood since the foundation of the earth?
Isaiah 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle
of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out
the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to
dwell in.
Isaiah 40:23 He brings the princes to nothing
and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless.
Isaiah 40:24 No sooner are they planted, no
sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the
ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind
sweeps them away like stubble.
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom will you liken Me, or who
is My equal?” asks the Holy One.
Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high: Who
created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He
calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty
strength, not one of them is missing.
Isaiah 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do
you assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my
claim is ignored by my God”?
Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not
heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of
the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is
beyond searching out.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the faint and
increases the strength of the weak.
Isaiah 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait upon the LORD
will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not
faint.
Isaiah 41:1 “Be silent before Me, O islands, and
let the peoples renew their strength. Let them come forward and
testify; let us together draw near for judgment.
Isaiah 41:2 Who has aroused one from the east
and called him to his feet in righteousness? He hands nations over
to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with
his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.
Isaiah 41:3 He pursues them, going on safely,
hardly touching the path with his feet.
Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed this and carried
it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the
LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”
Isaiah 41:5 The islands see and fear; the ends
of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward.
Isaiah 41:6 Each one helps the other and says to
his brother, “Be strong!”
Isaiah 41:7 The craftsman encourages the
goldsmith, and he who wields the hammer cheers him who strikes the
anvil, saying of the welding, “It is good.” He nails it down so it
will not be toppled.
Isaiah 41:8 “But you, O Israel, My servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend—
Isaiah 41:9 I brought you from the ends of the
earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are
My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you.
Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do
not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will
surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of
righteousness.
Isaiah 41:11 Behold, all who rage against you
will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be
reduced to nothing and will perish.
Isaiah 41:12 You will seek them but will not
find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD your God, who
takes hold of your right hand and tells you: Do not fear, I will
help you.
Isaiah 41:14 Do not fear, O worm of Jacob, O few
men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer
is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 41:15 Behold, I will make you into a
threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh
the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff.
Isaiah 41:16 You will winnow them, and a wind
will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will
rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 41:17 The poor and needy seek water, but
there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD,
will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
Isaiah 41:18 I will open rivers on the barren
heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys. I will turn
the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing
springs.
Isaiah 41:19 I will plant cedars in the
wilderness, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees. I will set
cypresses in the desert, elms and boxwood together,
Isaiah 41:20 so that all may see and know, may
consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this
and the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
Isaiah 41:21 “Present your case,” says the LORD.
“Submit your arguments,” says the King of Jacob.
Isaiah 41:22 “Let them come and tell us what
will happen. Tell the former things, so that we may reflect on
them and know the outcome. Or announce to us what is coming.
Isaiah 41:23 Tell us the things that are to
come, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something
good or evil, that we may look on together in dismay.
Isaiah 41:24 Behold, you are nothing and your
work is of no value. Anyone who chooses you is detestable.
Isaiah 41:25 I have raised up one from the
north, and he has come—one from the east who calls on My name. He
will march over rulers as if they were mortar, like a potter who
treads the clay.
Isaiah 41:26 Who has declared this from the
beginning, so that we may know, and from times past, so that we
may say: ‘He was right’? No one announced it, no one foretold it,
no one heard your words.
Isaiah 41:27 I was the first to tell Zion:
‘Look, here they are!’ And I gave to Jerusalem a herald of good
news.
Isaiah 41:28 When I look, there is no one; there
is no counselor among them; when I ask them, they have nothing to
say.
Isaiah 41:29 See, they are all a delusion; their
works amount to nothing; their images are as empty as the wind.
Isaiah 42:1 “Here is My Servant, whom I uphold,
My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on
Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:2 He will not cry out or raise His
voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets.
Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break and
a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring
forth justice.
Isaiah 42:4 He will not grow weak or discouraged
before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the
islands will put their hope.”
Isaiah 42:5 This is what God the LORD says—He
who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the
earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and
life to those who walk in it:
Isaiah 42:6 “I, the LORD, have called you for a
righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep
you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to
the nations,
Isaiah 42:7 to open the eyes of the blind, to
bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness
out from the prison house.
Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is My name! I
will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
Isaiah 42:9 Behold, the former things have
happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I
proclaim them to you.”
Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song—His
praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and
all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.
Isaiah 42:11 Let the desert and its cities raise
their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people
of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
Isaiah 42:12 Let them give glory to the LORD and
declare His praise in the islands.
Isaiah 42:13 The LORD goes forth like a mighty
one; He stirs up His zeal like a warrior. He shouts; yes, He roars
in triumph over His enemies:
Isaiah 42:14 “I have kept silent from ages past;
I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a
woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
Isaiah 42:15 I will lay waste the mountains and
hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn the rivers into
dry land and drain the marshes.
Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the blind by a way they
did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn
darkness into light before them and rough places into level
ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake
them.
Isaiah 42:17 But those who trust in idols and
say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’ will be turned back in
utter shame.
Isaiah 42:18 Listen, you deaf ones; look, you
blind ones, that you may see!
Isaiah 42:19 Who is blind but My servant, or
deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My
covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?
Isaiah 42:20 Though seeing many things, you do
not keep watch. Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”
Isaiah 42:21 The LORD was pleased, for the sake
of His righteousness, to magnify His law and make it glorious.
Isaiah 42:22 But this is a people plundered and
looted, all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons. They have
become plunder with no one to rescue them, and loot with no one to
say, “Send them back!”
Isaiah 42:23 Who among you will pay attention to
this? Who will listen and obey hereafter?
Isaiah 42:24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and
Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we
have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways, and they
would not obey His law.
Isaiah 42:25 So He poured out on them His
furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in
flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they
did not take it to heart.
Isaiah 43:1 Now this is what the LORD says—He
who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not
fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you
are Mine!
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I
will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will
not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be
scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy
One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and
Seba in your place.
Isaiah 43:4 Because you are precious and honored
in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange
for you and nations in place of your life.
Isaiah 43:5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east and gather you from the
west.
Isaiah 43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them
up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from
afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—
Isaiah 43:7 everyone called by My name and
created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.”
Isaiah 43:8 Bring out a people who have eyes but
are blind, and who have ears but are deaf.
Isaiah 43:9 All the nations gather together and
the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and
proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses
to vindicate them, so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
Isaiah 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares
the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may
consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no
god was formed, and after Me none will come.
Isaiah 43:11 I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is
no Savior but Me.
Isaiah 43:12 I alone decreed and saved and
proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. So you are My
witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.
Isaiah 43:13 Even from eternity I am He, and
none can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 43:14 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake, I will send to Babylon and
bring them all as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in
which they rejoice.
Isaiah 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the
Creator of Israel, and your King.”
Isaiah 43:16 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way
in the sea and a path through the surging waters,
Isaiah 43:17 who brings out the chariots and
horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to
rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
Isaiah 43:18 “Do not call to mind the former
things; pay no attention to the things of old.
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I am about to do something
new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make
a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
Isaiah 43:20 The beasts of the field will honor
Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I provide water in the
wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen
people.
Isaiah 43:21 The people I formed for Myself will
declare My praise.
Isaiah 43:22 But you have not called on Me, O
Jacob, because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.
Isaiah 43:23 You have not brought Me sheep for
burnt offerings, nor honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not
burdened you with offerings, nor wearied you with frankincense.
Isaiah 43:24 You have not bought Me sweet cane
with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your
sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have
wearied Me with your iniquities.
Isaiah 43:25 I, yes I, am He who blots out your
transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
Isaiah 43:26 Remind Me, let us argue the matter
together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated.
Isaiah 43:27 Your first father sinned, and your
spokesmen rebelled against Me.
Isaiah 43:28 So I will disgrace the princes of
your sanctuary, and I will devote Jacob to destruction and Israel
to reproach.”
Isaiah 44:1 But now listen, O Jacob My servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 44:2 This is the word of the LORD, your
Maker, who formed you from the womb and who will help you: “Do not
be afraid, O Jacob My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty
land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on
your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.
Isaiah 44:4 They will sprout among the grass
like willows by flowing streams.
Isaiah 44:5 One will say, ‘I belong to the
LORD,’ another will call himself by the name of Jacob, and still
another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the
name of Israel.”
Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King and
Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am
the last, and there is no God but Me.
Isaiah 44:7 Who then is like Me? Let him say so!
Let him declare his case before Me, since I established an ancient
people. Let him foretell the things to come, and what is to take
place.
Isaiah 44:8 Do not tremble or fear. Have I not
told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there
any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Isaiah 44:9 All makers of idols are nothing, and
the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to
see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.
Isaiah 44:10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol
which profits him nothing?
Isaiah 44:11 Behold, all his companions will be
put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let
them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought
to terror and shame.
Isaiah 44:12 The blacksmith takes a tool and
labors over the coals; he fashions an idol with hammers and forges
it with his strong arms. Yet he grows hungry and loses his
strength; he fails to drink water and grows faint.
Isaiah 44:13 The woodworker extends a measuring
line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and
outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man,
like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.
Isaiah 44:14 He cuts down cedars or retrieves a
cypress or oak. He lets it grow strong among the trees of the
forest. He plants a laurel, and the rain makes it grow.
Isaiah 44:15 It serves as fuel for man. He takes
some of it to warm himself, and he kindles a fire and bakes his
bread; he even fashions it into a god and worships it; he makes an
idol and bows down to it.
Isaiah 44:16 He burns half of it in the fire,
and he roasts meat on that half. He eats the roast and is
satisfied. Indeed, he warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I
see the fire.”
Isaiah 44:17 From the rest he makes a god, his
graven image. He bows down to it and worships; he prays to it and
says, “Save me, for you are my god.”
Isaiah 44:18 They do not comprehend or discern,
for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their
minds so they cannot understand.
Isaiah 44:19 And no one considers in his heart,
no one has the knowledge or insight to say, “I burned half of it
in the fire, and I baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and I
ate. Shall I make something detestable with the rest of it? Shall
I bow down to a block of wood?”
Isaiah 44:20 He feeds on ashes. His deluded
heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say,
“Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
Isaiah 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, for
you are My servant, O Israel. I have made you, and you are My
servant; O Israel, I will never forget you.
Isaiah 44:22 I have blotted out your
transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to
Me, for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:23 Sing for joy, O heavens, for the
LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break
forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For
the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and revealed His glory in Israel.
Isaiah 44:24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer
who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all
things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread
out the earth,
Isaiah 44:25 who foils the signs of false
prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and
turns their knowledge into nonsense,
Isaiah 44:26 who confirms the message of His
servant and fulfills the counsel of His messengers, who says of
Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah,
‘They will be rebuilt, and I will restore their ruins,’
Isaiah 44:27 who says to the depths of the sea,
‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’
Isaiah 44:28 who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd
will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will
be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”
Isaiah 45:1 This is what the LORD says to Cyrus
His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations
before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that
the gates will not be shut:
Isaiah 45:2 “I will go before you and level the
mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through
the bars of iron.
Isaiah 45:3 I will give you the treasures of
darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may
know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
Isaiah 45:4 For the sake of Jacob My servant and
Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title
of honor, though you have not known Me.
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no
other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though
you have not known Me,
Isaiah 45:6 so that all may know, from where the
sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the
LORD, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light and create the
darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do
all these things.
Isaiah 45:8 Drip down, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up
that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I,
the LORD, have created it.
Isaiah 45:9 Woe to him who quarrels with his
Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What
are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?
Isaiah 45:10 Woe to him who says to his father,
‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought
forth?’”
Isaiah 45:11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of
Israel, and its Maker: “How dare you question Me about My sons, or
instruct Me in the work of My hands?
Isaiah 45:12 It is I who made the earth and
created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the
heavens, and I ordained all their host.
Isaiah 45:13 I will raise up Cyrus in
righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will
rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or
reward, says the LORD of Hosts.”
Isaiah 45:14 This is what the LORD says: “The
products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the
Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours;
they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow
down to you. They will confess to you: ‘God is indeed with you,
and there is no other; there is no other God.’”
Isaiah 45:15 Truly You are a God who hides
Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
Isaiah 45:16 They will all be put to shame and
humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.
Isaiah 45:17 But Israel will be saved by the
LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame
or humiliated, to ages everlasting.
Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, who created
the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He
established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to
be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, from a
place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of
Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I
say what is right.
Isaiah 45:20 Come, gather together, and draw
near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry
idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.
Isaiah 45:21 Speak up and present your case—yes,
let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who
announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is
no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but
Me.
Isaiah 45:22 Turn to Me and be saved, all the
ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:23 By Myself I have sworn; truth has
gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every
knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
Isaiah 45:24 Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the
LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against
Him will come to Him and be put to shame.
Isaiah 45:25 In the LORD all descendants of
Israel will be justified and will exult.
Isaiah 46:1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their
idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are
burdensome, a load to the weary animal.
Isaiah 46:2 The gods cower; they crouch
together, unable to relieve the burden; but they themselves go
into captivity.
Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all
the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from
the womb, carried along since birth.
Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age, I will be the
same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you,
and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.
Isaiah 46:5 To whom will you liken Me or count
Me equal? To whom will you compare Me, that we should be alike?
Isaiah 46:6 They pour out their bags of gold and
weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it
into a god, so they can bow down and worship.
Isaiah 46:7 They lift it to their shoulder and
carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not
budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not
answer; it saves no one from his troubles.
Isaiah 46:8 Remember this and be brave; take it
to heart, you transgressors!
Isaiah 46:9 Remember what happened long ago, for
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like
Me.
Isaiah 46:10 I declare the end from the
beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say,
‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will
accomplish.’
Isaiah 46:11 I summon a bird of prey from the
east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have
spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and
I will surely do it.
Isaiah 46:12 Listen to Me, you stubborn people,
far removed from righteousness:
Isaiah 46:13 I am bringing My righteousness
near; it is not far away, and My salvation will not be delayed. I
will grant salvation to Zion and adorn Israel with My splendor.
Isaiah 47:1 “Go down and sit in the dust, O
Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O
Daughter of Chaldea! For you will no longer be called tender or
delicate.
Isaiah 47:2 Take millstones and grind flour;
remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade
through the streams.
Isaiah 47:3 Your nakedness will be uncovered and
your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no
one.”
Isaiah 47:4 Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is
His name—is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 47:5 “Sit in silence and go into
darkness, O Daughter of Chaldea. For you will no longer be called
the queen of kingdoms.
Isaiah 47:6 I was angry with My people; I
profaned My heritage, and I placed them under your control. You
showed them no mercy; even on the elderly you laid a most heavy
yoke.
Isaiah 47:7 You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’
You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome.
Isaiah 47:8 So now hear this, O lover of luxury
who sits securely, who says to herself, ‘I am, and there is none
besides me. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.’
Isaiah 47:9 These two things will overtake you
in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood.
They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many
sorceries and the potency of your spells.
Isaiah 47:10 You were secure in your wickedness;
you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you
astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
Isaiah 47:11 But disaster will come upon you;
you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you
that you will be unable to ward off. Devastation will happen to
you suddenly and unexpectedly.
Isaiah 47:12 So take your stand with your spells
and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself
from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will
inspire terror!
Isaiah 47:13 You are wearied by your many
counselors; let them come forward now and save you—your
astrologers who observe the stars, who monthly predict your fate.
Isaiah 47:14 Surely they are like stubble; the
fire will burn them up. They cannot deliver themselves from the
power of the flame. There will be no coals to warm them or fire to
sit beside.
Isaiah 47:15 This is what they are to you—those
with whom you have labored and traded from youth—each one strays
in his own direction; not one of them can save you.
Isaiah 48:1 “Listen to this, O house of Jacob,
you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from
the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke
the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—
Isaiah 48:2 who indeed call yourselves after the
holy city and lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of Hosts is His
name.
Isaiah 48:3 I foretold the former things long
ago; they came out of My mouth and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I
acted, and they came to pass.
Isaiah 48:4 For I knew that you are stubborn;
your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.
Isaiah 48:5 Therefore I declared it to you long
ago; I announced it before it came to pass, so that you could not
claim, ‘My idol has done this; my carved image and molten god has
ordained it.’
Isaiah 48:6 You have heard these things; look at
them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell
you of new things, hidden things unknown to you.
Isaiah 48:7 They are created now, and not long
ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim,
‘I already knew them!’
Isaiah 48:8 You have never heard; you have never
understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I
knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from
birth.
Isaiah 48:9 For the sake of My name I will delay
My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that
you will not be cut off.
Isaiah 48:10 See, I have refined you, but not as
silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:11 For My own sake, My very own sake,
I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield
My glory to another.
Isaiah 48:12 Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel,
whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.
Isaiah 48:13 Surely My own hand founded the
earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon
them, they stand up together.
Isaiah 48:14 Come together, all of you, and
listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s
chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm
will be against the Chaldeans.
Isaiah 48:15 I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have
called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his
mission.
Isaiah 48:16 Come near to Me and listen to this:
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time it
happened, I was there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me,
accompanied by His Spirit.
Isaiah 48:17 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you
for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.
Isaiah 48:18 If only you had paid attention to
My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your
righteousness like waves of the sea.
Isaiah 48:19 Your descendants would have been as
countless as the sand, and your offspring as numerous as its
grains; their name would never be cut off or eliminated from My
presence.”
Isaiah 48:20 Leave Babylon! Flee from the
Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go
out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His
servant Jacob!”
Isaiah 48:21 They did not thirst when He led
them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the
rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.
Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace,” says the LORD,
“for the wicked.”
Isaiah 49:1 Listen to Me, O islands; pay
attention, O distant peoples: The LORD called Me from the womb;
from the body of My mother He named Me.
Isaiah 49:2 He made My mouth like a sharp sword;
He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished
arrow; He hid Me in His quiver.
Isaiah 49:3 He said to Me, “You are My Servant,
Israel, in whom I will display My glory.”
Isaiah 49:4 But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent My strength in futility and vanity; yet My
vindication is with the LORD, and My reward is with My God.”
Isaiah 49:5 And now says the LORD, who formed Me
from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that
Israel might be gathered to Him—for I am honored in the sight of
the LORD, and My God is My strength—
Isaiah 49:6 He says: “It is not enough for You
to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore
the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the
nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and
Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the
nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise,
and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”
Isaiah 49:8 This is what the LORD says: “In the
time of favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I
will help You; I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant
for the people, to restore the land, to apportion its desolate
inheritances,
Isaiah 49:9 to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along
the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill.
Isaiah 49:10 They will not hunger or thirst, nor
will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has
compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of
water.
Isaiah 49:11 I will turn all My mountains into
roads, and My highways will be raised up.
Isaiah 49:12 Behold, they will come from far
away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of
Aswan.”
Isaiah 49:13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice,
O earth; break forth in song, O mountains! For the LORD has
comforted His people, and He will have compassion on His afflicted
ones.
Isaiah 49:14 But Zion said, “The LORD has
forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”
Isaiah 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing
child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she
could forget, I will not forget you!
Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have inscribed you on the
palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me.
Isaiah 49:17 Your builders hasten back; your
destroyers and wreckers depart from you.
Isaiah 49:18 Lift up your eyes and look around.
They all gather together; they come to you. As surely as I live,”
declares the LORD, “you will wear them all as jewelry and put them
on like a bride.
Isaiah 49:19 For your ruined and desolate places
and your ravaged land will now indeed be too small for your
people, and those who devoured you will be far away.
Isaiah 49:20 Yet the children of your
bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for
us; make room for us to live here.’
Isaiah 49:21 Then you will say in your heart,
‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was
exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all
alone, so where did they come from?’”
Isaiah 49:22 This is what the Lord GOD says:
“Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations, and raise My
banner to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and
carry your daughters on their shoulders.
Isaiah 49:23 Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you
facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I
am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
Isaiah 49:24 Can the plunder be snatched from
the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be delivered?
Isaiah 49:25 Indeed, this is what the LORD says:
“Even the captives of the mighty will be taken away, and the
plunder of the tyrant will be retrieved; I will contend with those
who contend with you, and I will save your children.
Isaiah 49:26 I will make your oppressors eat
their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with
wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Isaiah 50:1 This is what the LORD says: “Where
is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her
away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you? Look, you were
sold for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother
was sent away.
Isaiah 50:2 Why was no one there when I arrived?
Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to
redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My
rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish
rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
Isaiah 50:3 I clothe the heavens in black and
make sackcloth their covering.”
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue
of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me
morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
Isaiah 50:5 The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and
I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.
Isaiah 50:6 I offered My back to those who
struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not
hide My face from scorn and spittle.
Isaiah 50:7 Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I
have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint,
and I know that I will not be put to shame.
Isaiah 50:8 The One who vindicates Me is near.
Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who
has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!
Isaiah 50:9 Surely the Lord GOD helps Me. Who is
there to condemn Me? See, they will all wear out like a garment;
the moths will devour them.
Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and
obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness
and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him
lean on his God.
Isaiah 50:11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire,
who array yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of your
fire and of the firebrands you have lit! This is what you will
receive from My hand: You will lie down in a place of torment.
Isaiah 51:1 “Listen to Me, you who pursue
righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which
you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn.
Isaiah 51:2 Look to Abraham your father, and to
Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one; then
I blessed him and multiplied him.
Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD will comfort Zion and
will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her
wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD.
Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious
song.
Isaiah 51:4 Pay attention to Me, My people, and
listen to Me, My nation; for a law will go out from Me, and My
justice will become a light to the nations; I will bring it about
quickly.
Isaiah 51:5 My righteousness draws near, My
salvation is on the way, and My arms will bring justice to the
nations. The islands will look for Me and wait in hope for My arm.
Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth below; for the heavens will vanish like
smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its people will
die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My
righteousness will never fail.
Isaiah 51:7 Listen to Me, you who know what is
right, you people with My law in your hearts: Do not fear the
scorn of men; do not be broken by their insults.
Isaiah 51:8 For the moth will devour them like a
garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But My
righteousness will last forever, My salvation through all
generations.”
Isaiah 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm
of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old.
Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the
dragon?
Isaiah 51:10 Was it not You who dried up the
sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths
of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?
Isaiah 51:11 So the redeemed of the LORD will
return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy.
Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will
flee.
Isaiah 51:12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who
withers like grass?
Isaiah 51:13 But you have forgotten the LORD,
your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations
of the earth. You live in terror all day long because of the fury
of the oppressor who is bent on destruction. But where is the fury
of the oppressor?
Isaiah 51:14 The captive will soon be freed; he
will not die in the dungeon, and his bread will not be lacking.
Isaiah 51:15 For I am the LORD your God who
stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His
name.
Isaiah 51:16 I have put My words in your mouth,
and covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the
heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My
people.’”
Isaiah 51:17 Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury;
you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes
men stagger.
Isaiah 51:18 Among all the sons she bore, there
is no one to guide her; among all the sons she brought up, there
is no one to take her hand.
Isaiah 51:19 These pairs have befallen you:
devastation and destruction, famine and sword. Who will grieve for
you? Who can comfort you?
Isaiah 51:20 Your sons have fainted; they lie at
the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full
of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God.
Isaiah 51:21 Therefore now hear this, you
afflicted one, drunken, but not with wine.
Isaiah 51:22 Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even
your God, who defends His people: “See, I have removed from your
hand the cup of staggering. From that goblet, the cup of My fury,
you will never drink again.
Isaiah 51:23 I will place it in the hands of
your tormentors, who told you: ‘Lie down, so we can walk over
you,’ so that you made your back like the ground, like a street to
be traversed.”
Isaiah 52:1 Awake, awake, clothe yourself with
strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem,
holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter
you.
Isaiah 52:2 Shake off your dust! Rise up and sit
on your throne, O Jerusalem. Remove the chains from your neck, O
captive Daughter of Zion.
Isaiah 52:3 For this is what the LORD says: “You
were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”
Isaiah 52:4 For this is what the Lord GOD says:
“At first My people went down to Egypt to live, then Assyria
oppressed them without cause.
Isaiah 52:5 And now what have I here? declares
the LORD. For My people have been taken without cause; those who
rule them taunt, declares the LORD, and My name is blasphemed
continually all day long.
Isaiah 52:6 Therefore My people will know My
name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who
speaks. Here I am!”
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are
the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who
bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your
God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their
voices, together they shout for joy. For every eye will see when
the LORD returns to Zion.
Isaiah 52:9 Break forth in joy, sing together, O
ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; He has
redeemed Jerusalem.
Isaiah 52:10 The LORD has bared His holy arm in
the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.
Isaiah 52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there!
Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you
who carry the vessels of the LORD.
Isaiah 52:12 For you will not leave in a hurry
nor flee in haste, for the LORD goes before you, and the God of
Israel is your rear guard.
Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My Servant will prosper; He
will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Isaiah 52:14 Just as many were appalled at
Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His
form was marred beyond human likeness—
Isaiah 52:15 so He will sprinkle many nations.
Kings will shut their mouths because of Him. For they will see
what they have not been told, and they will understand what they
have not heard.
Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to
whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
Isaiah 53:2 He grew up before Him like a tender
shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form
or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men
hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely He took on our infirmities
and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God,
struck down and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are
healed.
Isaiah 53:6 We all like sheep have gone astray,
each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him
the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet
He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did
not open His mouth.
Isaiah 53:8 By oppression and judgment He was
taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut
off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the
transgression of My people.
Isaiah 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the
wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no
violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush
Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt
offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and
the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
Isaiah 53:11 After the anguish of His soul, He
will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My
righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their
iniquities.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will allot Him a
portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the
strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was
numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and
made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren woman, who
bears no children; break forth in song and cry aloud, you who have
never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate
woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the site of your tent,
stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not hold back.
Lengthen your ropes and drive your stakes in deep.
Isaiah 54:3 For you will spread out to the right
and left; your descendants will dispossess the nations and inhabit
the desolate cities.
Isaiah 54:4 Do not be afraid, for you will not
be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be
humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will
remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
Isaiah 54:5 For your husband is your Maker—the
LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
He is called the God of all the earth.
Isaiah 54:6 For the LORD has called you back,
like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, like the rejected wife
of one’s youth,” says your God.
Isaiah 54:7 “For a brief moment I forsook you,
but with great compassion I will bring you back.
Isaiah 54:8 In a surge of anger I hid My face
from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have
compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
Isaiah 54:9 “For to Me this is like the days of
Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover
the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or
rebuke you.
Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains may be removed
and the hills may be shaken, My loving devotion will not depart
from you, and My covenant of peace will not be broken,” says the
LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:11 “O afflicted city, lashed by
storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
Isaiah 54:12 I will make your pinnacles of
rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of
precious stones.
Isaiah 54:13 Then all your sons will be taught
by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.
Isaiah 54:14 In righteousness you will be
established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear.
Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you.
Isaiah 54:15 If anyone attacks you, it is not
from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you.
Isaiah 54:16 Behold, I have created the
craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit
for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall
prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This
is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication
is from Me,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come
to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come,
buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
Isaiah 55:2 Why spend money on that which is not
bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen
carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight
in the richest of foods.
Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear and come to Me;
listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an
everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.
Isaiah 55:4 Behold, I have made him a witness to
the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.
Isaiah 55:5 Surely you will summon a nation you
do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For
the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, has bestowed glory on
you.”
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found;
call on Him while He is near.
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked man forsake his own
way and the unrighteous man his own thoughts; let him return to
the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will
freely pardon.
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts
than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:10 For just as rain and snow fall from
heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud
and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,
Isaiah 55:11 so My word that proceeds from My
mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I
please, and it will prosper where I send it.
Isaiah 55:12 You will indeed go out with joy and
be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into
song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their
hands.
Isaiah 55:13 Instead of the thornbush, a cypress
will grow, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will spring up; they
will make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign, never to be
destroyed.”
Isaiah 56:1 This is what the LORD says:
“Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is coming
soon, and My righteousness will be revealed.
Isaiah 56:2 Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath
without profaning it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Isaiah 56:3 Let no foreigner who has joined
himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from
His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.”
Isaiah 56:4 For this is what the LORD says: “To
the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and
hold fast to My covenant—
Isaiah 56:5 I will give them, in My house and
within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons
and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not
be cut off.
Isaiah 56:6 And the foreigners who join
themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the
LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without
profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant—
Isaiah 56:7 I will bring them to My holy
mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt
offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My
house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”
Isaiah 56:8 Thus declares the Lord GOD, who
gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still
others besides those already gathered.”
Isaiah 56:9 Come, all you beasts of the field;
eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.
Isaiah 56:10 Israel’s watchmen are blind, they
are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they
are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
Isaiah 56:11 Like ravenous dogs, they are never
satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn
to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
Isaiah 56:12 “Come, let me get the wine, let us
imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far
better!”
Isaiah 57:1 The righteous perish, and no one
takes it to heart; devout men are swept away, while no one
considers that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil.
Isaiah 57:2 Those who walk uprightly enter into
peace; they find rest, lying down in death.
Isaiah 57:3 “But come here, you sons of a
sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
Isaiah 57:4 Whom are you mocking? At whom do you
snarl and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of
transgression, offspring of deceit,
Isaiah 57:5 who burn with lust among the oaks,
under every luxuriant tree, who slaughter your children in the
valleys, under the clefts of the rocks?
Isaiah 57:6 Your portion is among the smooth
stones of the valley; indeed, they are your lot. Even to them you
have poured out a drink offering and offered a grain offering.
Should I relent because of these?
Isaiah 57:7 On a high and lofty hill you have
made your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifices.
Isaiah 57:8 Behind the door and doorpost you
have set up your memorial. Forsaking Me, you uncovered your bed;
you climbed up and opened it wide. And you have made a pact with
those whose bed you have loved; you have gazed upon their
nakedness.
Isaiah 57:9 You went to Molech with oil and
multiplied your perfumes. You have sent your envoys a great
distance; you have descended even to Sheol itself.
Isaiah 57:10 You are wearied by your many
journeys, but you did not say, “There is no hope!” You found
renewal of your strength; therefore you did not grow weak.
Isaiah 57:11 Whom have you dreaded and feared,
so that you lied and failed to remember Me or take this to heart?
Is it not because I have long been silent that you do not fear Me?
Isaiah 57:12 I will expose your righteousness
and your works, and they will not profit you.
Isaiah 57:13 When you cry out, let your
companies of idols deliver you! Yet the wind will carry off all of
them, a breath will take them away. But he who seeks refuge in Me
will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.”
Isaiah 57:14 And it will be said, “Build it up,
build it up, prepare the way, take every obstacle out of the way
of My people.”
Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the One who is high
and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell
in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in
spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of
the contrite.
Isaiah 57:16 For I will not accuse you forever,
nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow
weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made.
Isaiah 57:17 I was enraged by his sinful greed,
so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back
to the desires of his heart.
Isaiah 57:18 I have seen his ways, but I will
heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his
mourners,
Isaiah 57:19 bringing praise to their lips.
Peace, peace to those far and near,” says the LORD, “and I will
heal them.”
Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the
storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up
mire and muck.
Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace,” says my God,
“for the wicked.”
Isaiah 58:1 “Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise
your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their
transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.
Isaiah 58:2 For day after day they seek Me and
delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and
does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for
righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”
Isaiah 58:3 “Why have we fasted, and You have
not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not
noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please,
and you oppress all your workers.
Isaiah 58:4 You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do
today and have your voice be heard on high.
Isaiah 58:5 Is this the fast I have chosen: a
day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to
spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a
day acceptable to the LORD?
Isaiah 58:6 Isn’t this the fast that I have
chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of
the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?
Isaiah 58:7 Isn’t it to share your bread with
the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to
clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your
own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:8 Then your light will break forth
like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your
righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will
be your rear guard.
Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD
will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If
you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger
and malicious talk,
Isaiah 58:10 and if you give yourself to the
hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go
forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.
Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will always guide you; He
will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters
never fail.
Isaiah 58:12 Your people will rebuild the
ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will
be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of
Dwelling.
Isaiah 58:13 If you turn your foot from breaking
the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call
the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you
honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or
speaking idle words,
Isaiah 58:14 then you will delight yourself in
the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and
feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of
the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not
too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have built
barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His
face from you, so that He does not hear.
Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are stained with
blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies,
and your tongue mutters injustice.
Isaiah 59:4 No one calls for justice; no one
pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell
lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
Isaiah 59:5 They hatch the eggs of vipers and
weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one
open, and a viper is hatched.
Isaiah 59:6 Their cobwebs cannot be made into
clothing, and they cannot cover themselves with their works. Their
deeds are sinful deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
Isaiah 59:7 Their feet run to evil; they are
swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;
ruin and destruction lie in their wake.
Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they have not
known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned
them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know
peace.
Isaiah 59:9 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there
is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
Isaiah 59:10 Like the blind, we feel our way
along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at
midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the
dead.
Isaiah 59:11 We all growl like bears and moan
like doves. We hope for justice, but find none, for salvation, but
it is far from us.
Isaiah 59:12 For our transgressions are
multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Our
transgressions are indeed with us, and we know our iniquities:
Isaiah 59:13 rebelling and denying the LORD,
turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
Isaiah 59:14 So justice is turned away, and
righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the
public square, and honesty cannot enter.
Isaiah 59:15 Truth is missing, and whoever turns
from evil becomes prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that
there was no justice.
Isaiah 59:16 He saw that there was no man; He
was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm
brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.
Isaiah 59:17 He put on righteousness like a
breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on
garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.
Isaiah 59:18 So He will repay according to their
deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and
recompense to the islands.
Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the
LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will
come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.
Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to
those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 59:21 “As for Me, this is My covenant
with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you,
and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from
your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren,
from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has
come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:2 For behold, darkness covers the
earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will
rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.
Isaiah 60:3 Nations will come to your light, and
kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Isaiah 60:4 Lift up your eyes and look around:
They all gather and come to you; your sons will come from afar,
and your daughters will be carried on the arm.
Isaiah 60:5 Then you will look and be radiant,
and your heart will tremble and swell with joy, because the riches
of the sea will be brought to you, and the wealth of the nations
will come to you.
Isaiah 60:6 Caravans of camels will cover your
land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will
come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of
the LORD.
Isaiah 60:7 All the flocks of Kedar will be
gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on
My altar with acceptance; I will adorn My glorious house.
Isaiah 60:8 Who are these who fly like clouds,
like doves to their shelters?
Isaiah 60:9 Surely the islands will wait for Me,
with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children
from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD
your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.
Isaiah 60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in anger,
yet in favor I will show you mercy.
Isaiah 60:11 Your gates will always stand open;
they will never be shut, day or night, so that the wealth of the
nations may be brought into you, with their kings being led in
procession.
Isaiah 60:12 For the nation or kingdom that will
not serve you will perish; it will be utterly destroyed.
Isaiah 60:13 The glory of Lebanon will come to
you—its cypress, elm, and boxwood together—to adorn the place of
My sanctuary, and I will glorify the place of My feet.
Isaiah 60:14 The sons of your oppressors will
come and bow down to you; all who reviled you will fall facedown
at your feet and call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy
One of Israel.
Isaiah 60:15 Whereas you have been forsaken and
despised, with no one passing through, I will make you an
everlasting pride, a joy from age to age.
Isaiah 60:16 You will drink the milk of nations
and nurse at the breasts of royalty; you will know that I, the
LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
Isaiah 60:17 Instead of bronze I will bring you
gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of
wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your
governor and righteousness as your ruler.
Isaiah 60:18 No longer will violence be heard in
your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you
will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
Isaiah 60:19 No longer will the sun be your
light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be
your splendor.
Isaiah 60:20 Your sun will no longer set, and
your moon will not wane; for the LORD will be your everlasting
light, and the days of your sorrow will cease.
Isaiah 60:21 Then all your people will be
righteous; they will possess the land forever; they are the branch
of My planting, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified.
Isaiah 60:22 The least of you will become a
thousand, and the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its
time I will accomplish it quickly.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me,
because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
Isaiah 61:2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s
favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who
mourn,
Isaiah 61:3 to console the mourners in Zion—to
give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they
will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the
ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
Isaiah 61:5 Strangers will stand and feed your
flocks, and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.
Isaiah 61:6 But you will be called the priests
of the LORD; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you
will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their
riches.
Isaiah 61:7 Instead of shame, My people will
have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will
rejoice in their share; and so they will inherit a double portion
in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
Isaiah 61:8 For I, the LORD, love justice; I
hate robbery and iniquity; in My faithfulness I will give them
their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Isaiah 61:9 Their descendants will be known
among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All who
see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has
blessed.
Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments
of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself
with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:11 For as the earth brings forth its
growth, and as a garden enables seed to spring up, so the Lord GOD
will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the
nations.
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep
silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep still, until her
righteousness shines like a bright light, her salvation like a
blazing torch.
Isaiah 62:2 Nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that
the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
Isaiah 62:3 You will be a crown of glory in the
hand of the LORD, a royal diadem in the palm of your God.
Isaiah 62:4 No longer will you be called
Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called
Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in
you, and your land will be His bride.
Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man marries a young
woman, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices
over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
Isaiah 62:6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have
posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who
call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves,
Isaiah 62:7 nor give Him any rest until He
establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
Isaiah 62:8 The LORD has sworn by His right hand
and by His mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain to your
enemies for food, nor will foreigners drink the new wine for which
you have toiled.
Isaiah 62:9 For those who harvest grain will eat
it and praise the LORD, and those who gather grapes will drink the
wine in My holy courts.”
Isaiah 62:10 Go out, go out through the gates;
prepare the way for the people! Build it up, build up the highway;
clear away the stones; raise a banner for the nations!
Isaiah 62:11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to
the ends of the earth, “Say to Daughter Zion: See, your Savior
comes! Look, His reward is with Him, and His recompense goes
before Him.”
Isaiah 62:12 And they will be called the Holy
People, the Redeemed of The LORD; and you will be called Sought
Out, A City Not Forsaken.
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from
Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in
splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I,
proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”
Isaiah 63:2 Why are Your clothes red, and Your
garments like one who treads the winepress?
Isaiah 63:3 “I have trodden the winepress alone,
and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My
anger and trod them down in My fury; their blood spattered My
garments, and all My clothes were stained.
Isaiah 63:4 For the day of vengeance was in My
heart, and the year of My redemption had come.
Isaiah 63:5 I looked, but there was no one to
help; I was appalled that no one assisted. So My arm brought Me
salvation, and My own wrath upheld Me.
Isaiah 63:6 I trampled the nations in My anger;
in My wrath I made them drunk and poured out their blood on the
ground.”
Isaiah 63:7 I will make known the LORD’s loving
devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD
has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel
according to His great compassion and loving devotion.
Isaiah 63:8 For He said, “They are surely My
people, sons who will not be disloyal.” So He became their Savior.
Isaiah 63:9 In all their distress, He too was
afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love
and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried
them all the days of old.
Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled and grieved His
Holy Spirit. So He turned and became their enemy, and He Himself
fought against them.
Isaiah 63:11 Then His people remembered the days
of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through
the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set
His Holy Spirit among them,
Isaiah 63:12 who sent His glorious arm to lead
them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before
them to gain for Himself everlasting renown,
Isaiah 63:13 who led them through the depths
like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?
Isaiah 63:14 Like cattle going down to the
valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. You led Your people
this way to make for Yourself a glorious name.
Isaiah 63:15 Look down from heaven and see, from
Your holy and glorious habitation. Where are Your zeal and might?
Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained.
Isaiah 63:16 Yet You are our Father, though
Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You,
O LORD, are our Father; our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your
name.
Isaiah 63:17 Why, O LORD, do You make us stray
from Your ways and harden our hearts from fearing You? Return, for
the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
Isaiah 63:18 For a short while Your people
possessed Your holy place, but our enemies have trampled Your
sanctuary.
Isaiah 63:19 We have become like those You never
ruled, like those not called by Your name.
Isaiah 64:1 If only You would rend the heavens
and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
Isaiah 64:2 as fire kindles the brushwood and
causes the water to boil, to make Your name known to Your enemies,
so that the nations will tremble at Your presence!
Isaiah 64:3 When You did awesome works that we
did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your
presence.
Isaiah 64:4 From ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who
acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
Isaiah 64:5 You welcome those who gladly do
right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we
sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?
Isaiah 64:6 Each of us has become like something
unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all
wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the
wind.
Isaiah 64:7 No one calls on Your name or strives
to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and
delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father;
we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of
Your hand.
Isaiah 64:9 Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond
measure; do not remember our iniquity forever. Oh, look upon us,
we pray; we are all Your people!
Isaiah 64:10 Your holy cities have become a
wilderness. Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a
desolation.
Isaiah 64:11 Our holy and beautiful temple,
where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all
that was dear to us lies in ruins.
Isaiah 64:12 After all this, O LORD, will You
restrain Yourself? Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond
measure?
Isaiah 65:1 “I revealed Myself to those who did
not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a
nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
Isaiah 65:2 All day long I have held out My
hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who
follow their own imaginations,
Isaiah 65:3 to a people who continually provoke
Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on
altars of brick,
Isaiah 65:4 sitting among the graves, spending
nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted
broth from their bowls.
Isaiah 65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not
come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in
My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
Isaiah 65:6 Behold, it is written before Me: I
will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into
their laps,
Isaiah 65:7 both for your iniquities and for
those of your fathers,” says the LORD. “Because they burned
incense on the mountains and scorned Me on the hills, I will
measure into their laps full payment for their former deeds.”
Isaiah 65:8 This is what the LORD says: “As the
new wine is found in a cluster of grapes, and men say, ‘Do not
destroy it, for it contains a blessing,’ so I will act on behalf
of My servants; I will not destroy them all.
Isaiah 65:9 And I will bring forth descendants
from Jacob, and heirs from Judah; My elect will possess My
mountains, and My servants will dwell there.
Isaiah 65:10 Sharon will become a pasture for
flocks, and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds, for My
people who seek Me.
Isaiah 65:11 But you who forsake the LORD, who
forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill
bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,
Isaiah 65:12 I will destine you for the sword,
and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called
and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen; you did
evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”
Isaiah 65:13 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants
will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but
you will be put to shame.
Isaiah 65:14 My servants will shout for joy with
a glad heart, but you will cry out with a heavy heart and wail
with a broken spirit.
Isaiah 65:15 You will leave behind your name as
a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to
His servants He will give another name.
Isaiah 65:16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the
land will do so by the God of truth, and whoever takes an oath in
the land will swear by the God of truth. For the former troubles
will be forgotten and hidden from My sight.
Isaiah 65:17 For behold, I will create new
heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
Isaiah 65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in
what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its
people to be a delight.
Isaiah 65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and
take delight in My people. The sounds of weeping and crying will
no longer be heard in her.
Isaiah 65:20 No longer will a nursing infant
live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For
the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a
hundred will be considered accursed.
Isaiah 65:21 They will build houses and dwell in
them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Isaiah 65:22 No longer will they build houses
for others to inhabit, nor plant for others to eat. For as is the
lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My
chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands.
Isaiah 65:23 They will not labor in vain or bear
children doomed to disaster; for they will be a people blessed by
the LORD—they and their descendants with them.
Isaiah 65:24 Even before they call, I will
answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will feed
together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the food of
the serpent will be dust. They will neither harm nor destroy on
all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 66:1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven
is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will
you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
Isaiah 66:2 Has not My hand made all these
things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is
the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
who trembles at My word.
Isaiah 66:3 Whoever slaughters an ox is like one
who slays a man; whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks
a dog’s neck; whoever presents a grain offering is like one who
offers pig’s blood; whoever offers frankincense is like one who
blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways and
delighted in their abominations.
Isaiah 66:4 So I will choose their punishment
and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one
answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My
sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”
Isaiah 66:5 You who tremble at His word, hear
the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you
because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we
may see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame.”
Isaiah 66:6 Hear the uproar from the city;
listen to the voice from the temple! It is the voice of the LORD,
repaying His enemies what they deserve!
Isaiah 66:7 “Before she was in labor, she gave
birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy.
Isaiah 66:8 Who has heard of such as this? Who
has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation
be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she
gave birth to her children.
Isaiah 66:9 Shall I bring a baby to the point of
birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver
close the womb?” says your God.
Isaiah 66:10 Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice
over her, all who love her. Rejoice greatly with her, all who
mourn over her,
Isaiah 66:11 so that you may nurse and be
satisfied at her comforting breasts; you may drink deeply and
delight yourselves in her glorious abundance.
Isaiah 66:12 For this is what the LORD says: “I
will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations
like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm,
and bounced upon her knees.
Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her son, so
will I comfort you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 66:14 When you see, you will rejoice, and
you will flourish like grass; then the hand of the LORD will be
revealed to His servants, but His wrath will be shown to His
enemies.
Isaiah 66:15 For behold, the LORD will come with
fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with
fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.
Isaiah 66:16 For by fire and by His sword, the
LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by
the LORD.
Isaiah 66:17 “Those who consecrate and purify
themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of
those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish
together,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 66:18 “And I, knowing their deeds and
thoughts, am coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they
will come and see My glory.
Isaiah 66:19 I will establish a sign among them,
and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to
Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the
islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.
So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.
Isaiah 66:20 And they will bring all your
brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and
chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain
Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an
offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”
Isaiah 66:21 “And I will select some of them as
priests and Levites,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 66:22 “For just as the new heavens and
the new earth, which I will make, will endure before Me,” declares
the LORD, “so your descendants and your name will endure.
Isaiah 66:23 From one New Moon to another and
from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come to worship
before Me,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 66:24 “As they go forth, they will see
the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their
worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they
will be a horror to all mankind.”
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 1:1 These are the words of Jeremiah son
of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of
Benjamin.
Jeremiah 1:2 The word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon
king of Judah,
Jeremiah 1:3 and through the days of Jehoiakim
son of Josiah king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh
year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of
Jerusalem went into exile.
Jeremiah 1:4 The word of the LORD came to me,
saying:
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed
you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:6 “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I surely
do not know how to speak, for I am only a child!”
Jeremiah 1:7 But the LORD told me: “Do not say,
‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and
all that I command you, you must speak.
Jeremiah 1:8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am
with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 1:9 Then the LORD reached out His hand,
touched my mouth, and said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in
your mouth.
Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have appointed you today
over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and
overthrow, to build and plant.”
Jeremiah 1:11 And the word of the LORD came to
me, asking, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” “I see a branch of an
almond tree,” I replied.
Jeremiah 1:12 “You have observed correctly,”
said the LORD, “for I am watching over My word to accomplish it.”
Jeremiah 1:13 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, asking, “What do you see?” “I see a boiling pot,” I replied,
“and it is tilting toward us from the north.”
Jeremiah 1:14 Then the LORD said to me,
“Disaster from the north will be poured out on all who live in the
land.
Jeremiah 1:15 For I am about to summon all the
clans and kingdoms of the north,” declares the LORD. “Their kings
will come and set up their thrones at the entrance of the gates of
Jerusalem. They will attack all her surrounding walls and all the
other cities of Judah.
Jeremiah 1:16 I will pronounce My judgments
against them for all their wickedness, because they have forsaken
Me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their
own hands.
Jeremiah 1:17 Get yourself ready. Stand up and
tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by
them, or I will terrify you before them.
Jeremiah 1:18 Now behold, this day I have made
you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls
against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials,
its priests, and the people of the land.
Jeremiah 1:19 They will fight against you but
will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 2:1 Now the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Jeremiah 2:2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of
Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘I remember the
devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me
in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Jeremiah 2:3 Israel was holy to the LORD, the
firstfruits of His harvest. All who devoured her found themselves
guilty; disaster came upon them,’” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 2:4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house
of Jacob, and all you families of the house of Israel.
Jeremiah 2:5 This is what the LORD says: “What
fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from
Me, and followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?
Jeremiah 2:6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the
LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through
the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of
drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one
lives?’
Jeremiah 2:7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and bounty, but you came and defiled My land, and
made My inheritance detestable.
Jeremiah 2:8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is
the LORD?’ The experts in the law no longer knew Me, and the
leaders rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and
followed useless idols.
Jeremiah 2:9 Therefore, I will contend with you
again, declares the LORD, and I will bring a case against your
children’s children.
Jeremiah 2:10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus
and take a look; send to Kedar and consider carefully; see if
there has ever been anything like this:
Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its
gods, though they are no gods at all? Yet My people have exchanged
their Glory for useless idols.
Jeremiah 2:12 Be stunned by this, O heavens; be
shocked and utterly appalled,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two
evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and
they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold
water.
Jeremiah 2:14 Is Israel a slave? Was he born
into slavery? Why then has he become prey?
Jeremiah 2:15 The young lions have roared at
him; they have growled with a loud voice. They have laid waste his
land; his cities lie in ruins, without inhabitant.
Jeremiah 2:16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have shaved the crown of your head.
Jeremiah 2:17 Have you not brought this on
yourself by forsaking the LORD your God when He led you in the
way?
Jeremiah 2:18 Now what will you gain on your way
to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on
your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
Jeremiah 2:19 Your own evil will discipline you;
your own apostasies will reprimand you. Consider and realize how
evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the LORD your God and to
have no fear of Me,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.
Jeremiah 2:20 “For long ago you broke your yoke
and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on
every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a
prostitute.
Jeremiah 2:21 I had planted you like a choice
vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before
Me into a rotten, wild vine?
Jeremiah 2:22 Although you wash with lye and use
an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,”
declares the Lord GOD.
Jeremiah 2:23 “How can you say, ‘I am not
defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? Look at your behavior in
the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young
she-camel galloping here and there,
Jeremiah 2:24 a wild donkey at home in the
wilderness, sniffing the wind in the heat of her desire. Who can
restrain her passion? All who seek her need not weary themselves;
in mating season they will find her.
Jeremiah 2:25 You should have kept your feet
from going bare and your throat from being thirsty. But you said,
‘It is hopeless! For I love foreign gods, and I must go after
them.’
Jeremiah 2:26 As the thief is ashamed when he is
caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced. They, their kings,
their officials, their priests, and their prophets
Jeremiah 2:27 say to a tree, ‘You are my
father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned
their backs to Me and not their faces, yet in the time of trouble
they beg, ‘Rise up and save us!’
Jeremiah 2:28 But where are the gods you made
for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save
you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O
Judah.
Jeremiah 2:29 Why do you bring a case against
Me? You have all rebelled against Me,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 2:30 “I have struck your sons in vain;
they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your
prophets like a voracious lion.”
Jeremiah 2:31 You people of this generation,
consider the word of the LORD: “Have I been a wilderness to Israel
or a land of dense darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are free to
roam; we will come to You no more’?
Jeremiah 2:32 Does a maiden forget her jewelry
or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for
days without number.
Jeremiah 2:33 How skillfully you pursue love!
Even the most immoral of women could learn from your ways.
Jeremiah 2:34 Moreover, your skirts are stained
with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them
breaking in. But in spite of all these things
Jeremiah 2:35 you say, ‘I am innocent. Surely
His anger will turn from me.’ Behold, I will judge you, because
you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
Jeremiah 2:36 How unstable you are, constantly
changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you
were by Assyria.
Jeremiah 2:37 Moreover, you will leave that
place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected
those you trust; you will not prosper by their help.”
Jeremiah 3:1 “If a man divorces his wife and she
leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not
such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot
with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:2 “Lift up your eyes to the barren
heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been
violated? You sat beside the highways waiting for your lovers,
like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your
prostitution and wickedness.
Jeremiah 3:3 Therefore the showers have been
withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen
look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 3:4 Have you not just called to Me, ‘My
Father, You are my friend from youth.
Jeremiah 3:5 Will He be angry forever? Will He
be indignant to the end?’ This you have spoken, but you keep doing
all the evil you can.”
Jeremiah 3:6 Now in the days of King Josiah, the
LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done?
She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to
prostitute herself there.
Jeremiah 3:7 I thought that after she had done
all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return,
and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.
Jeremiah 3:8 She saw that because faithless
Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce
and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear
and prostituted herself as well.
Jeremiah 3:9 Indifferent to her own infidelity,
Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and
trees.
Jeremiah 3:10 Yet in spite of all this, her
unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart,
but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:11 And the LORD said to me,
“Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than unfaithful
Judah.
Jeremiah 3:12 Go, proclaim this message toward
the north: ‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I
will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,’
declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry forever.
Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge your guilt, that
you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered
your favors to foreign gods under every green tree and have not
obeyed My voice,’” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, O faithless children,”
declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one
from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion.
Jeremiah 3:15 Then I will give you shepherds
after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and
understanding.”
Jeremiah 3:16 “In those days, when you multiply
and increase in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer
discuss the ark of the covenant of the LORD. It will never come to
mind, and no one will remember it or miss it, nor will another one
be made.
Jeremiah 3:17 At that time Jerusalem will be
called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be
gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no
longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.
Jeremiah 3:18 In those days the house of Judah
will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together
from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers
as an inheritance.
Jeremiah 3:19 Then I said, ‘How I long to make
you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful
inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me
‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.
Jeremiah 3:20 But as a woman may betray her
husband, so you have betrayed Me, O house of Israel,” declares the
LORD.
Jeremiah 3:21 A voice is heard on the barren
heights, the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy,
because they have perverted their ways and forgotten the LORD
their God.
Jeremiah 3:22 “Return, O faithless children, and
I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for
You are the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 3:23 Surely deception comes from the
hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of
Israel is in the LORD our God.
Jeremiah 3:24 From our youth, that shameful god
has consumed what our fathers have worked for—their flocks and
herds, their sons and daughters.
Jeremiah 3:25 Let us lie down in our shame; let
our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God,
both we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have
not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”
Jeremiah 4:1 “If you will return, O Israel,
return to Me,” declares the LORD. “If you will remove your
detestable idols from My sight and no longer waver,
Jeremiah 4:2 and if you can swear, ‘As surely as
the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then
the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
Jeremiah 4:3 For this is what the LORD says to
the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground,
and do not sow among the thorns.
Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
and remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and people
of Jerusalem. Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire and
burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your evil deeds.”
Jeremiah 4:5 Announce in Judah, proclaim in
Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land. Cry
aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves and let us flee to the
fortified cities.’
Jeremiah 4:6 Raise a signal flag toward Zion.
Seek refuge! Do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the
north, and terrible destruction.
Jeremiah 4:7 A lion has gone up from his
thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his
lair to lay waste your land. Your cities will be reduced to ruins
and lie uninhabited.
Jeremiah 4:8 So put on sackcloth, mourn and
wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from
us.”
Jeremiah 4:9 “In that day,” declares the LORD,
“the king and officials will lose their courage. The priests will
tremble in fear, and the prophets will be astounded.”
Jeremiah 4:10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how
completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying,
‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”
Jeremiah 4:11 At that time it will be said to
this people and to Jerusalem, “A searing wind from the barren
heights in the desert blows toward the daughter of My people, but
not to winnow or to sift;
Jeremiah 4:12 a wind too strong for that comes
from Me. Now I also pronounce judgments against them.”
Jeremiah 4:13 Behold, he advances like the
clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter
than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
Jeremiah 4:14 Wash the evil from your heart, O
Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor
wicked thoughts within you?
Jeremiah 4:15 For a voice resounds from Dan,
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.
Jeremiah 4:16 Warn the nations now! Proclaim to
Jerusalem: “A besieging army comes from a distant land; they raise
their voices against the cities of Judah.
Jeremiah 4:17 They surround her like men
guarding a field, because she has rebelled against Me,” declares
the LORD.
Jeremiah 4:18 “Your ways and deeds have brought
this upon you. This is your punishment; how bitter it is, because
it pierces to the heart!”
Jeremiah 4:19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe
in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I
cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the
alarm of battle.
Jeremiah 4:20 Disaster after disaster is
proclaimed, for the whole land is laid waste. My tents are
destroyed in an instant, my curtains in a moment.
Jeremiah 4:21 How long must I see the signal
flag and hear the sound of the horn?
Jeremiah 4:22 “For My people are fools; they
have not known Me. They are foolish children, without
understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not
how to do good.”
Jeremiah 4:23 I looked at the earth, and it was
formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light.
Jeremiah 4:24 I looked at the mountains, and
behold, they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.
Jeremiah 4:25 I looked, and no man was left; all
the birds of the air had fled.
Jeremiah 4:26 I looked, and the fruitful land
was a desert. All its cities were torn down before the LORD,
before His fierce anger.
Jeremiah 4:27 For this is what the LORD says:
“The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its
destruction.
Jeremiah 4:28 Therefore the earth will mourn and
the heavens above will grow dark. I have spoken, I have planned,
and I will not relent or turn back.”
Jeremiah 4:29 Every city flees at the sound of
the horseman and archer. They enter the thickets and climb among
the rocks. Every city is abandoned; no inhabitant is left.
Jeremiah 4:30 And you, O devastated one, what
will you do, though you dress yourself in scarlet, though you
adorn yourself with gold jewelry, though you enlarge your eyes
with paint? You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers despise you;
they want to take your life.
Jeremiah 4:31 For I hear a cry like a woman in
labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child—the cry
of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her
hands to say, “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the
murderers!”
Jeremiah 5:1 “Go up and down the streets of
Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can
find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the
truth, then I will forgive the city.
Jeremiah 5:2 Although they say, ‘As surely as
the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
Jeremiah 5:3 O LORD, do not Your eyes look for
truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them
off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their
faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
Jeremiah 5:4 Then I said, “They are only the
poor; they have played the fool, for they do not know the way of
the LORD, the justice of their God.
Jeremiah 5:5 I will go to the powerful and speak
to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of
their God.” But they too, with one accord, had broken the yoke and
torn off the chains.
Jeremiah 5:6 Therefore a lion from the forest
will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A
leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who
ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are
many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.
Jeremiah 5:7 “Why should I forgive you? Your
children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I
satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled
at the houses of prostitutes.
Jeremiah 5:8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
Jeremiah 5:9 Should I not punish them for these
things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a
nation as this?
Jeremiah 5:10 Go up through her vineyards and
ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches,
for they do not belong to the LORD.
Jeremiah 5:11 For the house of Israel and the
house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,” declares the
LORD.
Jeremiah 5:12 They have lied about the LORD and
said: “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us; we will
not see sword or famine.
Jeremiah 5:13 The prophets are but wind, for the
word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.”
Jeremiah 5:14 Therefore this is what the LORD
God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make
My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it
consumes.
Jeremiah 5:15 Behold, I am bringing a distant
nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is
an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language
you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.
Jeremiah 5:16 Their quivers are like open
graves; they are all mighty men.
Jeremiah 5:17 They will devour your harvest and
food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up
your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees.
With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you
trust.”
Jeremiah 5:18 “Yet even in those days,” declares
the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.
Jeremiah 5:19 And when the people ask, ‘For what
offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ You are
to tell them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign
gods in your land, so will you serve foreigners in a land that is
not your own.’”
Jeremiah 5:20 Declare this in the house of Jacob
and proclaim it in Judah:
Jeremiah 5:21 “Hear this, O foolish and
senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but
do not hear.
Jeremiah 5:22 Do you not fear Me?” declares the
LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as
the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The
waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross
it.
Jeremiah 5:23 But these people have stubborn and
rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
Jeremiah 5:24 They have not said in their
hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both
autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks
of harvest.’
Jeremiah 5:25 Your iniquities have diverted
these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.
Jeremiah 5:26 For among My people are wicked
men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to
catch men.
Jeremiah 5:27 Like cages full of birds, so their
houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and
rich.
Jeremiah 5:28 They have grown fat and sleek, and
have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up
the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have
they defended the rights of the needy.
Jeremiah 5:29 Should I not punish them for these
things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a
nation as this?
Jeremiah 5:30 A horrible and shocking thing has
happened in the land.
Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and
the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but
what will you do in the end?
Jeremiah 6:1 “Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin;
flee from Jerusalem! Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa; send up a
signal over Beth-haccherem, for disaster looms from the north,
even great destruction.
Jeremiah 6:2 Though she is beautiful and
delicate, I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.
Jeremiah 6:3 Shepherds and their flocks will
come against her; they will pitch their tents all around her, each
tending his own portion:
Jeremiah 6:4 ‘Prepare for battle against her;
rise up, let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the daylight is
fading; the evening shadows grow long.
Jeremiah 6:5 Rise up, let us attack by night and
destroy her fortresses!’”
Jeremiah 6:6 For this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against
Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but
oppression in her midst.
Jeremiah 6:7 As a well gushes its water, so she
pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her;
sickness and wounds are ever before Me.
Jeremiah 6:8 Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I
will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land
without inhabitant.”
Jeremiah 6:9 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Glean the remnant of Israel as thoroughly as a vine. Pass
your hand once more like a grape gatherer over the branches.”
Jeremiah 6:10 To whom can I give this warning?
Who will listen to me? Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot
hear. See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them; they
find no pleasure in it.
Jeremiah 6:11 But I am full of the LORD’s wrath;
I am tired of holding it back. “Pour it out on the children in the
street, and on the young men gathered together. For both husband
and wife will be captured, the old and the very old alike.
Jeremiah 6:12 Their houses will be turned over
to others, their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out
My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:13 “For from the least of them to the
greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all
practice deceit.
Jeremiah 6:14 They dress the wound of My people
with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no
peace at all.
Jeremiah 6:15 Are they ashamed of the
abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the
fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the LORD says: “Stand
at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is
the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your
souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’
Jeremiah 6:17 I appointed watchmen over you and
said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’ But they answered,
‘We will not listen!’
Jeremiah 6:18 Therefore hear, O nations, and
learn, O congregations, what will happen to them.
Jeremiah 6:19 Hear, O earth! I am bringing
disaster on this people, the fruit of their own schemes, because
they have paid no attention to My word and have rejected My
instruction.
Jeremiah 6:20 What use to Me is frankincense
from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings
are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”
Jeremiah 6:21 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: “I will lay stumbling blocks before this people; fathers and
sons alike will be staggered; friends and neighbors will perish.”
Jeremiah 6:22 This is what the LORD says:
“Behold, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great
nation is stirred up from the ends of the earth.
Jeremiah 6:23 They grasp the bow and spear; they
are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they
ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O
Daughter of Zion.”
Jeremiah 6:24 We have heard the report; our
hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman
in labor.
Jeremiah 6:25 Do not go out to the fields; do
not walk the road. For the enemy has a sword; terror is on every
side.
Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, dress
yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter
wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
Jeremiah 6:27 “I have appointed you to examine
My people like ore, so you may know and try their ways.
Jeremiah 6:28 All are hardened rebels, walking
around as slanderers. They are bronze and iron; all of them are
corrupt.
Jeremiah 6:29 The bellows blow fiercely,
blasting away the lead with fire. The refining proceeds in vain,
for the wicked are not purged.
Jeremiah 6:30 They are called rejected silver,
because the LORD has rejected them.”
Jeremiah 7:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah 7:2 “Stand in the gate of the house of
the LORD and proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all
you people of Judah who enter through these gates to worship the
LORD.
Jeremiah 7:3 Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the
God of Israel: Correct your ways and deeds, and I will let you
live in this place.
Jeremiah 7:4 Do not trust in deceptive words,
chanting: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD,
the temple of the LORD.’
Jeremiah 7:5 For if you really correct your ways
and deeds, if you act justly toward one another,
Jeremiah 7:6 if you no longer oppress the
foreigner and the fatherless and the widow, and if you no longer
shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods to your own
harm,
Jeremiah 7:7 then I will let you live in this
place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
Jeremiah 7:8 But look, you keep trusting in
deceptive words to no avail.
Jeremiah 7:9 Will you steal and murder, commit
adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods
that you have not known,
Jeremiah 7:10 and then come and stand before Me
in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so
we can continue with all these abominations’?
Jeremiah 7:11 Has this house, which bears My
Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen
it, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 7:12 But go now to the place in Shiloh
where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to
it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
Jeremiah 7:13 And now, because you have done all
these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you
again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you
but you would not answer,
Jeremiah 7:14 therefore what I did to Shiloh I
will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which
you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.
Jeremiah 7:15 And I will cast you out of My
presence, just as I have cast out all your brothers, all the
descendants of Ephraim.
Jeremiah 7:16 As for you, do not pray for these
people, do not offer a plea or petition on their behalf, and do
not beg Me, for I will not listen to you.
Jeremiah 7:17 Do you not see what they are doing
in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Jeremiah 7:18 The sons gather wood, the fathers
light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for
the Queen of Heaven; they pour out drink offerings to other gods
to provoke Me to anger.
Jeremiah 7:19 But am I the One they are
provoking? declares the LORD. Is it not themselves they spite, to
their own shame?
Jeremiah 7:20 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this
place, on man and beast, on the trees of the field and the produce
of the land, and it will burn and not be extinguished.
Jeremiah 7:21 This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: Add your burnt offerings to your other
sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves!
Jeremiah 7:22 For when I brought your fathers
out of the land of Egypt, I did not merely command them about
burnt offerings and sacrifices,
Jeremiah 7:23 but this is what I commanded them:
Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You
must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go
well with you.
Jeremiah 7:24 Yet they did not listen or incline
their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their
own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.
Jeremiah 7:25 From the day your fathers came out
of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My
servants the prophets again and again.
Jeremiah 7:26 Yet they would not listen to Me or
incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and did more
evil than their fathers.
Jeremiah 7:27 When you tell them all these
things, they will not listen to you. When you call to them, they
will not answer.
Jeremiah 7:28 Therefore you must say to them,
‘This is the nation that would not listen to the voice of the LORD
their God and would not receive correction. Truth has perished; it
has disappeared from their lips.
Jeremiah 7:29 Cut off your hair and throw it
away. Raise up a lamentation on the barren heights, for the LORD
has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’
Jeremiah 7:30 For the people of Judah have done
evil in My sight, declares the LORD. They have set up their
abominations in the house that bears My Name, and so have defiled
it.
Jeremiah 7:31 They have built the high places of
Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom so they could burn their sons and
daughters in the fire—something I never commanded, nor did it even
enter My mind.
Jeremiah 7:32 So behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called
Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. For
they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.
Jeremiah 7:33 The corpses of this people will
become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth,
and there will be no one to scare them away.
Jeremiah 7:34 I will remove from the cities of
Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sounds of joy and gladness
and the voices of the bride and bridegroom, for the land will
become a wasteland.”
Jeremiah 8:1 “At that time,” declares the LORD,
“the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the
bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of
the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.
Jeremiah 8:2 They will be exposed to the sun and
moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served,
followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be
gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the
ground.
Jeremiah 8:3 And wherever I have banished them,
the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
Jeremiah 8:4 So you are to tell them this is
what the LORD says: “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one
turn away and not return?
Jeremiah 8:5 Why then have these people turned
away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit;
they refuse to return.
Jeremiah 8:6 I have listened and heard; they do
not speak what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, asking,
‘What have I done?’ Everyone has pursued his own course like a
horse charging into battle.
Jeremiah 8:7 Even the stork in the sky knows her
appointed seasons. The turtledove, the swift, and the thrush keep
their time of migration, but My people do not know the
requirements of the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:8 How can you say, ‘We are wise, and
the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the
scribes has produced a deception?
Jeremiah 8:9 The wise will be put to shame; they
will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of
the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?
Jeremiah 8:10 Therefore I will give their wives
to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of
them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to
priest, all practice deceit.
Jeremiah 8:11 They dress the wound of the
daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace,
peace,’ when there is no peace at all.
Jeremiah 8:12 Are they ashamed of the
abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the
fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse, says the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:13 I will take away their harvest,
declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs
on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given
them will be lost to them.”
Jeremiah 8:14 Why are we just sitting here?
Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish
there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us
poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:15 We hoped for peace, but no good
has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.
Jeremiah 8:16 The snorting of enemy horses is
heard from Dan. At the sound of the neighing of mighty steeds, the
whole land quakes. They come to devour the land and everything in
it, the city and all who dwell in it.
Jeremiah 8:17 “For behold, I will send snakes
among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 8:18 My sorrow is beyond healing; my
heart is faint within me.
Jeremiah 8:19 Listen to the cry of the daughter
of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD no longer in Zion?
Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger
with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?”
Jeremiah 8:20 “The harvest has passed, the
summer has ended, but we have not been saved.”
Jeremiah 8:21 For the brokenness of the daughter
of my people I am crushed. I mourn; horror has gripped me.
Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no
physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my
people not been restored?
Jeremiah 9:1 Oh, that my head were a spring of
water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night
over the slain daughter of my people.
Jeremiah 9:2 If only I had a traveler’s lodge in
the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them,
for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.
Jeremiah 9:3 “They bend their tongues like bows;
lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to
evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:4 “Let everyone guard against his
neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals
craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
Jeremiah 9:5 Each one betrays his friend; no one
tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear
themselves out committing iniquity.
Jeremiah 9:6 You dwell in the midst of
deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the
LORD.
Jeremiah 9:7 Therefore this is what the LORD of
Hosts says: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what
else can I do because of the daughter of My people?
Jeremiah 9:8 Their tongues are deadly arrows;
they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his
neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
Jeremiah 9:9 Should I not punish them for these
things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a
nation as this?”
Jeremiah 9:10 I will take up a weeping and
wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture,
for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the
lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the
beasts have fled; they have gone away.
Jeremiah 9:11 “And I will make Jerusalem a heap
of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of
Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
Jeremiah 9:12 Who is the man wise enough to
understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he
may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a
desert, so no one can pass through it?
Jeremiah 9:13 And the LORD answered, “It is
because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them; they
have not walked in it or obeyed My voice.
Jeremiah 9:14 Instead, they have followed the
stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their
fathers taught them.”
Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people
wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.
Jeremiah 9:16 I will scatter them among the
nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will
send a sword after them until I have finished them off.”
Jeremiah 9:17 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most
skillful among them.
Jeremiah 9:18 Let them come quickly and take up
a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our
eyelids may gush with water.
Jeremiah 9:19 For the sound of wailing is heard
from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we
have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn
down.’”
Jeremiah 9:20 Now, O women, hear the word of the
LORD. Open your ears to the word of His mouth. Teach your
daughters to wail, and one another to lament.
Jeremiah 9:21 For death has climbed in through
our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children
from the streets, the young men from the town squares.
Jeremiah 9:22 Declare that this is what the LORD
says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field,
like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”
Jeremiah 9:23 This is what the LORD says: “Let
not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his
strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
Jeremiah 9:24 But let him who boasts boast in
this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who
exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the
earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:25 “Behold, the days are coming,”
declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised yet
uncircumcised:
Jeremiah 9:26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab,
and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their
temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole
house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
Jeremiah 10:1 Hear the word that the LORD speaks
to you, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 10:2 This is what the LORD says: “Do
not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in
the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them.
Jeremiah 10:3 For the customs of the peoples are
worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with
a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.
Jeremiah 10:4 They adorn it with silver and gold
and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter.
Jeremiah 10:5 Like scarecrows in a cucumber
patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they
cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and
neither can they do any good.”
Jeremiah 10:6 There is none like You, O LORD.
You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.
Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear You, O King of
nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the
nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.
Jeremiah 10:8 But they are altogether senseless
and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood!
Jeremiah 10:9 Hammered silver is brought from
Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz—the work of a craftsman from the
hands of a goldsmith. Their clothes are blue and purple, all
fashioned by skilled workers.
Jeremiah 10:10 But the LORD is the true God; He
is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath,
and the nations cannot endure His indignation.
Jeremiah 10:11 Thus you are to tell them: “These
gods, who have made neither the heavens nor the earth, will perish
from this earth and from under these heavens.”
Jeremiah 10:12 The LORD made the earth by His
power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out
the heavens by His understanding.
Jeremiah 10:13 When He thunders, the waters in
the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of
the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings
forth the wind from His storehouses.
Jeremiah 10:14 Every man is senseless and devoid
of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For
his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them.
Jeremiah 10:15 They are worthless, a work to be
mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.
Jeremiah 10:16 The Portion of Jacob is not like
these, for He is the Maker of all things, and Israel is the tribe
of His inheritance—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
Jeremiah 10:17 Gather up your belongings from
this land, you who live under siege.
Jeremiah 10:18 For this is what the LORD says:
“Behold, at this time I will sling out the inhabitants of the land
and bring distress upon them so that they may be captured.”
Jeremiah 10:19 Woe to me because of my
brokenness; my wound is grievous! But I said, “This is truly my
sickness, and I must bear it.”
Jeremiah 10:20 My tent is destroyed, and all its
ropes are snapped. My sons have departed from me and are no more.
I have no one left to pitch my tent or set up my curtains.
Jeremiah 10:21 For the shepherds have become
senseless; they do not seek the LORD. Therefore they have not
prospered, and all their flock is scattered.
Jeremiah 10:22 Listen! The sound of a report is
coming—a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of
Judah will be made a desolation, a haunt for jackals.
Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man’s way
is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
Jeremiah 10:24 Correct me, O LORD, but only with
justice—not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.
Jeremiah 10:25 Pour out Your wrath on the
nations that do not acknowledge You, and on the families that do
not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have
consumed him and finished him off; they have devastated his
homeland.
Jeremiah 11:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD:
Jeremiah 11:2 “Listen to the words of this
covenant and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of
Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 11:3 You must tell them that this is
what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is the man who does
not obey the words of this covenant,
Jeremiah 11:4 which I commanded your forefathers
when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron
furnace, saying, ‘Obey Me, and do everything I command you, and
you will be My people, and I will be your God.’
Jeremiah 11:5 This was in order to establish the
oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with
milk and honey, as it is to this day.” “Amen, LORD,” I answered.
Jeremiah 11:6 Then the LORD said to me,
“Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the
streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear the words of this covenant and
carry them out.
Jeremiah 11:7 For from the time I brought your
fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, I strongly warned
them again and again, saying, ‘Obey My voice.’
Jeremiah 11:8 Yet they would not obey or incline
their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil
heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had
commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”
Jeremiah 11:9 And the LORD told me, “There is a
conspiracy among the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 11:10 They have returned to the sins of
their forefathers who refused to obey My words. They have followed
other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of
Judah have broken the covenant I made with their fathers.
Jeremiah 11:11 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: ‘I am about to bring upon them a disaster that they cannot
escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not listen to them.
Jeremiah 11:12 Then the cities of Judah and the
residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to which
they have been burning incense, but these gods certainly will not
save them in their time of disaster.
Jeremiah 11:13 Your gods are indeed as numerous
as your cities, O Judah; the altars of shame you have set up—the
altars to burn incense to Baal—are as many as the streets of
Jerusalem.’
Jeremiah 11:14 As for you, do not pray for these
people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I
will not be listening when they call out to Me in their time of
disaster.
Jeremiah 11:15 What right has My beloved in My
house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can consecrated
meat avert your doom, so that you can rejoice?
Jeremiah 11:16 The LORD once called you a
flourishing olive tree, beautiful with well-formed fruit. But with
a mighty roar He will set it on fire, and its branches will be
consumed.
Jeremiah 11:17 The LORD of Hosts, who planted
you, has decreed disaster against you on account of the evil that
the house of Israel and the house of Judah have brought upon
themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”
Jeremiah 11:18 And the LORD informed me, so I
knew. Then You showed me their deeds.
Jeremiah 11:19 For I was like a gentle lamb led
to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me:
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from
the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
Jeremiah 11:20 O LORD of Hosts, who judges
righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your
vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
Jeremiah 11:21 Therefore this is what the LORD
says concerning the people of Anathoth who are seeking your life
and saying, “You must not prophesy in the name of the LORD, or you
will die by our hand.”
Jeremiah 11:22 So this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword,
their sons and daughters by famine.
Jeremiah 11:23 There will be no remnant, for I
will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their
punishment.”
Jeremiah 12:1 Righteous are You, O LORD, when I
plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with
You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the
faithless live at ease?
Jeremiah 12:2 You planted them, and they have
taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on
their lips, but far from their hearts.
Jeremiah 12:3 But You know me, O LORD; You see
me and test my heart toward You. Drag away the wicked like sheep
to the slaughter and set them apart for the day of carnage.
Jeremiah 12:4 How long will the land mourn and
the grass of every field be withered? Because of the evil of its
residents, the animals and birds have been swept away, for the
people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”
Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have raced with men on
foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in a peaceful land, how will you do in the thickets
of the Jordan?
Jeremiah 12:6 Even your brothers—your own
father’s household—even they have betrayed you; even they have
cried aloud against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well
of you.
Jeremiah 12:7 I have forsaken My house; I have
abandoned My inheritance. I have given the love of My life into
the hands of her enemies.
Jeremiah 12:8 My inheritance has become to Me
like a lion in the forest. She has roared against Me; therefore I
hate her.
Jeremiah 12:9 Is not My inheritance to Me like a
speckled bird of prey with other birds of prey circling against
her? Go, gather all the beasts of the field; bring them to devour
her.
Jeremiah 12:10 Many shepherds have destroyed My
vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned
My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
Jeremiah 12:11 They have made it a desolation;
desolate before Me, it mourns. All the land is laid waste, but no
man takes it to heart.
Jeremiah 12:12 Over all the barren heights in
the wilderness the destroyers have come, for the sword of the LORD
devours from one end of the earth to the other. No flesh has
peace.
Jeremiah 12:13 They have sown wheat but
harvested thorns. They have exhausted themselves to no avail. Bear
the shame of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the
LORD.”
Jeremiah 12:14 This is what the LORD says: “As
for all My evil neighbors who attack the inheritance that I
bequeathed to My people Israel, I am about to uproot them from
their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them.
Jeremiah 12:15 But after I have uprooted them, I
will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his
inheritance and to his land.
Jeremiah 12:16 And if they will diligently learn
the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as
the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by
Baal—then they will be established among My people.
Jeremiah 12:17 But if they will not obey, then I
will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares
the LORD.”
Jeremiah 13:1 This is what the LORD said to me:
“Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it around your
waist, but do not let it touch water.”
Jeremiah 13:2 So I bought a loincloth as the
LORD had instructed me, and I put it around my waist.
Jeremiah 13:3 Then the word of the LORD came to
me a second time:
Jeremiah 13:4 “Take the loincloth that you
bought and are wearing, and go at once to Perath and hide it there
in a crevice of the rocks.”
Jeremiah 13:5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as
the LORD had commanded me.
Jeremiah 13:6 Many days later the LORD said to
me, “Arise, go to Perath, and get the loincloth that I commanded
you to hide there.”
Jeremiah 13:7 So I went to Perath and dug up the
loincloth, and I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But
now it was ruined—of no use at all.
Jeremiah 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came to
me:
Jeremiah 13:9 “This is what the LORD says: In
the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of
Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 13:10 These evil people, who refuse to
listen to My words, who follow the stubbornness of their own
hearts, and who go after other gods to serve and worship them,
they will be like this loincloth—of no use at all.
Jeremiah 13:11 For just as a loincloth clings to
a man’s waist, so I have made the whole house of Israel and the
whole house of Judah cling to Me, declares the LORD, so that they
might be My people for My renown and praise and glory. But they
did not listen.
Jeremiah 13:12 Therefore you are to tell them
that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Every
wineskin shall be filled with wine.’ And when they reply, ‘Don’t
we surely know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’
Jeremiah 13:13 then you are to tell them that
this is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to fill with drunkenness
all who live in this land—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the
priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 13:14 I will smash them against one
another, fathers and sons alike, declares the LORD. I will allow
no mercy or pity or compassion to keep Me from destroying them.’”
Jeremiah 13:15 Listen and give heed. Do not be
arrogant, for the LORD has spoken.
Jeremiah 13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God
before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky
mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and
thick darkness.
Jeremiah 13:17 But if you do not listen, I will
weep in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with
tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
Jeremiah 13:18 Say to the king and to the queen
mother: “Take a lowly seat, for your glorious crowns have fallen
from your heads.”
Jeremiah 13:19 The cities of the Negev have been
shut tight, and no one can open them. All Judah has been carried
into exile, wholly taken captive.
Jeremiah 13:20 Lift up your eyes and see those
coming from the north. Where is the flock entrusted to you, the
sheep that were your pride?
Jeremiah 13:21 What will you say when He sets
over you close allies whom you yourself trained? Will not pangs of
anguish grip you, as they do a woman in labor?
Jeremiah 13:22 And if you ask yourself, “Why has
this happened to me?” It is because of the magnitude of your
iniquity that your skirts have been stripped off and your body has
been exposed.
Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his
skin, or the leopard his spots? Neither are you able to do
good—you who are accustomed to doing evil.
Jeremiah 13:24 “I will scatter you like chaff
driven by the desert wind.
Jeremiah 13:25 This is your lot, the portion I
have measured to you,” declares the LORD, “because you have
forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood.
Jeremiah 13:26 So I will pull your skirts up
over your face, that your shame may be seen.
Jeremiah 13:27 Your adulteries and lustful
neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the
fields—I have seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
How long will you remain unclean?”
Jeremiah 14:1 This is the word of the LORD that
came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:
Jeremiah 14:2 “Judah mourns and her gates
languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from
Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 14:3 The nobles send their servants for
water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars
return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their
heads.
Jeremiah 14:4 The ground is cracked because no
rain has fallen on the land. The farmers are ashamed; they cover
their heads.
Jeremiah 14:5 Even the doe in the field deserts
her newborn fawn because there is no grass.
Jeremiah 14:6 Wild donkeys stand on barren
heights; they pant for air like jackals; their eyes fail for lack
of pasture.”
Jeremiah 14:7 Although our iniquities testify
against us, O LORD, act for the sake of Your name. Indeed, our
rebellions are many; we have sinned against You.
Jeremiah 14:8 O Hope of Israel, its Savior in
times of distress, why are You like a stranger in the land, like a
traveler who stays but a night?
Jeremiah 14:9 Why are You like a man taken by
surprise, like a warrior powerless to save? Yet You are among us,
O LORD, and we are called by Your name. Do not forsake us!
Jeremiah 14:10 This is what the LORD says about
this people: “Truly they love to wander; they have not restrained
their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; He will now remember
their guilt and call their sins to account.”
Jeremiah 14:11 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not
pray for the well-being of this people.
Jeremiah 14:12 Although they may fast, I will
not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings
and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will
finish them off by sword and famine and plague.”
Jeremiah 14:13 “Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look,
the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or
suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”
Jeremiah 14:14 “The prophets are prophesying
lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or
appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false
vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their
own minds.
Jeremiah 14:15 Therefore this is what the LORD
says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send
them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By
sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!
Jeremiah 14:16 And the people to whom they
prophesy will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem because of
famine and sword. There will be no one to bury them or their
wives, their sons or their daughters. I will pour out their own
evil upon them.
Jeremiah 14:17 You are to speak this word to
them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not
cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by
a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound.
Jeremiah 14:18 If I go out to the country, I see
those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged
by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do
not know.’”
Jeremiah 14:19 Have You rejected Judah
completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that
we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come,
and for the time of healing, but there was only terror.
Jeremiah 14:20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O
LORD, the guilt of our fathers; indeed, we have sinned against
You.
Jeremiah 14:21 For the sake of Your name do not
despise us; do not disgrace Your glorious throne. Remember Your
covenant with us; do not break it.
Jeremiah 14:22 Can the worthless idols of the
nations bring rain? Do the skies alone send showers? Is this not
by You, O LORD our God? So we put our hope in You, for You have
done all these things.
Jeremiah 15:1 Then the LORD said to me: “Even if
Moses and Samuel should stand before Me, My heart would not go out
to this people. Send them from My presence, and let them go.
Jeremiah 15:2 If they ask you, ‘Where shall we
go?’ you are to tell them that this is what the LORD says: ‘Those
destined for death, to death; those destined for the sword, to the
sword; those destined for famine, to famine; and those destined
for captivity, to captivity.’
Jeremiah 15:3 I will appoint over them four
kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the
dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and beasts of the
earth to devour and destroy.
Jeremiah 15:4 I will make them a horror to all
the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah
king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 15:5 Who will have pity on you, O
Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will turn aside to ask
about your welfare?
Jeremiah 15:6 You have forsaken Me, declares the
LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand
against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing
compassion.
Jeremiah 15:7 I will scatter them with a
winnowing fork at the gates of the land. I will bereave and
destroy My people who have not turned from their ways.
Jeremiah 15:8 I will make their widows more
numerous than the sand of the sea. I will bring a destroyer at
noon against the mothers of young men. I will suddenly bring upon
them anguish and dismay.
Jeremiah 15:9 The mother of seven will grow
faint; she will breathe her last breath. Her sun will set while it
is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated. And the rest I
will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies,” declares
the LORD.
Jeremiah 15:10 Woe to me, my mother, that you
have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I
have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.
Jeremiah 15:11 The LORD said: “Surely I will
deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will intercede with your
enemy in your time of trouble, in your time of distress.
Jeremiah 15:12 Can anyone smash iron—iron from
the north—or bronze?
Jeremiah 15:13 Your wealth and your treasures I
will give up as plunder, without charge for all your sins within
all your borders.
Jeremiah 15:14 Then I will enslave you to your
enemies in a land you do not know, for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.”
Jeremiah 15:15 You understand, O LORD; remember
me and attend to me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In Your
patience, do not take me away. Know that I endure reproach for
Your honor.
Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate
them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear
Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.
Jeremiah 15:17 I never sat with the band of
revelers, nor did I celebrate with them. Because Your hand was on
me, I sat alone, for You have filled me with indignation.
Jeremiah 15:18 Why is my pain unending, and my
wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become
like a mirage to me—water that is not there.
Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My
presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of
worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to
you, but you must not turn to them.
Jeremiah 15:20 Then I will make you a wall to
this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against
you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save and
deliver you, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 15:21 I will deliver you from the hand
of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”
Jeremiah 16:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Jeremiah 16:2 “You must not marry or have sons
or daughters in this place.”
Jeremiah 16:3 For this is what the LORD says
concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and the
mothers who bore them, and the fathers who fathered them in this
land:
Jeremiah 16:4 “They will die from deadly
diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like
dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine,
and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and
beasts of the earth.”
Jeremiah 16:5 Indeed, this is what the LORD
says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal. Do not
go to mourn or show sympathy, for I have removed from this people
My peace, My loving devotion, and My compassion,” declares the
LORD.
Jeremiah 16:6 “Both great and small will die in
this land. They will not be buried or mourned, nor will anyone cut
himself or shave his head for them.
Jeremiah 16:7 No food will be offered to comfort
those who mourn the dead; not even a cup of consolation will be
given for the loss of a father or mother.
Jeremiah 16:8 You must not enter a house where
there is feasting and sit down with them to eat and drink.
Jeremiah 16:9 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to remove from this
place, before your very eyes and in your days, the sounds of joy
and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom.
Jeremiah 16:10 When you tell these people all
these things, they will ask you, ‘Why has the LORD pronounced all
this great disaster against us? What is our guilt? What is the sin
that we have committed against the LORD our God?’
Jeremiah 16:11 Then you are to answer them: ‘It
is because your fathers have forsaken Me, declares the LORD, and
followed other gods, and served and worshiped them. They abandoned
Me and did not keep My instruction.
Jeremiah 16:12 And you have done more evil than
your fathers. See how each of you follows the stubbornness of his
evil heart instead of obeying Me.
Jeremiah 16:13 So I will cast you out of this
land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known.
There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you
no favor.’
Jeremiah 16:14 Yet behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the
LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of
Egypt.’
Jeremiah 16:15 Instead they will say, ‘As surely
as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land
of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished
them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their
forefathers.
Jeremiah 16:16 But for now I will send for many
fishermen, declares the LORD, and they will catch them. After that
I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on
every mountain and hill, even from the clefts of the rocks.
Jeremiah 16:17 For My eyes are on all their
ways. They are not hidden from My face, and their guilt is not
concealed from My eyes.
Jeremiah 16:18 And I will first repay them
double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My
land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and they have
filled My inheritance with their abominations.”
Jeremiah 16:19 O LORD, my strength and my
fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come
to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers
inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.
Jeremiah 16:20 Can man make gods for himself?
Such are not gods!”
Jeremiah 16:21 “Therefore behold, I will inform
them, and this time I will make them know My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:1 “The sin of Judah is written with
an iron stylus, engraved with a diamond point on the tablets of
their hearts and on the horns of their altars.
Jeremiah 17:2 Even their children remember their
altars and Asherah poles by the green trees and on the high hills.
Jeremiah 17:3 O My mountain in the countryside,
I will give over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
because of the sin of your high places, within all your borders.
Jeremiah 17:4 And you yourself will relinquish
the inheritance that I gave you. I will enslave you to your
enemies in a land that you do not know, for you have kindled My
anger; it will burn forever.”
Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his
strength and turns his heart from the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:6 He will be like a shrub in the
desert; he will not see when prosperity comes. He will dwell in
the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one
lives.
Jeremiah 17:7 But blessed is the man who trusts
in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
Jeremiah 17:8 He is like a tree planted by the
waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not
fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does
not worry in a year of drought, nor does it cease to produce
fruit.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all
things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:10 I, the LORD, search the heart; I
examine the mind to reward a man according to his way, by what his
deeds deserve.
Jeremiah 17:11 Like a partridge hatching eggs it
did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle
of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be
the fool.”
Jeremiah 17:12 A glorious throne, exalted from
the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.
Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all
who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be
written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the
fountain of living water.
Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be
healed; save me, and I will be saved, for You are my praise.
Jeremiah 17:15 Behold, they keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!”
Jeremiah 17:16 But I have not run away from
being Your shepherd; I have not desired the day of despair. You
know that the utterance of my lips was spoken in Your presence.
Jeremiah 17:17 Do not become a terror to me; You
are my refuge in the day of disaster.
Jeremiah 17:18 Let my persecutors be put to
shame, but do not let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified,
but do not let me be terrified. Bring upon them the day of
disaster and shatter them with double destruction.
Jeremiah 17:19 This is what the LORD said to me:
“Go and stand at the gate of the people, through which the kings
of Judah go in and out; and stand at all the other gates of
Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 17:20 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of
the LORD, O kings of Judah, all people of Judah and Jerusalem who
enter through these gates.
Jeremiah 17:21 This is what the LORD says: Take
heed for yourselves; do not carry a load or bring it through the
gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day.
Jeremiah 17:22 You must not carry a load out of
your houses or do any work on the Sabbath day, but you must keep
the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your forefathers.
Jeremiah 17:23 Yet they would not listen or
incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and would not
listen or receive My discipline.
Jeremiah 17:24 If, however, you listen carefully
to Me, says the LORD, and bring no load through the gates of this
city on the Sabbath day, and keep the Sabbath day holy, and do no
work on it,
Jeremiah 17:25 then kings and princes will enter
through the gates of this city. They will sit on the throne of
David, riding in chariots and on horses with their officials,
along with the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem, and
this city will be inhabited forever.
Jeremiah 17:26 And people will come from the
cities of Judah and the places around Jerusalem, from the land of
Benjamin, and from the foothills, the hill country, and the Negev,
bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and
frankincense, and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:27 But if you do not listen to Me to
keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load while entering
the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an
unquenchable fire in its gates to consume the citadels of
Jerusalem.’”
Jeremiah 18:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD:
Jeremiah 18:2 “Go down at once to the potter’s
house, and there I will reveal My message to you.”
Jeremiah 18:3 So I went down to the potter’s
house and saw him working at the wheel.
Jeremiah 18:4 But the vessel that he was shaping
from the clay became flawed in his hand; so he formed it into
another vessel, as it seemed best for him to do.
Jeremiah 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Jeremiah 18:6 “O house of Israel, declares the
LORD, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay? Just
like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of
Israel.
Jeremiah 18:7 At any time I might announce that
a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.
Jeremiah 18:8 But if that nation I warned turns
from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to
bring.
Jeremiah 18:9 And if at another time I announce
that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom,
Jeremiah 18:10 and if it does evil in My sight
and does not listen to My voice, then I will relent of the good I
had intended for it.
Jeremiah 18:11 Now therefore, tell the men of
Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD
says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a
plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and
correct your ways and deeds.’
Jeremiah 18:12 But they will reply, ‘It is
hopeless. We will follow our own plans, and each of us will act
according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”
Jeremiah 18:13 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: “Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard things like
these? Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.
Jeremiah 18:14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever
leave its rocky slopes? Or do its cool waters flowing from a
distance ever run dry?
Jeremiah 18:15 Yet My people have forgotten Me.
They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in
their ways, leaving the ancient roads to walk on rutted bypaths
instead of on the highway.
Jeremiah 18:16 They have made their land a
desolation, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by will be
appalled and shake their heads.
Jeremiah 18:17 I will scatter them before the
enemy like the east wind. I will show them My back and not My face
in the day of their calamity.”
Jeremiah 18:18 Then some said, “Come, let us
make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the
priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet.
Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”
Jeremiah 18:19 Attend to me, O LORD. Hear what
my accusers are saying!
Jeremiah 18:20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to
speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.
Jeremiah 18:21 Therefore, hand their children
over to famine; pour out the power of the sword upon them. Let
their wives become childless and widowed; let their husbands be
slain by disease, their young men struck down by the sword in
battle.
Jeremiah 18:22 Let a cry be heard from their
houses when You suddenly bring raiders against them, for they have
dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet.
Jeremiah 18:23 But You, O LORD, know all their
deadly plots against me. Do not wipe out their guilt or blot out
their sin from Your sight. Let them be overthrown before You; deal
with them in the time of Your anger.
Jeremiah 19:1 This is what the LORD says: “Go
and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take some of the elders of the
people and leaders of the priests,
Jeremiah 19:2 and go out to the Valley of
Ben-hinnom near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there
the words I speak to you,
Jeremiah 19:3 saying, ‘Hear the word of the
LORD, O kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. This is what
the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring
such disaster on this place that the ears of all who hear of it
will ring,
Jeremiah 19:4 because they have abandoned Me and
made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in this place
to other gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of
Judah have ever known. They have filled this place with the blood
of the innocent.
Jeremiah 19:5 They have built high places to
Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as offerings to
Baal—something I never commanded or mentioned, nor did it even
enter My mind.
Jeremiah 19:6 So behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called
Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
Jeremiah 19:7 And in this place I will ruin the
plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword
before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives,
and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air
and the beasts of the earth.
Jeremiah 19:8 I will make this city a desolation
and an object of scorn. All who pass by will be appalled and will
scoff at all her wounds.
Jeremiah 19:9 I will make them eat the flesh of
their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in
the siege and distress inflicted on them by their enemies who seek
their lives.’
Jeremiah 19:10 Then you are to shatter the jar
in the presence of the men who accompany you,
Jeremiah 19:11 and you are to proclaim to them
that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter this
nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can
never again be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until
there is no more room to bury them.
Jeremiah 19:12 This is what I will do to this
place and to its residents, declares the LORD. I will make this
city like Topheth.
Jeremiah 19:13 The houses of Jerusalem and the
houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like that place,
Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to
all the host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other
gods.”
Jeremiah 19:14 Then Jeremiah returned from
Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in
the courtyard of the house of the LORD and proclaimed to all the
people,
Jeremiah 19:15 “This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city
and on all the villages around it every disaster I have pronounced
against them, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to
heed My words.’”
Jeremiah 20:1 When Pashhur the priest, the son
of Immer and the chief official in the house of the LORD, heard
Jeremiah prophesying these things,
Jeremiah 20:2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten
and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by
the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah 20:3 The next day, when Pashhur
released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The LORD
does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib.
Jeremiah 20:4 For this is what the LORD says: ‘I
will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They
will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And
I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will carry
them away to Babylon and put them to the sword.
Jeremiah 20:5 I will give away all the wealth of
this city—all its products and valuables, and all the treasures of
the kings of Judah—to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize
them, and carry them off to Babylon.
Jeremiah 20:6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live
in your house, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and
there you will die and be buried—you and all your friends to whom
you have prophesied these lies.’”
Jeremiah 20:7 You have deceived me, O LORD, and
I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a
laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
Jeremiah 20:8 For whenever I speak, I cry out; I
proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has
become to me a reproach and derision all day long.
Jeremiah 20:9 If I say, “I will not mention Him
or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning
in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it
in, and I cannot prevail.
Jeremiah 20:10 For I have heard the whispering
of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!”
All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be
deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance
upon him.”
Jeremiah 20:11 But the LORD is with me like a
fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will
not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly
put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be
forgotten.
Jeremiah 20:12 O LORD of Hosts, who examines the
righteous, who sees the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance
upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
Jeremiah 20:13 Sing to the LORD! Praise the
LORD! For He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of
evildoers.
Jeremiah 20:14 Cursed be the day I was born! May
the day my mother bore me never be blessed.
Jeremiah 20:15 Cursed be the man who brought my
father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him
great joy.
Jeremiah 20:16 May that man be like the cities
that the LORD overthrew without compassion. May he hear an outcry
in the morning and a battle cry at noon,
Jeremiah 20:17 because he did not kill me in the
womb so that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb
forever enlarged.
Jeremiah 20:18 Why did I come out of the womb to
see only trouble and sorrow, and to end my days in shame?
Jeremiah 21:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son
of Malchijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said,
Jeremiah 21:2 “Please inquire of the LORD on our
behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is waging war against
us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all His
past wonders, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”
Jeremiah 21:3 But Jeremiah answered, “You are to
tell Zedekiah that
Jeremiah 21:4 this is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: ‘I will turn against you the weapons of war in your
hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the
Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall, and I will assemble
their forces in the center of this city.
Jeremiah 21:5 And I Myself will fight against
you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger, fury,
and great wrath.
Jeremiah 21:6 I will strike down the residents
of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a terrible
plague.’
Jeremiah 21:7 ‘After that,’ declares the LORD,
‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the
people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine,
to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek
their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them
or show pity or compassion.’
Jeremiah 21:8 Furthermore, you are to tell this
people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you
the way of life and the way of death.
Jeremiah 21:9 Whoever stays in this city will
die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and
surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will
retain his life like a spoil of war.
Jeremiah 21:10 For I have set My face against
this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It
will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will
destroy it with fire.’
Jeremiah 21:11 Moreover, tell the house of the
king of Judah to hear the word of the LORD.
Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David, this is what
the LORD says: ‘Administer justice every morning, and rescue the
victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor, or My wrath will
go forth like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because
of their evil deeds.
Jeremiah 21:13 Behold, I am against you who
dwell above the valley, atop the rocky plateau—declares the
LORD—you who say, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our
dwellings?”
Jeremiah 21:14 I will punish you as your deeds
deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forest
that will consume everything around you.’”
Jeremiah 22:1 This is what the LORD says: “Go
down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message
there,
Jeremiah 22:2 saying, ‘Hear the word of the
LORD, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David—you and
your officials and your people who enter these gates.
Jeremiah 22:3 This is what the LORD says:
Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery
from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the
foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent
blood in this place.
Jeremiah 22:4 For if you will indeed carry out
these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will enter
through the gates of this palace riding on chariots and
horses—they and their officials and their people.
Jeremiah 22:5 But if you do not obey these
words, then I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house
will become a pile of rubble.’”
Jeremiah 22:6 For this is what the LORD says
concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are like Gilead to
Me, like the summit of Lebanon; but I will surely turn you into a
desert, like cities that are uninhabited.
Jeremiah 22:7 I will appoint destroyers against
you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut down the
choicest of your cedars and throw them into the fire.
Jeremiah 22:8 And many nations will pass by this
city and ask one another, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to
this great city?’
Jeremiah 22:9 Then people will reply, ‘Because
they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have
worshiped and served other gods.’”
Jeremiah 22:10 Do not weep for the dead king; do
not mourn his loss. Weep bitterly for the one who is exiled, for
he will never return to see his native land.
Jeremiah 22:11 For this is what the LORD says
concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his
father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: “He will never
return,
Jeremiah 22:12 but he will die in the place to
which he was exiled; he will never see this land again.”
Jeremiah 22:13 “Woe to him who builds his palace
by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes
his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,
Jeremiah 22:14 who says, ‘I will build myself a
great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in
it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.
Jeremiah 22:15 Does it make you a king to excel
in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered
justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.
Jeremiah 22:16 He took up the cause of the poor
and needy, and so it went well with him. Is this not what it means
to know Me?” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 22:17 “But your eyes and heart are set
on nothing except your own dishonest gain, on shedding innocent
blood, on practicing extortion and oppression.”
Jeremiah 22:18 Therefore this is what the LORD
says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will
not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will
not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
Jeremiah 22:19 He will be buried like a donkey,
dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 22:20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out;
raise your voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your
lovers have been crushed.
Jeremiah 22:21 I warned you when you were
secure. You said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from
youth, that you have not obeyed My voice.
Jeremiah 22:22 The wind will drive away all your
shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Then you will
be ashamed and humiliated because of all your wickedness.
Jeremiah 22:23 O inhabitant of Lebanon, nestled
in the cedars, how you will groan when pangs of anguish come upon
you, agony like a woman in labor.”
Jeremiah 22:24 “As surely as I live,” declares
the LORD, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
were a signet ring on My right hand, I would pull you off.
Jeremiah 22:25 In fact, I will hand you over to
those you dread, who want to take your life—to Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon and to the Chaldeans.
Jeremiah 22:26 I will hurl you and the mother
who gave you birth into another land, where neither of you were
born—and there you both will die.
Jeremiah 22:27 You will never return to the land
for which you long.”
Jeremiah 22:28 Is this man Coniah a despised and
shattered pot, a jar that no one wants? Why are he and his
descendants hurled out and cast into a land they do not know?
Jeremiah 22:29 O land, land, land, hear the word
of the LORD!
Jeremiah 22:30 This is what the LORD says:
“Enroll this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his
lifetime. None of his descendants will prosper to sit on the
throne of David or to rule again in Judah.”
Jeremiah 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy
and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore this is what the LORD,
the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people:
“You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not
attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of
your deeds, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:3 Then I Myself will gather the
remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished
them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be
fruitful and multiply.
Jeremiah 23:4 I will raise up shepherds over
them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or
dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous
Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer
justice and righteousness in the land.
Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He
will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:7 So behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the
LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of
Egypt.’
Jeremiah 23:8 Instead they will say, ‘As surely
as the LORD lives, who brought and led the descendants of the
house of Israel up out of the land of the north and all the other
lands to which He had banished them.’ Then they will dwell once
more in their own land.”
Jeremiah 23:9 As for the prophets: My heart is
broken within me, and all my bones tremble. I have become like a
drunkard, like a man overcome by wine, because of the LORD,
because of His holy words.
Jeremiah 23:10 For the land is full of
adulterers—because of the curse, the land mourns and the pastures
of the wilderness have dried up—their course is evil and their
power is misused.
Jeremiah 23:11 “For both prophet and priest are
ungodly; even in My house I have found their wickedness,” declares
the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:12 “Therefore their path will become
slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into
it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their
punishment,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:13 “Among the prophets of Samaria I
saw an offensive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led My people
Israel astray.
Jeremiah 23:14 And among the prophets of
Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and
walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no
one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore this is what the LORD
of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood
and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of
Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”
Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to
you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions
from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:17 They keep saying to those who
despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to
everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm
will come to you.’
Jeremiah 23:18 But which of them has stood in
the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given
heed to His word and obeyed it?
Jeremiah 23:19 Behold, the storm of the LORD has
gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of
the wicked.
Jeremiah 23:20 The anger of the LORD will not
turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His
heart. In the days to come you will understand this clearly.
Jeremiah 23:21 I did not send these prophets,
yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet
they have prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:22 But if they had stood in My
council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and
turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.”
Jeremiah 23:23 “Am I only a God nearby,”
declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?”
Jeremiah 23:24 “Can a man hide in secret places
where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the
heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:25 “I have heard the sayings of the
prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a
dream!’
Jeremiah 23:26 How long will this continue in
the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these
prophets of the delusion of their own minds?
Jeremiah 23:27 They suppose the dreams that they
tell one another will make My people forget My name, just as their
fathers forgot My name through the worship of Baal.
Jeremiah 23:28 Let the prophet who has a dream
retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For
what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:29 “Is not My word like fire,”
declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”
Jeremiah 23:30 “Therefore behold,” declares the
LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words
they attribute to Me.”
Jeremiah 23:31 “Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am
against the prophets who wag their own tongues and proclaim, ‘The
LORD declares it.’”
Jeremiah 23:32 “Indeed,” declares the LORD, “I
am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead
My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent
them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these
people,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:33 “Now when this people or a
prophet or priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ you
are to say to them, ‘What burden? I will forsake you, declares the
LORD.’
Jeremiah 23:34 As for the prophet or priest or
anyone who claims, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ I will punish
that man and his household.
Jeremiah 23:35 This is what each man is to say
to his friend and to his brother: ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or
‘What has the LORD spoken?’
Jeremiah 23:36 But refer no more to the burden
of the LORD, for each man’s word becomes the burden, so that you
pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.
Jeremiah 23:37 Thus you are to say to the
prophet: ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and ‘What has the LORD
spoken?’
Jeremiah 23:38 But if you claim, ‘This is the
burden of the LORD,’ then this is what the LORD says: Because you
have said, ‘This is the burden of the LORD,’ and I specifically
told you not to make this claim,
Jeremiah 23:39 therefore I will surely forget
you and will cast you out of My presence, both you and the city
that I gave to you and your fathers.
Jeremiah 23:40 And I will bring upon you
everlasting shame and perpetual humiliation that will never be
forgotten.”
Jeremiah 24:1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon had carried away Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
as well as the officials of Judah and the craftsmen and
metalsmiths from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon, the
LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple
of the LORD.
Jeremiah 24:2 One basket had very good figs,
like those that ripen early, but the other basket contained very
poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
Jeremiah 24:3 “Jeremiah,” the LORD asked, “what
do you see?” “Figs!” I replied. “The good figs are very good, but
the bad figs are very bad, so bad they cannot be eaten.”
Jeremiah 24:4 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Jeremiah 24:5 “This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, so I regard as good the
exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the
land of the Chaldeans.
Jeremiah 24:6 I will keep My eyes on them for
good and will return them to this land. I will build them up and
not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.
Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know
Me, that I am the LORD. They will be My people, and I will be
their God, for they will return to Me with all their heart.
Jeremiah 24:8 But like the bad figs, so bad they
cannot be eaten,’ says the LORD, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah
king of Judah, his officials, and the remnant of Jerusalem—those
remaining in this land and those living in the land of Egypt.
Jeremiah 24:9 I will make them a horror and an
offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace and an object
of scorn, ridicule, and cursing wherever I have banished them.
Jeremiah 24:10 And I will send against them
sword and famine and plague, until they have perished from the
land that I gave to them and their fathers.’”
Jeremiah 25:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of
Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Jeremiah 25:2 So the prophet Jeremiah spoke to
all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem as
follows:
Jeremiah 25:3 “From the thirteenth year of
Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—twenty-three
years—the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to
you again and again, but you have not listened.
Jeremiah 25:4 And the LORD has sent all His
servants the prophets to you again and again, but you have not
listened or inclined your ear to hear.
Jeremiah 25:5 The prophets told you, ‘Turn now,
each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in
the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever
and ever.
Jeremiah 25:6 Do not follow other gods to serve
and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of
your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
Jeremiah 25:7 ‘But to your own harm, you have
not listened to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘so you have provoked Me
to anger with the works of your hands.’
Jeremiah 25:8 Therefore this is what the LORD of
Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words,
Jeremiah 25:9 behold, I will summon all the
families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My
servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against
this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding
nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an
object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.
Jeremiah 25:10 Moreover, I will banish from them
the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and
bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the
lamp.
Jeremiah 25:11 And this whole land will become a
desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of
Babylon for seventy years.
Jeremiah 25:12 But when seventy years are
complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the
land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I
will make it an everlasting desolation.
Jeremiah 25:13 I will bring upon that land all
the words I have pronounced against it, all that is written in
this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.
Jeremiah 25:14 For many nations and great kings
will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds
and according to the work of their hands.’”
Jeremiah 25:15 This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of
wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.
Jeremiah 25:16 And they will drink and stagger
and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send
among them.”
Jeremiah 25:17 So I took the cup from the LORD’s
hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the
LORD had sent me,
Jeremiah 25:18 to make them a ruin, an object of
horror and contempt and cursing, as they are to this day—Jerusalem
and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials;
Jeremiah 25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his
officials, his leaders, and all his people;
Jeremiah 25:20 all the mixed tribes; all the
kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza,
Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;
Jeremiah 25:21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;
Jeremiah 25:22 all the kings of Tyre and Sidon;
the kings of the coastlands across the sea;
Jeremiah 25:23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut
the corners of their hair;
Jeremiah 25:24 all the kings of Arabia, and all
the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert;
Jeremiah 25:25 all the kings of Zimri, Elam, and
Media;
Jeremiah 25:26 all the kings of the north, both
near and far, one after another—all the kingdoms on the face of
the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink
it too.
Jeremiah 25:27 “Then you are to tell them that
this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink,
get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of
the sword I will send among you.’
Jeremiah 25:28 If they refuse to take the cup
from your hand and drink it, you are to tell them that this is
what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘You most certainly must drink it!
Jeremiah 25:29 For behold, I am beginning to
bring disaster on the city that bears My Name, so how could you
possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am
calling down a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth,
declares the LORD of Hosts.’
Jeremiah 25:30 So you are to prophesy all these
words against them and say to them: ‘The LORD will roar from on
high; He will raise His voice from His holy habitation. He will
roar loudly over His pasture; like those who tread the grapes, He
will call out with a shout against all the inhabitants of the
earth.
Jeremiah 25:31 The tumult will resound to the
ends of the earth because the LORD brings a charge against the
nations. He brings judgment on all mankind and puts the wicked to
the sword,’” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 25:32 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Behold! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a
mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.”
Jeremiah 25:33 Those slain by the LORD on that
day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They
will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung
lying on the ground.
Jeremiah 25:34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out;
roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your
slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine
pottery.
Jeremiah 25:35 Flight will evade the shepherds,
and escape will elude the leaders of the flock.
Jeremiah 25:36 Hear the cry of the shepherds,
the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD is
destroying their pasture.
Jeremiah 25:37 The peaceful meadows have been
silenced because of the LORD’s burning anger.
Jeremiah 25:38 He has left His den like a lion,
for their land has been made a desolation by the sword of the
oppressor, and because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
Jeremiah 26:1 At the beginning of the reign of
Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the
LORD:
Jeremiah 26:2 “This is what the LORD says: Stand
in the courtyard of the house of the LORD and speak all the words
I have commanded you to speak to all the cities of Judah who come
to worship there. Do not omit a word.
Jeremiah 26:3 Perhaps they will listen and
turn—each from his evil way of life—so that I may relent of the
disaster I am planning to bring upon them because of the evil of
their deeds.
Jeremiah 26:4 And you are to tell them that this
is what the LORD says: ‘If you do not listen to Me and walk in My
law, which I have set before you,
Jeremiah 26:5 and if you do not listen to the
words of My servants the prophets, whom I have sent you again and
again even though you did not listen,
Jeremiah 26:6 then I will make this house like
Shiloh, and I will make this city an object of cursing among all
the nations of the earth.’”
Jeremiah 26:7 Now the priests and prophets and
all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of
the LORD,
Jeremiah 26:8 and as soon as he had finished
telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to
say, the priests and prophets and all the people seized him,
shouting, “You must surely die!
Jeremiah 26:9 How dare you prophesy in the name
of the LORD that this house will become like Shiloh and this city
will be desolate and deserted!” And all the people assembled
against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah 26:10 When the officials of Judah heard
these things, they went up from the king’s palace to the house of
the LORD and sat there at the entrance of the New Gate.
Jeremiah 26:11 Then the priests and prophets
said to the officials and all the people, “This man is worthy of
death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard
with your own ears!”
Jeremiah 26:12 But Jeremiah said to all the
officials and all the people, “The LORD sent me to prophesy
against this house and against this city all the words that you
have heard.
Jeremiah 26:13 So now, correct your ways and
deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, so that He might
relent of the disaster He has pronounced against you.
Jeremiah 26:14 As for me, here I am in your
hands; do to me what you think is good and right.
Jeremiah 26:15 But know for certain that if you
put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves,
upon this city, and upon its residents; for truly the LORD has
sent me to speak all these words in your hearing.”
Jeremiah 26:16 Then the officials and all the
people told the priests and prophets, “This man is not worthy of
death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God!”
Jeremiah 26:17 Some of the elders of the land
stood up and said to the whole assembly of the people,
Jeremiah 26:18 “Micah the Moreshite prophesied
in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and told all the people of
Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Zion will be
plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and
the temple mount a wooded ridge.’
Jeremiah 26:19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah or
anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did Hezekiah not fear the
LORD and seek His favor, and did not the LORD relent of the
disaster He had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring
great harm on ourselves!”
Jeremiah 26:20 Now there was another man
prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from
Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this
land the same things that Jeremiah did.
Jeremiah 26:21 King Jehoiakim and all his mighty
men and officials heard his words, and the king sought to put him
to death. But when Uriah found out about it, he fled in fear and
went to Egypt.
Jeremiah 26:22 Then King Jehoiakim sent men to
Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor along with some other men.
Jeremiah 26:23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt
and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and
his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.
Jeremiah 26:24 Nevertheless, Ahikam son of
Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the
people to be put to death.
Jeremiah 27:1 At the beginning of the reign of
Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah
from the LORD.
Jeremiah 27:2 This is what the LORD said to me:
“Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your
neck.
Jeremiah 27:3 Send word to the kings of Edom,
Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to
Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
Jeremiah 27:4 Give them a message from the LORD
of Hosts, the God of Israel, to relay to their masters:
Jeremiah 27:5 By My great power and outstretched
arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it,
and I give it to whom I please.
Jeremiah 27:6 So now I have placed all these
lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.
Jeremiah 27:7 All nations will serve him and his
son and grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many
nations and great kings will enslave him.
Jeremiah 27:8 As for the nation or kingdom that
does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place
its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and
famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by
his hand.
Jeremiah 27:9 But as for you, do not listen to
your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your
mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the
king of Babylon.’
Jeremiah 27:10 For they prophesy to you a lie
that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you
and you will perish.
Jeremiah 27:11 But the nation that will put its
neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will
leave in its own land, to cultivate it and reside in it, declares
the LORD.”
Jeremiah 27:12 And to Zedekiah king of Judah I
spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king
of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!
Jeremiah 27:13 Why should you and your people
die by sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has decreed
against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?
Jeremiah 27:14 Do not listen to the words of the
prophets who say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for
they are prophesying to you a lie.
Jeremiah 27:15 For I have not sent them,
declares the LORD, and yet they are prophesying falsely in My
name; therefore I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the
prophets who prophesy to you.”
Jeremiah 27:16 Then I said to the priests and to
all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the
words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very
soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought
back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.
Jeremiah 27:17 Do not listen to them. Serve the
king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?
Jeremiah 27:18 If they are indeed prophets and
the word of the LORD is with them, let them now plead with the
LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the
LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, not be
taken to Babylon.
Jeremiah 27:19 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of
the articles that remain in this city,
Jeremiah 27:20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim
king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all
the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 27:21 Yes, this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in
the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in
Jerusalem:
Jeremiah 27:22 ‘They will be carried to Babylon
and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’
declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them
to this place.’”
Jeremiah 28:1 In the fifth month of that same
year, the fourth year, near the beginning of the reign of King
Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from
Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the
priests and all the people:
Jeremiah 28:2 “This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of
Babylon.
Jeremiah 28:3 Within two years I will restore to
this place all the articles of the house of the LORD that
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and carried to
Babylon.
Jeremiah 28:4 And I will restore to this place
Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with all the exiles
from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will
break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
Jeremiah 28:5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied
to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the
people who were standing in the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah 28:6 “Amen!” Jeremiah said. “May the
LORD do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied,
and may He restore the articles of His house and all the exiles
back to this place from Babylon.
Jeremiah 28:7 Nevertheless, listen now to this
message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all
the people.
Jeremiah 28:8 The prophets of old who preceded
you and me prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many lands
and great kingdoms.
Jeremiah 28:9 As for the prophet who prophesies
peace, only if the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet
be recognized as one the LORD has truly sent.”
Jeremiah 28:10 Then the prophet Hananiah took
the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.
Jeremiah 28:11 And in the presence of all the
people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the LORD says: ‘In this
way, within two years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon off the neck of all the nations.’” At this, Jeremiah
the prophet went on his way.
Jeremiah 28:12 But shortly after Hananiah the
prophet had broken the yoke off his neck, the word of the LORD
came to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 28:13 “Go and tell Hananiah that this
is what the LORD says: ‘You have broken a yoke of wood, but in its
place you have fashioned a yoke of iron.’
Jeremiah 28:14 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have put a yoke of iron on the
neck of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have even given him control
of the beasts of the field.’”
Jeremiah 28:15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to
the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send
you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.
Jeremiah 28:16 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You
will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the
LORD.’”
Jeremiah 28:17 And in the seventh month of that
very year, the prophet Hananiah died.
Jeremiah 29:1 This is the text of the letter
that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving
elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all
the others Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to
Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:2 (This was after King Jeconiah, the
queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and
Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had been exiled from
Jerusalem.)
Jeremiah 29:3 The letter was entrusted to Elasah
son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of
Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It stated:
Jeremiah 29:4 This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away
from Jerusalem to Babylon:
Jeremiah 29:5 “Build houses and settle down.
Plant gardens and eat their produce.
Jeremiah 29:6 Take wives and have sons and
daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in
marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply
there; do not decrease.
Jeremiah 29:7 Seek the prosperity of the city to
which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf,
for if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Jeremiah 29:8 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the
prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams
you elicit from them.
Jeremiah 29:9 For they are falsely prophesying
to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 29:10 For this is what the LORD says:
“When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you
and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for
you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon Me and
come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when
you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:14 I will be found by you, declares
the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you
from all the nations and places to which I have banished you,
declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I
sent you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:15 Because you may say, “The LORD
has raised up for us prophets in Babylon,”
Jeremiah 29:16 this is what the LORD says about
the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain
in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile—
Jeremiah 29:17 this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “I will send against them sword and famine and plague, and I
will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
Jeremiah 29:18 I will pursue them with sword and
famine and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms
of the earth—a curse, a desolation, and an object of scorn and
reproach among all the nations to which I banish them.
Jeremiah 29:19 I will do this because they have
not listened to My words, declares the LORD, which I sent to them
again and again through My servants the prophets. And neither have
you exiles listened, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 29:20 So hear the word of the LORD, all
you exiles I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:21 This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son
of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you lies in My name: “I will
deliver them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill
them before your very eyes.
Jeremiah 29:22 Because of them, all the exiles
of Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the LORD
make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted
in the fire!’
Jeremiah 29:23 For they have committed an
outrage in Israel by committing adultery with the wives of their
neighbors and speaking lies in My name, which I did not command
them to do. I am He who knows, and I am a witness, declares the
LORD.”
Jeremiah 29:24 You are to tell Shemaiah the
Nehelamite that
Jeremiah 29:25 this is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: “In your own name you have sent out
letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah
son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. You said to Zephaniah:
Jeremiah 29:26 ‘The LORD has appointed you
priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house
of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a
prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
Jeremiah 29:27 So now, why have you not rebuked
Jeremiah of Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you?
Jeremiah 29:28 For he has sent to us in Babylon,
claiming: Since the exile will be lengthy, build houses and settle
down; plant gardens and eat their produce.’”
Jeremiah 29:29 (Zephaniah the priest, however,
had read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet.)
Jeremiah 29:30 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 29:31 “Send a message telling all the
exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite.
Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send
him—and has made you trust in a lie,
Jeremiah 29:32 this is what the LORD says: ‘I
will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He
will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good
that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has
preached rebellion against the LORD.’”
Jeremiah 30:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD:
Jeremiah 30:2 “This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to
you.
Jeremiah 30:3 For behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when I will restore from captivity My people
Israel and Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to the
land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.’”
Jeremiah 30:4 These are the words that the LORD
spoke concerning Israel and Judah.
Jeremiah 30:5 Yes, this is what the LORD says:
“A cry of panic is heard—a cry of terror, not of peace.
Jeremiah 30:6 Ask now, and see: Can a male give
birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach
like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?
Jeremiah 30:7 How awful that day will be! None
will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will
be saved out of it.
Jeremiah 30:8 On that day, declares the LORD of
Hosts, I will break the yoke off their necks and tear off their
bonds, and no longer will strangers enslave them.
Jeremiah 30:9 Instead, they will serve the LORD
their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
Jeremiah 30:10 As for you, O Jacob My servant,
do not be afraid, declares the LORD, and do not be dismayed, O
Israel. For I will surely save you out of a distant place, your
descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return to
quiet and ease, with no one to make him afraid.
Jeremiah 30:11 For I am with you to save you,
declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the
nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely
destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no
means leave you unpunished.”
Jeremiah 30:12 For this is what the LORD says:
“Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous.
Jeremiah 30:13 There is no one to plead your
cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you.
Jeremiah 30:14 All your lovers have forgotten
you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy
would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great
iniquity and your numerous sins.
Jeremiah 30:15 Why do you cry out over your
wound? Your pain has no cure! Because of your great iniquity and
your numerous sins I have done these things to you.
Jeremiah 30:16 Nevertheless, all who devour you
will be devoured, and all your adversaries—every one of them—will
go off into exile. Those who plundered you will be plundered, and
all who raided you will be raided.
Jeremiah 30:17 But I will restore your health
and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, because they call you an
outcast, Zion, for whom no one cares.”
Jeremiah 30:18 This is what the LORD says: “I
will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on
his dwellings. And the city will be rebuilt on her own ruins, and
the palace will stand in its rightful place.
Jeremiah 30:19 Thanksgiving will proceed from
them, a sound of celebration. I will multiply them, and they will
not be decreased; I will honor them, and they will not be
belittled.
Jeremiah 30:20 Their children will be as in days
of old, and their congregation will be established before Me; and
I will punish all their oppressors.
Jeremiah 30:21 Their leader will be one of their
own, and their ruler will arise from their midst. And I will bring
him near, and he will approach Me, for who would dare on his own
to approach Me?” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 30:22 “And you will be My people, and I
will be your God.”
Jeremiah 30:23 Behold, the storm of the LORD has
gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of
the wicked.
Jeremiah 30:24 The fierce anger of the LORD will
not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His
heart. In the days to come you will understand this.
Jeremiah 31:1 “At that time,” declares the LORD,
“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be
My people.”
Jeremiah 31:2 This is what the LORD says: “The
people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness when
Israel went to find rest.”
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the
past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.
Jeremiah 31:4 Again I will build you, and you
will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your
tambourines and go out in joyful dancing.
Jeremiah 31:5 Again you will plant vineyards on
the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant and enjoy the fruit.
Jeremiah 31:6 For there will be a day when
watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Arise, let us go
up to Zion, to the LORD our God!’”
Jeremiah 31:7 For this is what the LORD says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations!
Make your praises heard, and say, ‘O LORD, save Your people, the
remnant of Israel!’
Jeremiah 31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the
land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the
earth, including the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and
women in labor. They will return as a great assembly!
Jeremiah 31:9 They will come with weeping, and
by their supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk
beside streams of waters, on a level path where they will not
stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”
Jeremiah 31:10 Hear, O nations, the word of the
LORD, and proclaim it in distant coastlands: “The One who
scattered Israel will gather them and keep them as a shepherd
keeps his flock.
Jeremiah 31:11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
and redeemed him from the hand that had overpowered him.
Jeremiah 31:12 They will come and shout for joy
on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant over the bounty of
the LORD—the grain, new wine, and oil, and the young of the flocks
and herds. Their life will be like a well-watered garden, and
never again will they languish.
Jeremiah 31:13 Then the maidens will rejoice
with dancing, young men and old as well. I will turn their
mourning into joy, and give them comfort and joy for their sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:14 I will fill the souls of the
priests abundantly, and will fill My people with My goodness,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the LORD says: “A
voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel
weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because
they are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:16 This is what the LORD says: “Keep
your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward
for your work will come, declares the LORD. Then your children
will return from the land of the enemy.
Jeremiah 31:17 So there is hope for your future,
declares the LORD, and your children will return to their own
land.
Jeremiah 31:18 I have surely heard Ephraim’s
moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf.
Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God.
Jeremiah 31:19 After I returned, I repented; and
after I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed
and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
Jeremiah 31:20 Is not Ephraim a precious son to
Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still
remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great
compassion for him,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:21 “Set up the roadmarks, establish
the signposts. Keep the highway in mind, the road you have
traveled. Return, O Virgin Israel, return to these cities of
yours.
Jeremiah 31:22 How long will you wander, O
faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the
land—a woman will shelter a man.”
Jeremiah 31:23 This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: “When I restore them from captivity, they
will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its
cities: ‘May the LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling place, O
holy mountain.’
Jeremiah 31:24 And Judah and all its cities will
dwell together in the land, the farmers and those who move with
the flocks,
Jeremiah 31:25 for I will refresh the weary soul
and replenish all who are weak.”
Jeremiah 31:26 At this I awoke and looked
around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.
Jeremiah 31:27 “The days are coming,” declares
the LORD, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of
Judah with the seed of man and of beast.
Jeremiah 31:28 Just as I watched over them to
uproot and tear down, to demolish, destroy, and bring disaster, so
I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:29 “In those days, it will no longer
be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the
children are set on edge.’
Jeremiah 31:30 Instead, each will die for his
own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will
be set on edge.
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and with the house of Judah.
Jeremiah 31:32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead
them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was
a husband to them,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD.
I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts.
And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Jeremiah 31:34 No longer will each man teach his
neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they
will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares
the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember
their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:35 Thus says the LORD, who gives the
sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for
light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the
LORD of Hosts is His name:
Jeremiah 31:36 “Only if this fixed order
departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s
descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.”
Jeremiah 31:37 This is what the LORD says: “Only
if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the
earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s
descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 31:38 “The days are coming,” declares
the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower
of Hananel to the Corner Gate.
Jeremiah 31:39 The measuring line will once
again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn
toward Goah.
Jeremiah 31:40 The whole valley of the dead
bodies and ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley,
to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, will be holy to the
LORD. It will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
Jeremiah 32:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of
Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah 32:2 At that time the army of the king
of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was
imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the palace
of the king of Judah.
Jeremiah 32:3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had
imprisoned him, saying: “Why are you prophesying like this? You
claim that the LORD says, ‘Behold, I am about to deliver this city
into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.
Jeremiah 32:4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not
escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be
delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak
with him face to face and see him eye to eye.
Jeremiah 32:5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon,
where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If
you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’”
Jeremiah 32:6 Jeremiah replied, “The word of the
LORD came to me, saying:
Jeremiah 32:7 Behold! Hanamel, the son of your
uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy for yourself my field
in Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it.’
Jeremiah 32:8 Then, as the LORD had said, my
cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and urged
me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for
you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for
yourself.’” Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
Jeremiah 32:9 So I bought the field in Anathoth
from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out seventeen shekels of
silver.
Jeremiah 32:10 I signed and sealed the deed,
called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
Jeremiah 32:11 Then I took the deed of
purchase—the sealed copy with its terms and conditions, as well as
the open copy—
Jeremiah 32:12 and I gave this deed to Baruch
son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of my cousin
Hanamel and the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement
and all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
Jeremiah 32:13 In their sight I instructed
Baruch,
Jeremiah 32:14 “This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: Take these deeds—both the sealed copy and
the open copy of the deed of purchase—and put them in a clay jar
to preserve them for a long time.
Jeremiah 32:15 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will
again be bought in this land.”
Jeremiah 32:16 After I had given the deed of
purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD:
Jeremiah 32:17 “Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the
heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too difficult for You!
Jeremiah 32:18 You show loving devotion to
thousands but lay the iniquity of the fathers into the laps of
their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is
the LORD of Hosts,
Jeremiah 32:19 the One great in counsel and
mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men,
to reward each one according to his ways and according to the
fruit of his deeds.
Jeremiah 32:20 You performed signs and wonders
in the land of Egypt, and You do so to this very day, both in
Israel and among all mankind. And You have made a name for
Yourself, as is the case to this day.
Jeremiah 32:21 You brought Your people Israel
out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong
hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror.
Jeremiah 32:22 You gave them this land that You
had sworn to give their fathers, a land flowing with milk and
honey.
Jeremiah 32:23 They came in and possessed it,
but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law. They failed
to perform all that You commanded them to do, and so You have
brought upon them all this disaster.
Jeremiah 32:24 See how the siege ramps are
mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine
and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the
Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has
happened, as You now see!
Jeremiah 32:25 Yet You, O Lord GOD, have said to
me, ‘Buy for yourself the field with silver and call in witnesses,
even though the city has been delivered into the hands of the
Chaldeans!’”
Jeremiah 32:26 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God
of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?
Jeremiah 32:28 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hands of
the Chaldeans and of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will
capture it.
Jeremiah 32:29 And the Chaldeans who are
fighting against this city will come in, set it on fire, and burn
it, along with the houses of those who provoked Me to anger by
burning incense to Baal on their rooftops and by pouring out drink
offerings to other gods.
Jeremiah 32:30 For the children of Israel and of
Judah have done nothing but evil in My sight from their youth;
indeed, they have done nothing but provoke Me to anger by the work
of their hands, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 32:31 For this city has aroused My
wrath and fury from the day it was built until now. Therefore I
will remove it from My presence
Jeremiah 32:32 because of all the evil the
children of Israel and of Judah have done to provoke Me to
anger—they, their kings, their officials, their priests and
prophets, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 32:33 They have turned their backs to
Me and not their faces. Though I taught them again and again, they
would not listen or respond to discipline.
Jeremiah 32:34 They have placed their
abominations in the house that bears My Name, and so have defiled
it.
Jeremiah 32:35 They have built the high places
of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom to make their sons and daughters
pass through the fire to Molech—something I never commanded them,
nor had it ever entered My mind, that they should commit such an
abomination and cause Judah to sin.
Jeremiah 32:36 Now therefore, about this city of
which you say, ‘It will be delivered into the hand of the king of
Babylon by sword and famine and plague,’ this is what the LORD,
the God of Israel, says:
Jeremiah 32:37 I will surely gather My people
from all the lands to which I have banished them in My furious
anger and great wrath, and I will return them to this place and
make them dwell in safety.
Jeremiah 32:38 They will be My people, and I
will be their God.
Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them one heart and
one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and
for the good of their children after them.
Jeremiah 32:40 I will make an everlasting
covenant with them: I will never turn away from doing good to
them, and I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will
never turn away from Me.
Jeremiah 32:41 Yes, I will rejoice in doing them
good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My
heart and with all My soul.
Jeremiah 32:42 For this is what the LORD says:
Just as I have brought all this great disaster on this people, so
I will bring on them all the good I have promised them.
Jeremiah 32:43 And fields will be bought in this
land about which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man
or beast; it has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans.’
Jeremiah 32:44 Fields will be purchased with
silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed, and witnessed in the
land of Benjamin, in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in the
cities of Judah—the cities of the hill country, the foothills, and
the Negev—because I will restore them from captivity, declares the
LORD.”
Jeremiah 33:1 While Jeremiah was still confined
in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a
second time:
Jeremiah 33:2 “Thus says the LORD who made the
earth, the LORD who formed it and established it, the LORD is His
name:
Jeremiah 33:3 Call to Me, and I will answer and
show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Jeremiah 33:4 For this is what the LORD, the God
of Israel, says about the houses of this city and the palaces of
the kings of Judah that have been torn down for defense against
the siege ramps and the sword:
Jeremiah 33:5 The Chaldeans are coming to fight
and to fill those places with the corpses of the men I will strike
down in My anger and in My wrath. I have hidden My face from this
city because of all its wickedness.
Jeremiah 33:6 Nevertheless, I will bring to it
health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them
the abundance of peace and truth.
Jeremiah 33:7 I will restore Judah and Israel
from captivity and will rebuild them as in former times.
Jeremiah 33:8 And I will cleanse them from all
the iniquity they have committed against Me, and will forgive all
their sins of rebellion against Me.
Jeremiah 33:9 So this city will bring Me renown,
joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who
will hear of all the good I do for it. They will tremble in awe
because of all the goodness and prosperity that I will provide for
it.
Jeremiah 33:10 This is what the LORD says: In
this place you say is a wasteland without man or beast, in the
cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are
deserted—inhabited by neither man nor beast—there will be heard
again
Jeremiah 33:11 the sounds of joy and gladness,
the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those
bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give
thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving
devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from
captivity as in former times, says the LORD.
Jeremiah 33:12 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: In this desolate place, without man or beast, and in all its
cities, there will once more be pastures for shepherds to rest
their flocks.
Jeremiah 33:13 In the cities of the hill
country, the foothills, and the Negev, in the land of Benjamin and
the cities surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the
flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,
says the LORD.
Jeremiah 33:14 Behold, the days are coming,
declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the gracious promise that I
have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that time I
will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will
administer justice and righteousness in the land.
Jeremiah 33:16 In those days Judah will be
saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name by
which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
Jeremiah 33:17 For this is what the LORD says:
David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of
Israel,
Jeremiah 33:18 nor will the priests who are
Levites ever fail to have a man before Me to offer burnt
offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to present sacrifices.”
Jeremiah 33:19 And the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 33:20 “This is what the LORD says: If
you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the
night, so that day and night cease to occupy their appointed time,
Jeremiah 33:21 then My covenant may also be
broken with David My servant and with My ministers the Levites who
are priests, so that David will not have a son to reign on his
throne.
Jeremiah 33:22 As the hosts of heaven cannot be
counted and as the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so too
will I multiply the descendants of My servant David and the
Levites who minister before Me.”
Jeremiah 33:23 Moreover, the word of the LORD
came to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 33:24 “Have you not noticed what these
people are saying: ‘The LORD has rejected the two families He had
chosen’? So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a
nation.
Jeremiah 33:25 This is what the LORD says: If I
have not established My covenant with the day and the night and
the fixed order of heaven and earth,
Jeremiah 33:26 then I would also reject the
descendants of Jacob and of My servant David, so as not to take
from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore them from captivity and will
have compassion on them.”
Jeremiah 34:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, all
his army, all the earthly kingdoms under his control, and all the
other nations were fighting against Jerusalem and all its
surrounding cities.
Jeremiah 34:2 The LORD, the God of Israel, told
Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him
that this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am about to deliver
this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn
it down.
Jeremiah 34:3 And you yourself will not escape
his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his
hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with
him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.
Jeremiah 34:4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O
Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you:
You will not die by the sword;
Jeremiah 34:5 you will die in peace. As spices
were burned for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you,
so people will burn spices for you and lament, ‘Alas, O master!’
For I Myself have spoken this word, declares the LORD.”
Jeremiah 34:6 In Jerusalem, then, Jeremiah the
prophet relayed all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah
Jeremiah 34:7 as the army of the king of Babylon
was fighting against Jerusalem and the remaining cities of
Judah—against Lachish and Azekah. For these were the only
fortified cities remaining in Judah.
Jeremiah 34:8 After King Zedekiah had made a
covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the
word came to Jeremiah from the LORD
Jeremiah 34:9 that each man should free his
Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his
fellow Jew in bondage.
Jeremiah 34:10 So all the officials and all the
people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free
their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in
bondage. They obeyed and released them,
Jeremiah 34:11 but later they changed their
minds and took back the menservants and maidservants they had
freed, and they forced them to become slaves again.
Jeremiah 34:12 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jeremiah 34:13 “This is what the LORD, the God
of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your forefathers when I
brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery, saying:
Jeremiah 34:14 Every seventh year, each of you
must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may
serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your
fathers did not listen or incline their ear.
Jeremiah 34:15 Recently you repented and did
what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor.
You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name.
Jeremiah 34:16 But now you have changed your
minds and profaned My name. Each of you has taken back the
menservants and maidservants whom you had set at liberty to go
wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your
slaves.
Jeremiah 34:17 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom,
each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim
freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by
plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the
kingdoms of the earth.
Jeremiah 34:18 And those who have transgressed
My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they
made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two in
order to pass between its pieces.
Jeremiah 34:19 The officials of Judah and
Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of
the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,
Jeremiah 34:20 I will deliver into the hands of
their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food
for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
Jeremiah 34:21 And I will deliver Zedekiah king
of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who
seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had
withdrawn from you.
Jeremiah 34:22 Behold, I am going to give the
command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this
city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down.
And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without
inhabitant.”
Jeremiah 35:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king
of Judah:
Jeremiah 35:2 “Go to the house of the
Rechabites, speak to them, and bring them to one of the chambers
of the house of the LORD to offer them a drink of wine.”
Jeremiah 35:3 So I took Jaazaniah son of
Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his
sons—the entire house of the Rechabites—
Jeremiah 35:4 and I brought them into the house
of the LORD, to a chamber occupied by the sons of Hanan son of
Igdaliah, a man of God. This room was near the chamber of the
officials, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum
the doorkeeper.
Jeremiah 35:5 Then I set pitchers full of wine
and some cups before the men of the house of the Rechabites, and I
said to them, “Drink some wine.”
Jeremiah 35:6 “We do not drink wine,” they
replied, “for our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab commanded us,
‘Neither you nor your descendants are ever to drink wine.
Jeremiah 35:7 Nor are you ever to build a house
or sow seed or plant a vineyard. Those things are not for you.
Instead, you must live in tents all your lives, so that you may
live a long time in the land where you wander.’
Jeremiah 35:8 And we have obeyed the voice of
our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab in all he commanded us. So we
have not drunk wine all our lives—neither we nor our wives nor our
sons and daughters.
Jeremiah 35:9 Nor have we built houses in which
to live, and we have not owned any vineyards or fields or crops.
Jeremiah 35:10 But we have lived in tents and
have obeyed and done exactly as our forefather Jonadab commanded
us.
Jeremiah 35:11 So when Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon marched into the land, we said: ‘Come, let us go into
Jerusalem to escape the armies of the Chaldeans and the Arameans.’
So we have remained in Jerusalem.”
Jeremiah 35:12 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 35:13 “This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the men of Judah and the
residents of Jerusalem: ‘Will you not accept discipline and obey
My words?’ declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 35:14 The words of Jonadab son of
Rechab have been carried out. He commanded his sons not to drink
wine, and they have not drunk it to this very day because they
have obeyed the command of their forefather. But I have spoken to
you again and again, and you have not obeyed Me!
Jeremiah 35:15 Again and again I have sent you
all My servants the prophets, proclaiming: ‘Turn now, each of you,
from your wicked ways, and correct your actions. Do not go after
other gods to serve them. Live in the land that I have given to
you and your fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ear or
listened to Me.
Jeremiah 35:16 Yes, the sons of Jonadab son of
Rechab carried out the command their forefather gave them, but
these people have not listened to Me.
Jeremiah 35:17 Therefore this is what the LORD
God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will bring to
Judah and to all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I
have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them but
they have not obeyed, and I have called to them but they have not
answered.’”
Jeremiah 35:18 Then Jeremiah said to the house
of the Rechabites: “This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says: ‘Because you have obeyed the command of your
forefather Jonadab and have kept all his commandments and have
done all that he charged you to do,
Jeremiah 35:19 this is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: Jonadab son of Rechab will never fail to
have a man to stand before Me.’”
Jeremiah 36:1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim
son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the
LORD:
Jeremiah 36:2 “Take a scroll and write on it all
the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all
the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of
Josiah until today.
Jeremiah 36:3 Perhaps when the people of Judah
hear about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them, each of
them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their
iniquity and their sin.”
Jeremiah 36:4 So Jeremiah called Baruch son of
Neriah, and at the dictation of Jeremiah, Baruch wrote on a scroll
all the words that the LORD had spoken to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 36:5 Then Jeremiah commanded Baruch, “I
am restricted; I cannot enter the house of the LORD;
Jeremiah 36:6 so you are to go to the house of
the LORD on a day of fasting, and in the hearing of the people you
are to read the words of the LORD from the scroll you have written
at my dictation. Read them in the hearing of all the people of
Judah who are coming from their cities.
Jeremiah 36:7 Perhaps they will bring their
petition before the LORD, and each one will turn from his wicked
way; for great are the anger and fury that the LORD has pronounced
against this people.”
Jeremiah 36:8 So Baruch son of Neriah did
everything that Jeremiah the prophet had commanded him. In the
house of the LORD he read the words of the LORD from the scroll.
Jeremiah 36:9 Now in the ninth month of the
fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a fast before
the LORD was proclaimed to all the people of Jerusalem and all who
had come there from the cities of Judah.
Jeremiah 36:10 From the chamber of Gemariah son
of Shaphan the scribe, which was in the upper courtyard at the
opening of the New Gate of the house of the LORD, Baruch read from
the scroll the words of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people.
Jeremiah 36:11 When Micaiah son of Gemariah, the
son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the LORD from the scroll,
Jeremiah 36:12 he went down to the scribe’s
chamber in the king’s palace, where all the officials were
sitting: Elishama the scribe, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan
son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah,
and all the other officials.
Jeremiah 36:13 And Micaiah reported to them all
the words he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing
of the people.
Jeremiah 36:14 Then all the officials sent word
to Baruch through Jehudi son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah,
the son of Cushi, saying, “Bring the scroll that you read in the
hearing of the people, and come here.” So Baruch son of Neriah
took the scroll and went to them.
Jeremiah 36:15 “Please sit down,” they said,
“and read it in our hearing.” So Baruch read it in their hearing.
Jeremiah 36:16 When they had heard all these
words, they turned to one another in fear and said to Baruch,
“Surely we must report all these words to the king.”
Jeremiah 36:17 “Tell us now,” they asked Baruch,
“how did you write all these words? Was it at Jeremiah’s
dictation?”
Jeremiah 36:18 “It was at his dictation,” Baruch
replied. “He recited all these words to me and I wrote them in ink
on the scroll.”
Jeremiah 36:19 Then the officials said to
Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must hide yourselves and tell no one
where you are.”
Jeremiah 36:20 So the officials went to the king
in the courtyard. And having stored the scroll in the chamber of
Elishama the scribe, they reported everything to the king.
Jeremiah 36:21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get
the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the
scribe. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and all the
officials who were standing beside him.
Jeremiah 36:22 Since it was the ninth month, the
king was sitting in his winter quarters with a fire burning before
him.
Jeremiah 36:23 And as soon as Jehudi had read
three or four columns, Jehoiakim would cut them off with a
scribe’s knife and throw them into the firepot, until the entire
scroll had been consumed by the fire.
Jeremiah 36:24 Yet in hearing all these words,
the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their
garments.
Jeremiah 36:25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah,
and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not
listen to them.
Jeremiah 36:26 Instead, the king commanded
Jerahmeel, a son of the king, as well as Seraiah son of Azriel and
Shelemiah son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah
the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.
Jeremiah 36:27 After the king had burned the
scroll containing the words that Baruch had written at Jeremiah’s
dictation, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 36:28 “Take another scroll and rewrite
on it the very words that were on the original scroll, which
Jehoiakim king of Judah has burned.
Jeremiah 36:29 You are to proclaim concerning
Jehoiakim king of Judah that this is what the LORD says: You have
burned the scroll and said, ‘Why have you written on it that the
king of Babylon would surely come and destroy this land and
deprive it of man and beast?’
Jeremiah 36:30 Therefore this is what the LORD
says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on
David’s throne, and his body will be thrown out and exposed to
heat by day and frost by night.
Jeremiah 36:31 I will punish him and his
descendants and servants for their iniquity. I will bring on them,
on the residents of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the
calamity about which I warned them but they did not listen.”
Jeremiah 36:32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll
and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah, and at Jeremiah’s
dictation he wrote on it all the words of the scroll that
Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar
words were added to them.
Jeremiah 37:1 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
made Zedekiah son of Josiah the king of Judah, and he reigned in
place of Coniah son of Jehoiakim.
Jeremiah 37:2 But he and his officers and the
people of the land refused to obey the words that the LORD had
spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
Jeremiah 37:3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son
of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to
Jeremiah the prophet with the message, “Please pray to the LORD
our God for us!”
Jeremiah 37:4 Now Jeremiah was free to come and
go among the people, for they had not yet put him in prison.
Jeremiah 37:5 Pharaoh’s army had left Egypt, and
when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report,
they withdrew from Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 37:6 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah the prophet:
Jeremiah 37:7 “This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says that you are to tell the king of Judah, who sent you
to Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to help you,
will go back to its own land of Egypt.
Jeremiah 37:8 Then the Chaldeans will return and
fight against this city. They will capture it and burn it down.
Jeremiah 37:9 This is what the LORD says: Do not
deceive yourselves by saying, ‘The Chaldeans will go away for
good,’ for they will not!
Jeremiah 37:10 Indeed, if you were to strike
down the entire army of the Chaldeans that is fighting against
you, and only wounded men remained in their tents, they would
still get up and burn this city down.”
Jeremiah 37:11 When the Chaldean army withdrew
from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
Jeremiah 37:12 Jeremiah started to leave
Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to claim his portion there
among the people.
Jeremiah 37:13 But when he reached the Gate of
Benjamin, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of
Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, seized him and said, “You are
deserting to the Chaldeans!”
Jeremiah 37:14 “That is a lie,” Jeremiah
replied. “I am not deserting to the Chaldeans!” But Irijah would
not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and took him to
the officials.
Jeremiah 37:15 The officials were angry with
Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of
Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
Jeremiah 37:16 So Jeremiah went into a cell in
the dungeon and remained there a long time.
Jeremiah 37:17 Later, King Zedekiah sent for
Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him
privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah
replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of
Babylon.”
Jeremiah 37:18 Then Jeremiah asked King
Zedekiah, “How have I sinned against you or your servants or these
people, that you have put me in prison?
Jeremiah 37:19 Where are your prophets who
prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come
against you or this land’?
Jeremiah 37:20 But now please listen, O my lord
the king. May my petition come before you. Do not send me back to
the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”
Jeremiah 37:21 So King Zedekiah gave orders for
Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a
loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the
bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard
of the guard.
Jeremiah 38:1 Now Shephatiah son of Mattan,
Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son
of Malchijah heard that Jeremiah had been telling all the people:
Jeremiah 38:2 “This is what the LORD says:
Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and
plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will
retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.
Jeremiah 38:3 This is what the LORD says: This
city will surely be delivered into the hands of the army of the
king of Babylon, and he will capture it.”
Jeremiah 38:4 Then the officials said to the
king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors
who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking
such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of
these people, but their ruin.”
Jeremiah 38:5 “Here he is,” replied King
Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to
stop you.”
Jeremiah 38:6 So they took Jeremiah and dropped
him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the
courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the
cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down
into the mud.
Jeremiah 38:7 Now Ebed-melech the Cushite, a
court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been
put into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Gate of
Benjamin,
Jeremiah 38:8 Ebed-melech went out from the
king’s palace and said to the king,
Jeremiah 38:9 “My lord the king, these men have
acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet.
They have dropped him into the cistern, where he will starve to
death, for there is no more bread in the city.”
Jeremiah 38:10 So the king commanded Ebed-melech
the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and pull Jeremiah
the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”
Jeremiah 38:11 Then Ebed-melech took the men
with him and went to the king’s palace, to a place below the
storehouse. From there he took old rags and worn-out clothes and
lowered them with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern.
Jeremiah 38:12 Ebed-melech the Cushite cried out
to Jeremiah, “Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your arms
to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so,
Jeremiah 38:13 and they pulled him up with the
ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in
the courtyard of the guard.
Jeremiah 38:14 Then King Zedekiah sent for
Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance to the
house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” said the
king to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”
Jeremiah 38:15 “If I tell you,” Jeremiah
replied, “you will surely put me to death. And even if I give you
advice, you will not listen to me.”
Jeremiah 38:16 But King Zedekiah swore secretly
to Jeremiah, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us this
life, I will not kill you, nor will I deliver you into the hands
of these men who are seeking your life.”
Jeremiah 38:17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,
“This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If
you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then
you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your
household will survive.
Jeremiah 38:18 But if you do not surrender to
the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be
delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans. They will burn it down,
and you yourself will not escape their grasp.’”
Jeremiah 38:19 But King Zedekiah said to
Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have deserted to the
Chaldeans, for the Chaldeans may deliver me into their hands to
abuse me.”
Jeremiah 38:20 “They will not hand you over,”
Jeremiah replied. “Obey the voice of the LORD in what I am telling
you, that it may go well with you and you may live.
Jeremiah 38:21 But if you refuse to surrender,
this is the word that the LORD has shown me:
Jeremiah 38:22 All the women who remain in the
palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials
of the king of Babylon, and those women will say: ‘They misled you
and overcame you—those trusted friends of yours. Your feet sank
into the mire, and they deserted you.’
Jeremiah 38:23 All your wives and children will
be brought out to the Chaldeans. And you yourself will not escape
their grasp, for you will be seized by the king of Babylon, and
this city will be burned down.”
Jeremiah 38:24 Then Zedekiah warned Jeremiah,
“Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you will die.
Jeremiah 38:25 If the officials hear that I have
spoken with you, and they come and demand of you, ‘Tell us what
you said to the king and what he said to you; do not hide it from
us, or we will kill you,’
Jeremiah 38:26 then tell them, ‘I was presenting
to the king my petition that he not return me to the house of
Jonathan to die there.’”
Jeremiah 38:27 When all the officials came to
Jeremiah and questioned him, he relayed to them the exact words
the king had commanded him to say. So they said no more to him,
for no one had overheard the conversation.
Jeremiah 38:28 And Jeremiah remained in the
courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Jeremiah 39:1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king
of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
marched against Jerusalem with his entire army and laid siege to
the city.
Jeremiah 39:2 And on the ninth day of the fourth
month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city was breached.
Jeremiah 39:3 Then all the officials of the king
of Babylon entered and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer of
Samgar, Nebo-sarsekim the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag,
and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah 39:4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and
all the soldiers saw them, they fled. They left the city at night
by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two
walls, and they went out along the route to the Arabah.
Jeremiah 39:5 But the army of the Chaldeans
pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They
seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at
Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.
Jeremiah 39:6 There at Riblah the king of
Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he
also killed all the nobles of Judah.
Jeremiah 39:7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes
and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.
Jeremiah 39:8 The Chaldeans set fire to the
palace of the king and to the houses of the people, and they broke
down the walls of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 39:9 Then Nebuzaradan captain of the
guard carried away to Babylon the remnant of the people who had
remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to
him.
Jeremiah 39:10 But Nebuzaradan left behind in
the land of Judah some of the poor people who had no property, and
at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.
Jeremiah 39:11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon had given orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan
captain of the guard, saying,
Jeremiah 39:12 “Take him, look after him, and do
not let any harm come to him; do for him whatever he says.”
Jeremiah 39:13 So Nebuzaradan captain of the
guard, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and
all the captains of the king of Babylon
Jeremiah 39:14 had Jeremiah brought from the
courtyard of the guard, and they turned him over to Gedaliah son
of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So Jeremiah
remained among his own people.
Jeremiah 39:15 And while Jeremiah had been
confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD had
come to him:
Jeremiah 39:16 “Go and tell Ebed-melech the
Cushite that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel,
says: ‘I am about to fulfill My words against this city for harm
and not for good, and on that day they will be fulfilled before
your eyes.
Jeremiah 39:17 But I will deliver you on that
day, declares the LORD, and you will not be delivered into the
hands of the men whom you fear.
Jeremiah 39:18 For I will surely rescue you so
that you do not fall by the sword. Because you have trusted in Me,
you will escape with your life like a spoil of war, declares the
LORD.’”
Jeremiah 40:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had
released him at Ramah, having found him bound in chains among all
the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to
Babylon.
Jeremiah 40:2 The captain of the guard found
Jeremiah and said to him, “The LORD your God decreed this disaster
on this place,
Jeremiah 40:3 and now the LORD has fulfilled it;
He has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned
against the LORD and have not obeyed His voice, this thing has
happened to you.
Jeremiah 40:4 But now, behold, I am freeing you
today from the chains that were on your wrists. If it pleases you
to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of
you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go
no farther. Look, the whole land is before you. Wherever it seems
good and right to you, go there.”
Jeremiah 40:5 But before Jeremiah turned to go,
Nebuzaradan added, “Return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of
Judah, and stay with him among the people, or go anywhere else
that seems right.” Then the captain of the guard gave him a ration
and a gift and released him.
Jeremiah 40:6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son
of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were
left in the land.
Jeremiah 40:7 When all the commanders and men of
the armies in the field heard that the king of Babylon had
appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put
him in charge of the men, women, and children who were the poorest
of the land and had not been exiled to Babylon,
Jeremiah 40:8 they came to Gedaliah at
Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of
Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the
Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their
men.
Jeremiah 40:9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Do
not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve
the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.
Jeremiah 40:10 As for me, I will stay in Mizpah
to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you,
gather wine grapes, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your
storage jars, and live in the cities you have taken.”
Jeremiah 40:11 When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon,
Edom, and all the other lands heard that the king of Babylon had
left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam,
the son of Shaphan, over them,
Jeremiah 40:12 they all returned from all the
places to which they had been banished and came to the land of
Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered an abundance of
wine grapes and summer fruit.
Jeremiah 40:13 Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah
and all the commanders of the armies in the field came to Gedaliah
at Mizpah
Jeremiah 40:14 and said to him, “Are you aware
that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of
Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not
believe them.
Jeremiah 40:15 Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke
privately to Gedaliah at Mizpah. “Let me go and kill Ishmael son
of Nethaniah,” he said. “No one will know it. Why should he take
your life and scatter all the people of Judah who have gathered to
you, so that the remnant of Judah would perish?”
Jeremiah 40:16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said
to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do such a thing! What you are
saying about Ishmael is a lie.”
Jeremiah 41:1 In the seventh month, Ishmael son
of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal
family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to
Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together
there.
Jeremiah 41:2 Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and
the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son
of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one
whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the land.
Jeremiah 41:3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews
who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers
who were there.
Jeremiah 41:4 On the second day after the murder
of Gedaliah, when no one yet knew about it,
Jeremiah 41:5 eighty men who had shaved off
their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from
Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and
frankincense for the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah 41:6 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah went
out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When Ishmael
encountered the men, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”
Jeremiah 41:7 And when they came into the city,
Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and
threw them into a cistern.
Jeremiah 41:8 But ten of the men among them said
to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasure in the
field—wheat, barley, oil, and honey!” So he refrained from killing
them with the others.
Jeremiah 41:9 Now the cistern into which Ishmael
had thrown all the bodies of the men he had struck down along with
Gedaliah was a large one that King Asa had made for fear of Baasha
king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.
Jeremiah 41:10 Then Ishmael took captive all the
remnant of the people of Mizpah—the daughters of the king along
with all the others who remained in Mizpah—over whom Nebuzaradan
captain of the guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael
son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to
the Ammonites.
Jeremiah 41:11 When Johanan son of Kareah and
all the commanders of the armies with him heard of all the crimes
that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed,
Jeremiah 41:12 they took all their men and went
to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. And they found him near the
great pool in Gibeon.
Jeremiah 41:13 When all the people with Ishmael
saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the army with
him, they rejoiced,
Jeremiah 41:14 and all the people whom Ishmael
had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of
Kareah.
Jeremiah 41:15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and
eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went to the Ammonites.
Jeremiah 41:16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and
all the commanders of the armies with him took the whole remnant
of the people from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son
of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the
soldiers, women, children, and court officials he had brought back
from Gibeon.
Jeremiah 41:17 And they went and stayed in
Geruth Chimham, near Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt
Jeremiah 41:18 to escape the Chaldeans. For they
were afraid of the Chaldeans because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had
struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had
appointed over the land.
Jeremiah 42:1 Then all the commanders of the
forces, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of
Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest,
approached
Jeremiah 42:2 Jeremiah the prophet and said,
“May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on
behalf of this entire remnant. For few of us remain of the many,
as you can see with your own eyes.
Jeremiah 42:3 Pray that the LORD your God will
tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.”
Jeremiah 42:4 “I have heard you,” replied
Jeremiah the prophet. “I will surely pray to the LORD your God as
you request, and I will tell you everything that the LORD answers;
I will not withhold a word from you.”
Jeremiah 42:5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May
the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not
act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us.
Jeremiah 42:6 Whether it is pleasant or
unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we
are sending you, so that it may go well with us, for we will obey
the voice of the LORD our God!”
Jeremiah 42:7 After ten days the word of the
LORD came to Jeremiah,
Jeremiah 42:8 and he summoned Johanan son of
Kareah, all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and
all the people from the least to the greatest.
Jeremiah 42:9 Jeremiah told them, “Thus says the
LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your
petition:
Jeremiah 42:10 ‘If you will indeed stay in this
land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant
you and not uproot you, for I will relent of the disaster I have
brought upon you.
Jeremiah 42:11 Do not be afraid of the king of
Babylon, whom you now fear; do not be afraid of him, declares the
LORD, for I am with you to save you and deliver you from him.
Jeremiah 42:12 And I will show you compassion,
and he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own
land.’
Jeremiah 42:13 But if you say, ‘We will not stay
in this land,’ and you thus disobey the voice of the LORD your
God,
Jeremiah 42:14 and if you say, ‘No, but we will
go to the land of Egypt and live there, where we will not see war
or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hunger for bread,’
Jeremiah 42:15 then hear the word of the LORD, O
remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and reside
there,
Jeremiah 42:16 then the sword you fear will
overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow on your
heels into Egypt, and you will die there.
Jeremiah 42:17 So all who resolve to go to Egypt
to reside there will die by sword and famine and plague. Not one
of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring upon
them.’
Jeremiah 42:18 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as My anger and wrath were
poured out on the residents of Jerusalem, so will My wrath be
poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of
cursing and horror, of vilification and disgrace, and you will
never see this place again.’
Jeremiah 42:19 The LORD has told you, O remnant
of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned
you today!
Jeremiah 42:20 For you have deceived yourselves
by sending me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray to the LORD our
God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell
it to us and we will do it.’
Jeremiah 42:21 For I have told you today, but
you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has
sent me to tell you.
Jeremiah 42:22 Now therefore, know for sure that
by sword and famine and plague you will die in the place where you
desire to go to reside.”
Jeremiah 43:1 When Jeremiah had finished telling
all the people all the words of the LORD their God—everything that
the LORD had sent him to say—
Jeremiah 43:2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan
son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are
lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go
to Egypt to reside there.’
Jeremiah 43:3 Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is
inciting you against us to deliver us into the hands of the
Chaldeans, so that they may put us to death or exile us to
Babylon!”
Jeremiah 43:4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all
the commanders of the forces disobeyed the command of the LORD to
stay in the land of Judah.
Jeremiah 43:5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and
all the commanders of the forces took the whole remnant of Judah,
those who had returned to the land of Judah from all the nations
to which they had been scattered,
Jeremiah 43:6 the men, the women, the children,
the king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan captain of the
guard had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son
of Shaphan, as well as Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of
Neriah.
Jeremiah 43:7 So they entered the land of Egypt
because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, and they went as
far as Tahpanhes.
Jeremiah 43:8 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah at Tahpanhes:
Jeremiah 43:9 “In the sight of the Jews, pick up
some large stones and bury them in the clay of the brick pavement
at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes.
Jeremiah 43:10 Then tell them that this is what
the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will send for My
servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne
over these stones that I have embedded, and he will spread his
royal pavilion over them.
Jeremiah 43:11 He will come and strike down the
land of Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death,
captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those
destined for the sword.
Jeremiah 43:12 I will kindle a fire in the
temples of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn those
temples and take their gods as captives. So he will wrap himself
with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his garment,
and he will depart from there unscathed.
Jeremiah 43:13 He will demolish the sacred
pillars of the temple of the sun in the land of Egypt, and he will
burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”
Jeremiah 44:1 This is the word that came to
Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in the land of Egypt—in
Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis—and in the land of Pathros:
Jeremiah 44:2 “This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster that I
brought against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold,
they lie today in ruins and desolation
Jeremiah 44:3 because of the evil they have
done. They provoked Me to anger by continuing to burn incense and
to serve other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers
ever knew.
Jeremiah 44:4 Yet I sent you all My servants the
prophets again and again, saying: ‘Do not do this detestable thing
that I hate.’
Jeremiah 44:5 But they did not listen or incline
their ears; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop
burning incense to other gods.
Jeremiah 44:6 Therefore My wrath and anger
poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem, so that they have become the desolate ruin they are
today.
Jeremiah 44:7 So now, this is what the LORD God
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great
harm to yourselves by cutting off from Judah man and woman, child
and infant, leaving yourselves without a remnant?
Jeremiah 44:8 Why are you provoking Me to anger
by the work of your hands by burning incense to other gods in the
land of Egypt, where you have gone to reside? As a result, you
will be cut off and will become an object of cursing and reproach
among all the nations of the earth.
Jeremiah 44:9 Have you forgotten the wickedness
of your fathers and of the kings of Judah and their wives, as well
as the wickedness that you and your wives committed in the land of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Jeremiah 44:10 To this day they have not humbled
themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed My
instruction or the statutes that I set before you and your
fathers.
Jeremiah 44:11 Therefore this is what the LORD
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will set My face to bring
disaster and to cut off all Judah.
Jeremiah 44:12 And I will take away the remnant
of Judah who have resolved to go to the land of Egypt to reside
there; they will meet their end. They will all fall by the sword
or be consumed by famine. From the least to the greatest, they
will die by sword or famine; and they will become an object of
cursing and horror, of vilification and reproach.
Jeremiah 44:13 I will punish those who live in
the land of Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem, by sword and
famine and plague,
Jeremiah 44:14 so that none of the remnant of
Judah who have gone to reside in Egypt will escape or survive to
return to the land of Judah, where they long to return and live;
for none will return except a few fugitives.”
Jeremiah 44:15 Then all the men who knew that
their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women
standing by—a great assembly—along with all the people living in
the land of Egypt and in Pathros, said to Jeremiah,
Jeremiah 44:16 “As for the word you have spoken
to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
Jeremiah 44:17 Instead, we will do everything we
vowed to do: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer
drink offerings to her, just as we, our fathers, our kings, and
our officials did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and good things, and
we saw no disaster.
Jeremiah 44:18 But from the time we stopped
burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink
offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been
perishing by sword and famine.”
Jeremiah 44:19 “Moreover,” said the women, “when
we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink
offerings to her, was it without our husbands’ knowledge that we
made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings
to her?”
Jeremiah 44:20 Then Jeremiah said to all the
people, both men and women, who were answering him,
Jeremiah 44:21 “As for the incense you burned in
the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—you, your
fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the
land—did the LORD not remember and bring this to mind?
Jeremiah 44:22 So the LORD could no longer
endure the evil deeds and detestable acts you committed, and your
land became a desolation, a horror, and an object of cursing,
without inhabitant, as it is this day.
Jeremiah 44:23 Because you burned incense and
sinned against the LORD, and did not obey the voice of the LORD or
walk in His instruction, His statutes, and His testimonies, this
disaster has befallen you, as you see today.”
Jeremiah 44:24 Then Jeremiah said to all the
people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all
those of Judah who are in the land of Egypt.
Jeremiah 44:25 This is what the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel, says: As for you and your wives, you have
spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands your words:
‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made to burn incense
to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Go
ahead, then, do what you have promised! Keep your vows!
Jeremiah 44:26 Nevertheless, hear the word of
the LORD, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: Behold, I have
sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that never again will any
man of Judah living in the land of Egypt invoke My name or say,
‘As surely as the Lord GOD lives.’
Jeremiah 44:27 I am watching over them for harm
and not for good, and every man of Judah who is in the land of
Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine, until they are
finished off.
Jeremiah 44:28 Those who escape the sword will
return from Egypt to Judah, few in number, and the whole remnant
of Judah who went to dwell in the land of Egypt will know whose
word will stand, Mine or theirs!
Jeremiah 44:29 This will be a sign to you that I
will punish you in this place, declares the LORD, so that you may
know that My threats of harm against you will surely stand.
Jeremiah 44:30 This is what the LORD says:
Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands
of his enemies who seek his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah
king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the
enemy who was seeking his life.”
Jeremiah 45:1 This is the word that Jeremiah the
prophet spoke to Baruch son of Neriah when he wrote these words on
a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah in the fourth year of
Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:
Jeremiah 45:2 “This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says to you, Baruch:
Jeremiah 45:3 You have said, ‘Woe is me because
the LORD has added sorrow to my pain! I am worn out with groaning
and have found no rest.’”
Jeremiah 45:4 Thus Jeremiah was to say to
Baruch: “This is what the LORD says: Throughout the land I will
demolish what I have built and uproot what I have planted.
Jeremiah 45:5 But as for you, do you seek great
things for yourself? Stop seeking! For I will bring disaster on
every living creature, declares the LORD, but wherever you go, I
will grant your life as a spoil of war.”
Jeremiah 46:1 This is the word of the LORD about
the nations—the word that came to Jeremiah the prophet
Jeremiah 46:2 concerning Egypt and the army of
Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on
the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the
fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:
Jeremiah 46:3 “Deploy your shields, small and
large; advance for battle!
Jeremiah 46:4 Harness the horses; mount the
steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears;
put on armor!
Jeremiah 46:5 Why am I seeing this? They are
terrified, they are retreating; their warriors are defeated, they
flee in haste without looking back; terror is on every side!”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 46:6 “The swift cannot flee, and the
warrior cannot escape! In the north by the River Euphrates they
stumble and fall.
Jeremiah 46:7 Who is this, rising like the Nile,
like rivers whose waters churn?
Jeremiah 46:8 Egypt rises like the Nile, and its
waters churn like rivers, boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the
earth; I will destroy the cities and their people.’
Jeremiah 46:9 Advance, O horses! Race furiously,
O chariots! Let the warriors come forth—Cush and Put carrying
their shields, men of Lydia drawing the bow.
Jeremiah 46:10 For that day belongs to the Lord
GOD of Hosts, a day of vengeance against His foes. The sword will
devour until it is satisfied, until it is quenched with their
blood. For the Lord GOD of Hosts will hold a sacrifice in the land
of the north by the River Euphrates.
Jeremiah 46:11 Go up to Gilead for balm, O
Virgin Daughter of Egypt! In vain you try many remedies, but for
you there is no healing.
Jeremiah 46:12 The nations have heard of your
shame, and your outcry fills the earth, because warrior stumbles
over warrior and both of them have fallen together.”
Jeremiah 46:13 This is the word that the LORD
spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:
Jeremiah 46:14 “Announce it in Egypt, and
proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it in Memphis and Tahpanhes: ‘Take
your positions and prepare yourself, for the sword devours those
around you.’
Jeremiah 46:15 Why have your warriors been laid
low? They cannot stand, for the LORD has thrust them down.
Jeremiah 46:16 They continue to stumble; indeed,
they have fallen over one another. They say, ‘Get up! Let us
return to our people and to the land of our birth, away from the
sword of the oppressor.’
Jeremiah 46:17 There they will cry out: ‘Pharaoh
king of Egypt was all noise; he has let the appointed time pass
him by.’
Jeremiah 46:18 As surely as I live, declares the
King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts, there will come one who is
like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea.
Jeremiah 46:19 Pack your bags for exile, O
daughter dwelling in Egypt! For Memphis will be laid waste,
destroyed and uninhabited.
Jeremiah 46:20 Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but
a gadfly from the north is coming against her.
Jeremiah 46:21 Even the mercenaries among her
are like fattened calves. They too will turn back; together they
will flee, they will not stand their ground, for the day of
calamity is coming upon them—the time of their punishment.
Jeremiah 46:22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing
serpent, for the enemy will advance in force; with axes they will
come against her like woodsmen cutting down trees.
Jeremiah 46:23 They will chop down her forest,
declares the LORD, dense though it may be, for they are more
numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted.
Jeremiah 46:24 The Daughter of Egypt will be put
to shame; she will be delivered into the hands of the people of
the north.”
Jeremiah 46:25 The LORD of Hosts, the God of
Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes,
along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who
trust in Pharaoh.
Jeremiah 46:26 I will deliver them into the
hands of those who seek their lives—of Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon and his officers. But after this, Egypt will be inhabited
as in days of old, declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 46:27 But you, O Jacob My servant, do
not be afraid, and do not be dismayed, O Israel. For I will surely
save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of
their captivity! Jacob will return to quiet and ease, with no one
to make him afraid.
Jeremiah 46:28 And you, My servant Jacob, do not
be afraid, declares the LORD, for I am with you. Though I will
completely destroy all the nations to which I have banished you, I
will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly,
and will by no means leave you unpunished.”
Jeremiah 47:1 This is the word of the LORD that
came to Jeremiah the prophet about the Philistines before Pharaoh
struck down Gaza.
Jeremiah 47:2 This is what the LORD says: “See
how the waters are rising from the north and becoming an
overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and its fullness,
the cities and their inhabitants. The people will cry out, and all
who dwell in the land will wail
Jeremiah 47:3 at the sound of the galloping
hooves of stallions, the rumbling of chariots, and the clatter of
their wheels. The fathers will not turn back for their sons; their
hands will hang limp.
Jeremiah 47:4 For the day has come to destroy
all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every
remaining ally. Indeed, the LORD is about to destroy the
Philistines, the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.
Jeremiah 47:5 The people of Gaza will shave
their heads in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. O remnant of
their valley, how long will you gash yourself?
Jeremiah 47:6 ‘Alas, O sword of the LORD, how
long until you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still!’
Jeremiah 47:7 How can it rest when the LORD has
commanded it? He has appointed it against Ashkelon and the shore
of its coastland.”
Jeremiah 48:1 Concerning Moab, this is what the
LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will
be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the
fortress will be shattered and dismantled.
Jeremiah 48:2 There is no longer praise for
Moab; in Heshbon they devise evil against her: ‘Come, let us cut
her off from nationhood.’ You too, O people of Madmen, will be
silenced; the sword will pursue you.
Jeremiah 48:3 A voice cries out from Horonaim:
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
Jeremiah 48:4 Moab will be shattered; her little
ones will cry out.
Jeremiah 48:5 For on the ascent to Luhith they
weep bitterly as they go, and on the descent to Horonaim cries of
distress resound over the destruction:
Jeremiah 48:6 ‘Flee! Run for your lives! Become
like a juniper in the desert.’
Jeremiah 48:7 Because you trust in your works
and treasures, you too will be captured, and Chemosh will go into
exile with his priests and officials.
Jeremiah 48:8 The destroyer will move against
every city, and not one town will escape. The valley will also be
ruined, and the high plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has
said.
Jeremiah 48:9 Put salt on Moab, for she will be
laid waste; her cities will become desolate, with no one to dwell
in them.
Jeremiah 48:10 Cursed is the one who is remiss
in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his
sword from bloodshed.
Jeremiah 48:11 Moab has been at ease from youth,
settled like wine on its dregs; he has not been poured from vessel
to vessel or gone into exile. So his flavor has remained the same,
and his aroma is unchanged.
Jeremiah 48:12 Therefore behold, the days are
coming, declares the LORD, when I will send to him wanderers, who
will pour him out. They will empty his vessels and shatter his
jars.
Jeremiah 48:13 Then Moab will be ashamed of
Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed when they trusted
in Bethel.
Jeremiah 48:14 How can you say, ‘We are
warriors, mighty men ready for battle’?
Jeremiah 48:15 Moab has been destroyed and its
towns have been invaded; the best of its young men have gone down
in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of
Hosts.
Jeremiah 48:16 Moab’s calamity is at hand, and
his affliction is rushing swiftly.
Jeremiah 48:17 Mourn for him, all you who
surround him, everyone who knows his name; tell how the mighty
scepter is shattered—the glorious staff!
Jeremiah 48:18 Come down from your glory; sit on
parched ground, O daughter dwelling in Dibon, for the destroyer of
Moab has come against you; he has destroyed your fortresses.
Jeremiah 48:19 Stand by the road and watch, O
dweller of Aroer! Ask the man fleeing or the woman escaping, ‘What
has happened?’
Jeremiah 48:20 Moab is put to shame, for it has
been shattered. Wail and cry out! Declare by the Arnon that Moab
is destroyed.
Jeremiah 48:21 Judgment has come upon the high
plain—upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath,
Jeremiah 48:22 upon Dibon, Nebo, and
Beth-diblathaim,
Jeremiah 48:23 upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and
Beth-meon,
Jeremiah 48:24 upon Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the
towns of Moab, those far and near.
Jeremiah 48:25 The horn of Moab has been cut
off, and his arm is broken,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 48:26 “Make him drunk, because he has
magnified himself against the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his own
vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.
Jeremiah 48:27 Was not Israel your object of
ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak
of him you shake your head.
Jeremiah 48:28 Abandon the towns and settle
among the rocks, O dwellers of Moab! Be like a dove that nests at
the mouth of a cave.
Jeremiah 48:29 We have heard of Moab’s
pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his proud arrogance
and haughtiness of heart.
Jeremiah 48:30 I know his insolence,” declares
the LORD, “but it is futile. His boasting is as empty as his
deeds.
Jeremiah 48:31 Therefore I will wail for Moab; I
will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of
Kir-heres.
Jeremiah 48:32 I will weep for you, O vine of
Sibmah, more than I weep for Jazer. Your tendrils have extended to
the sea; they reach even to Jazer. The destroyer has descended on
your summer fruit and grape harvest.
Jeremiah 48:33 Joy and gladness are removed from
the orchard and from the fields of Moab. I have stopped the flow
of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy;
their shouts are not for joy.
Jeremiah 48:34 There is a cry from Heshbon to
Elealeh; they raise their voices to Jahaz, from Zoar to Horonaim
and Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim have dried
up.
Jeremiah 48:35 In Moab, declares the LORD, I
will bring an end to those who make offerings on the high places
and burn incense to their gods.
Jeremiah 48:36 Therefore My heart laments like a
flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres,
because the wealth they acquired has perished.
Jeremiah 48:37 For every head is shaved and
every beard is clipped; on every hand is a gash, and around every
waist is sackcloth.
Jeremiah 48:38 On all the rooftops of Moab and
in the public squares, everyone is mourning; for I have shattered
Moab like an unwanted jar,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 48:39 “How shattered it is! How they
wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! Moab has become an
object of ridicule and horror to all those around him.”
Jeremiah 48:40 For this is what the LORD says:
“Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
Jeremiah 48:41 Kirioth has been taken, and the
strongholds seized. In that day the heart of Moab’s warriors will
be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Jeremiah 48:42 Moab will be destroyed as a
nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.
Jeremiah 48:43 Terror and pit and snare await
you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 48:44 “Whoever flees the panic will
fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught
in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their
punishment,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 48:45 “Those who flee will stand
helpless in Heshbon’s shadow, because fire has gone forth from
Heshbon and a flame from within Sihon. It devours the foreheads of
Moab and the skulls of the sons of tumult.
Jeremiah 48:46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of
Chemosh have perished; for your sons have been taken into exile
and your daughters have gone into captivity.
Jeremiah 48:47 Yet in the latter days I will
restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the
judgment on Moab.
Jeremiah 49:1 Concerning the Ammonites, this is
what the LORD says: “Has Israel no sons? Is he without heir? Why
then has Milcom taken possession of Gad? Why have his people
settled in their cities?
Jeremiah 49:2 Therefore, behold, the days are
coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry
against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a heap of ruins,
and its villages will be burned. Then Israel will drive out their
dispossessors, says the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:3 Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been
destroyed; cry out, O daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth and
mourn; run back and forth within your walls, for Milcom will go
into exile together with his priests and officials.
Jeremiah 49:4 Why do you boast of your
valleys—your valleys so fruitful, O faithless daughter? You trust
in your riches and say, ‘Who can come against me?’
Jeremiah 49:5 Behold, I am about to bring terror
upon you, declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, from all those around
you. You will each be driven headlong, with no one to regather the
fugitives.
Jeremiah 49:6 Yet afterward I will restore the
Ammonites from captivity,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:7 Concerning Edom, this is what the
LORD of Hosts says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has
counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?
Jeremiah 49:8 Turn and run! Lie low, O dwellers
of Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time I punish
him.
Jeremiah 49:9 If grape gatherers came to you,
would they not leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the
night, would they not steal only what they wanted?
Jeremiah 49:10 But I will strip Esau bare; I
will uncover his hiding places, and he will be unable to conceal
himself. His descendants will be destroyed along with his
relatives and neighbors, and he will be no more.
Jeremiah 49:11 Abandon your orphans; I will
preserve their lives. Let your widows trust in Me.”
Jeremiah 49:12 For this is what the LORD says:
“If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can
you possibly remain unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for
you must drink it too.
Jeremiah 49:13 For by Myself I have sworn,
declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a
disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins
forever.”
Jeremiah 49:14 I have heard a message from the
LORD; an envoy has been sent to the nations: “Assemble yourselves
to march against her! Rise up for battle!”
Jeremiah 49:15 “For behold, I will make you
small among nations, despised among men.
Jeremiah 49:16 The terror you cause and the
pride of your heart have deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of
the rocks, O occupiers of the mountain summit. Though you elevate
your nest like the eagle, even from there I will bring you down,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:17 “Edom will become an object of
horror. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff at all her
wounds.
Jeremiah 49:18 As Sodom and Gomorrah were
overthrown along with their neighbors,” says the LORD, “no one
will dwell there; no man will abide there.
Jeremiah 49:19 Behold, one will come up like a
lion from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture. For
in an instant I will chase Edom from her land. Who is the chosen
one I will appoint for this? For who is like Me, and who can
challenge Me? What shepherd can stand against Me?”
Jeremiah 49:20 Therefore hear the plans that the
LORD has drawn up against Edom and the strategies He has devised
against the people of Teman: Surely the little ones of the flock
will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made
desolate because of them.
Jeremiah 49:21 At the sound of their fall the
earth will quake; their cry will resound to the Red Sea.
Jeremiah 49:22 Look! An eagle will soar and
swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the
hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in
labor.
Jeremiah 49:23 Concerning Damascus: “Hamath and
Arpad are put to shame, for they have heard a bad report; they are
agitated like the sea; their anxiety cannot be calmed.
Jeremiah 49:24 Damascus has become feeble; she
has turned to flee. Panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have
seized her like a woman in labor.
Jeremiah 49:25 How is the city of praise not
forsaken, the town that brings Me joy?
Jeremiah 49:26 For her young men will fall in
the streets, and all her warriors will be silenced in that day,”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
Jeremiah 49:27 “I will set fire to the walls of
Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-hadad.”
Jeremiah 49:28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms
of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated, this is
what the LORD says: “Rise up, advance against Kedar, and destroy
the people of the east!
Jeremiah 49:29 They will take their tents and
flocks, their tent curtains and all their goods. They will take
their camels for themselves. They will shout to them: ‘Terror is
on every side!’
Jeremiah 49:30 Run! Escape quickly! Lie low, O
residents of Hazor,” declares the LORD, “for Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon has drawn up a plan against you; he has devised a
strategy against you.
Jeremiah 49:31 Rise up, advance against a nation
at ease, one that dwells securely,” declares the LORD. “They have
no gates or bars; they live alone.
Jeremiah 49:32 Their camels will become plunder,
and their large herds will be spoil. I will scatter to the wind in
every direction those who shave their temples; I will bring
calamity on them from all sides,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:33 “Hazor will become a haunt for
jackals, a desolation forever. No one will dwell there; no man
will abide there.”
Jeremiah 49:34 This is the word of the LORD that
came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam at the beginning of
the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.
Jeremiah 49:35 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their
might.
Jeremiah 49:36 I will bring the four winds
against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will
scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to
which Elam’s exiles will not go.
Jeremiah 49:37 So I will shatter Elam before
their foes, before those who seek their lives. I will bring
disaster upon them, even My fierce anger,” declares the LORD. “I
will send out the sword after them until I finish them off.
Jeremiah 49:38 I will set My throne in Elam, and
destroy its king and officials,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 49:39 “Yet in the last days, I will
restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:1 This is the word that the LORD
spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land
of the Chaldeans:
Jeremiah 50:2 “Announce and declare to the
nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when
you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is
shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in
pieces.’
Jeremiah 50:3 For a nation from the north will
come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will
live in it; both man and beast will flee.”
Jeremiah 50:4 “In those days and at that time,
declares the LORD, the children of Israel and the children of
Judah will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the
LORD their God.
Jeremiah 50:5 They will ask the way to Zion and
turn their faces toward it. They will come and join themselves to
the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.
Jeremiah 50:6 My people are lost sheep; their
shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the
mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have
forgotten their resting place.
Jeremiah 50:7 All who found them devoured them,
and their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned
against the LORD, their true pasture, the LORD, the hope of their
fathers.’
Jeremiah 50:8 Flee from the midst of Babylon;
depart from the land of the Chaldeans; be like the he-goats that
lead the flock.
Jeremiah 50:9 For behold, I stir up and bring
against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the
north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be
captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not
return empty-handed.
Jeremiah 50:10 Chaldea will be plundered; all
who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:11 “Because you rejoice, because you
sing in triumph—you who plunder My inheritance—because you frolic
like a heifer treading grain and neigh like stallions,
Jeremiah 50:12 your mother will be greatly
ashamed; she who bore you will be disgraced. Behold, she will be
the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
Jeremiah 50:13 Because of the wrath of the LORD,
she will not be inhabited; she will become completely desolate.
All who pass through Babylon will be horrified and will hiss at
all her wounds.
Jeremiah 50:14 Line up in formation around
Babylon, all you who draw the bow! Shoot at her! Spare no arrows!
For she has sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:15 Raise a war cry against her on
every side! She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her towers
have fallen; her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance
of the LORD, take out your vengeance upon her; as she has done, do
the same to her.
Jeremiah 50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon,
and the one who wields the sickle at harvest time. In the face of
the oppressor’s sword, each will turn to his own people, each will
flee to his own land.
Jeremiah 50:17 Israel is a scattered flock,
chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of
Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon.”
Jeremiah 50:18 Therefore this is what the LORD
of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of
Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.
Jeremiah 50:19 I will return Israel to his
pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan; his soul will be
satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
Jeremiah 50:20 In those days and at that time,
declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but
there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be
found; for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.
Jeremiah 50:21 Go up against the land of
Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and
devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:22 “The noise of battle is in the
land—the noise of great destruction.
Jeremiah 50:23 How the hammer of the whole earth
lies broken and shattered! What a horror Babylon has become among
the nations!
Jeremiah 50:24 I laid a snare for you, O
Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it. You were found
and captured because you challenged the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:25 The LORD has opened His armory
and brought out His weapons of wrath, for this is the work of the
Lord GOD of Hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
Jeremiah 50:26 Come against her from the
farthest border. Break open her granaries; pile her up like mounds
of grain. Devote her to destruction; leave her no survivors.
Jeremiah 50:27 Kill all her young bulls; let
them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has
come—the time of their punishment.
Jeremiah 50:28 Listen to the fugitives and
refugees from the land of Babylon, declaring in Zion the vengeance
of the LORD our God, the vengeance for His temple.
Jeremiah 50:29 Summon the archers against
Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one
escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has
done. For she has defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
Jeremiah 50:30 Therefore, her young men will
fall in the streets, and all her warriors will be silenced in that
day,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:31 “Behold, I am against you, O
arrogant one,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, “for your day has
come, the time when I will punish you.
Jeremiah 50:32 The arrogant one will stumble and
fall with no one to pick him up. And I will kindle a fire in his
cities to consume all those around him.”
Jeremiah 50:33 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as
well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to release them.
Jeremiah 50:34 Their Redeemer is strong; the
LORD of Hosts is His name. He will fervently plead their case so
that He may bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to those who live
in Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:35 A sword is against the Chaldeans,
declares the LORD, against those who live in Babylon, and against
her officials and wise men.
Jeremiah 50:36 A sword is against her false
prophets, and they will become fools. A sword is against her
warriors, and they will be filled with terror.
Jeremiah 50:37 A sword is against her horses and
chariots and against all the foreigners in her midst, and they
will become like women. A sword is against her treasuries, and
they will be plundered.
Jeremiah 50:38 A drought is upon her waters, and
they will be dried up. For it is a land of graven images, and the
people go mad over idols.
Jeremiah 50:39 So the desert creatures and
hyenas will live there and ostriches will dwell there. It will
never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to
generation.
Jeremiah 50:40 As God overthrew Sodom and
Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one
will dwell there; no man will abide there.
Jeremiah 50:41 Behold, an army is coming from
the north; a great nation and many kings are stirred up from the
ends of the earth.
Jeremiah 50:42 They grasp the bow and spear;
they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and
they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you,
O Daughter of Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:43 The king of Babylon has heard the
report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain
like that of a woman in labor.
Jeremiah 50:44 Behold, one will come up like a
lion from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture. For
in an instant I will chase Babylon from her land. Who is the
chosen one I will appoint for this? For who is like Me, and who
can challenge Me? What shepherd can stand against Me?”
Jeremiah 50:45 Therefore hear the plans that the
LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has
devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones
of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be
made desolate because of them.
Jeremiah 50:46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture
the earth will quake; a cry will be heard among the nations.
Jeremiah 51:1 This is what the LORD says:
“Behold, I will stir up against Babylon and against the people of
Leb-kamai the spirit of a destroyer.
Jeremiah 51:2 I will send strangers to Babylon
to winnow her and empty her land; for they will come against her
from every side in her day of disaster.
Jeremiah 51:3 Do not let the archer bend his bow
or put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; devote all her
army to destruction!
Jeremiah 51:4 And they will fall slain in the
land of the Chaldeans, and pierced through in her streets.
Jeremiah 51:5 For Israel and Judah have not been
abandoned by their God, the LORD of Hosts, though their land is
full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.”
Jeremiah 51:6 Flee from Babylon! Escape with
your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the
time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves.
Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon was a gold cup in the hand
of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her
wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
Jeremiah 51:8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and
been shattered. Wail for her; get her balm for her pain; perhaps
she can be healed.
Jeremiah 51:9 “We tried to heal Babylon, but she
could not be healed. Abandon her! Let each of us go to his own
land, for her judgment extends to the sky and reaches to the
clouds.”
Jeremiah 51:10 “The LORD has brought forth our
vindication; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has
accomplished.”
Jeremiah 51:11 Sharpen the arrows! Fill the
quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the
Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it
is the vengeance of the LORD—vengeance for His temple.
Jeremiah 51:12 Raise a banner against the walls
of Babylon; post the guard; station the watchmen; prepare the
ambush. For the LORD has both devised and accomplished what He
spoke against the people of Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:13 You who dwell by many waters,
rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is
cut.
Jeremiah 51:14 The LORD of Hosts has sworn by
Himself: “Surely I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and
they will shout in triumph over you.”
Jeremiah 51:15 The LORD made the earth by His
power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out
the heavens by His understanding.
Jeremiah 51:16 When He thunders, the waters in
the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of
the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings
forth the wind from His storehouses.
Jeremiah 51:17 Every man is senseless and devoid
of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For
his molten images are a fraud, and there is no breath in them.
Jeremiah 51:18 They are worthless, a work to be
mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.
Jeremiah 51:19 The Portion of Jacob is not like
these, for He is the Maker of all things, and of the tribe of His
inheritance—the LORD of Hosts is His name.
Jeremiah 51:20 “You are My war club, My weapon
for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms
to ruin.
Jeremiah 51:21 With you I shatter the horse and
rider; with you I shatter the chariot and driver.
Jeremiah 51:22 With you I shatter man and woman;
with you I shatter the old man and the youth; with you I shatter
the young man and the maiden.
Jeremiah 51:23 With you I shatter the shepherd
and his flock; with you I shatter the farmer and his oxen; with
you I shatter the governors and officials.
Jeremiah 51:24 Before your very eyes I will
repay Babylon and all the dwellers of Chaldea for all the evil
they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:25 “Behold, I am against you, O
destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares
the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you
over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain.
Jeremiah 51:26 No one shall retrieve from you a
cornerstone or a foundation stone, because you will become
desolate forever,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:27 “Raise a banner in the land! Blow
the ram’s horn among the nations! Prepare the nations against her.
Summon the kingdoms against her—Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a captain against her; bring up horses like swarming
locusts.
Jeremiah 51:28 Prepare the nations for battle
against her—the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their
officials, and all the lands they rule.
Jeremiah 51:29 The earth quakes and writhes
because the LORD’s intentions against Babylon stand: to make the
land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.
Jeremiah 51:30 The warriors of Babylon have
stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their strength is
exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon’s homes have been
set ablaze, the bars of her gates are broken.
Jeremiah 51:31 One courier races to meet
another, and messenger follows messenger, to announce to the king
of Babylon that his city has been captured from end to end.
Jeremiah 51:32 The fords have been seized, the
marshes set on fire, and the soldiers are terrified.”
Jeremiah 51:33 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “The Daughter of Babylon is like a
threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while
her harvest time will come.”
Jeremiah 51:34 “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has devoured me; he has crushed me. He has set me aside like an
empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he filled his
belly with my delicacies and vomited me out.
Jeremiah 51:35 May the violence done to me and
to my flesh be upon Babylon,” says the dweller of Zion. “May my
blood be on the dwellers of Chaldea,” says Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 51:36 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance on your
behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her springs run dry.
Jeremiah 51:37 Babylon will become a heap of
rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn,
without inhabitant.
Jeremiah 51:38 They will roar together like
young lions; they will growl like lion cubs.
Jeremiah 51:39 While they are flushed with heat,
I will serve them a feast, and I will make them drunk so that they
may revel; then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up,
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:40 I will bring them down like lambs
to the slaughter, like rams with male goats.
Jeremiah 51:41 How Sheshach has been captured!
The praise of all the earth has been seized. What a horror Babylon
has become among the nations!
Jeremiah 51:42 The sea has come up over Babylon;
she is covered in turbulent waves.
Jeremiah 51:43 Her cities have become a
desolation, a dry and arid land, a land where no one lives, where
no son of man passes through.
Jeremiah 51:44 I will punish Bel in Babylon. I
will make him spew out what he swallowed. The nations will no
longer stream to him; even the wall of Babylon will fall.
Jeremiah 51:45 Come out of her, My people! Save
your lives, each of you, from the fierce anger of the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:46 Do not let your heart grow faint,
and do not be afraid when the rumor is heard in the land; for a
rumor will come one year—and then another the next year—of
violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.
Jeremiah 51:47 Therefore, behold, the days are
coming when I will punish the idols of Babylon. Her entire land
will suffer shame, and all her slain will lie fallen within her.
Jeremiah 51:48 Then heaven and earth and all
that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon because the
destroyers from the north will come against her,” declares the
LORD.
Jeremiah 51:49 “Babylon must fall on account of
the slain of Israel, just as the slain of all the earth have
fallen because of Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:50 You who have escaped the sword,
depart and do not linger! Remember the LORD from far away, and let
Jerusalem come to mind.”
Jeremiah 51:51 “We are ashamed because we have
heard reproach; disgrace has covered our faces, because foreigners
have entered the holy places of the LORD’s house.”
Jeremiah 51:52 “Therefore, behold, the days are
coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish her idols, and
throughout her land the wounded will groan.
Jeremiah 51:53 Even if Babylon ascends to the
heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, the destroyers I send
will come against her,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 51:54 “The sound of a cry comes from
Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the
Chaldeans!
Jeremiah 51:55 For the LORD will destroy
Babylon; He will silence her mighty voice. The waves will roar
like great waters; the tumult of their voices will resound.
Jeremiah 51:56 For a destroyer is coming against
her—against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured, and their bows
will be broken, for the LORD is a God of retribution; He will
repay in full.
Jeremiah 51:57 I will make her princes and wise
men drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then
they will fall asleep forever and not wake up,” declares the King,
whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
Jeremiah 51:58 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Babylon’s thick walls will be leveled, and her high gates
consumed by fire. So the labor of the people will be for nothing;
the nations will exhaust themselves to fuel the flames.”
Jeremiah 51:59 This is the message that Jeremiah
the prophet gave to the quartermaster Seraiah son of Neriah, the
son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with King Zedekiah of
Judah in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign.
Jeremiah 51:60 Jeremiah had written on a single
scroll about all the disaster that would come upon Babylon—all
these words that had been written concerning Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah,
“When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud,
Jeremiah 51:62 and say, ‘O LORD, You have
promised to cut off this place so that no one will remain—neither
man nor beast. Indeed, it will be desolate forever.’
Jeremiah 51:63 When you finish reading this
scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates.
Jeremiah 51:64 Then you are to say, ‘In the same
way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the
disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’”
Here end the words of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 52:1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old
when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His
mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from
Libnah.
Jeremiah 52:2 And Zedekiah did evil in the sight
of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done.
Jeremiah 52:3 For because of the anger of the
LORD, all this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until He finally
banished them from His presence. And Zedekiah also rebelled
against the king of Babylon.
Jeremiah 52:4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s
reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They
encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
Jeremiah 52:5 And the city was kept under siege
until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
Jeremiah 52:6 By the ninth day of the fourth
month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the
land had no food.
Jeremiah 52:7 Then the city was breached; and
though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war
fled the city by night by way of the gate between the two walls
near the king’s garden. They headed toward the Arabah,
Jeremiah 52:8 but the army of the Chaldeans
pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho,
and all his army was separated from him.
Jeremiah 52:9 The Chaldeans seized the king and
brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of
Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on Zedekiah.
Jeremiah 52:10 There at Riblah the king of
Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he
also killed all the officials of Judah.
Jeremiah 52:11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes,
bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he
kept him in custody until his dying day.
Jeremiah 52:12 On the tenth day of the fifth
month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over
Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king
of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 52:13 He burned down the house of the
LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every
significant building.
Jeremiah 52:14 And the whole army of the
Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down all the walls
around Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 52:15 Then Nebuzaradan captain of the
guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who
remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to
the king of Babylon and the rest of the craftsmen.
Jeremiah 52:16 But Nebuzaradan captain of the
guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the
vineyards and fields.
Jeremiah 52:17 Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up
the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of
the LORD, and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.
Jeremiah 52:18 They also took away the pots,
shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and all the
articles of bronze used in the temple service.
Jeremiah 52:19 The captain of the guard also
took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,
pans, and drink offering bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine
silver.
Jeremiah 52:20 As for the two pillars, the Sea,
the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands that King
Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the
bronze from all these articles was beyond measure.
Jeremiah 52:21 Each pillar was eighteen cubits
tall and twelve cubits in circumference; each was hollow, four
fingers thick.
Jeremiah 52:22 The bronze capital atop one
pillar was five cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates
all around. The second pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar.
Jeremiah 52:23 Each capital had ninety-six
pomegranates on the sides, and a total of a hundred pomegranates
were above the surrounding network.
Jeremiah 52:24 The captain of the guard also
took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second
rank, and the three doorkeepers.
Jeremiah 52:25 Of those still in the city, he
took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war,
as well as seven trusted royal advisers. He also took the scribe
of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the
land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
Jeremiah 52:26 Nebuzaradan captain of the guard
took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
Jeremiah 52:27 There at Riblah in the land of
Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to
death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.
Jeremiah 52:28 These are the people
Nebuchadnezzar carried away: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
Jeremiah 52:29 in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth
year, 832 people from Jerusalem;
Jeremiah 52:30 in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third
year, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried away 745 Jews. So
in all, 4,600 people were taken away.
Jeremiah 52:31 On the twenty-fifth day of the
twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of
Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the first year of the reign of
Evil-merodach king of Babylon, he pardoned Jehoiachin king of
Judah and released him from prison.
Jeremiah 52:32 And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin
and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were
with him in Babylon.
Jeremiah 52:33 So Jehoiachin changed out of his
prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the
rest of his life.
Jeremiah 52:34 And the king of Babylon provided
Jehoiachin a daily portion for the rest of his life, until the day
of his death.
LAMENTATIONS
Lamentations 1:1 How lonely lies the city, once
so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become
a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave.
Lamentations 1:2 She weeps aloud in the night,
with tears upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one
to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have
become her enemies.
Lamentations 1:3 Judah has gone into exile under
affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but
finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the
midst of her distress.
Lamentations 1:4 The roads to Zion mourn,
because no one comes to her appointed feasts. All her gates are
deserted; her priests groan, her maidens grieve, and she herself
is bitter with anguish.
Lamentations 1:5 Her foes have become her
masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her
grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone
away as captives before the enemy.
Lamentations 1:6 All the splendor has departed
from the Daughter of Zion. Her princes are like deer that find no
pasture; they lack the strength to flee in the face of the hunter.
Lamentations 1:7 In the days of her affliction
and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers
in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands she received
no help. Her enemies looked upon her, laughing at her downfall.
Lamentations 1:8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly;
therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her
now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself
groans and turns away.
Lamentations 1:9 Her uncleanness stains her
skirts; she did not consider her end. Her downfall was astounding;
there was no one to comfort her. Look, O LORD, on my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed!
Lamentations 1:10 The adversary has seized all
her treasures. For she has seen the nations enter her
sanctuary—those You had forbidden to enter Your assembly.
Lamentations 1:11 All her people groan as they
search for bread. They have traded their treasures for food to
keep themselves alive. Look, O LORD, and consider, for I have
become despised.
Lamentations 1:12 Is this nothing to you, all
you who pass by? Look around and see! Is there any sorrow like
mine, which was inflicted on me, which the LORD made me suffer on
the day of His fierce anger?
Lamentations 1:13 He sent fire from on high, and
it overpowered my bones. He spread a net for my feet and turned me
back. He made me desolate, faint all the day long.
Lamentations 1:14 My transgressions are bound
into a yoke, knit together by His hand; they are draped over my
neck, and the Lord has broken my strength. He has delivered me
into the hands of those I cannot withstand.
Lamentations 1:15 The Lord has rejected all the
mighty men in my midst; He has summoned an army against me to
crush my young warriors. Like grapes in a winepress, the Lord has
trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah.
Lamentations 1:16 For these things I weep; my
eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no
one to revive my soul. My children are destitute because the enemy
has prevailed.
Lamentations 1:17 Zion stretches out her hands,
but there is no one to comfort her. The LORD has decreed against
Jacob that his neighbors become his foes. Jerusalem has become an
unclean thing among them.
Lamentations 1:18 The LORD is righteous, for I
have rebelled against His command. Listen, all you people; look
upon my suffering. My young men and maidens have gone into
captivity.
Lamentations 1:19 I called out to my lovers, but
they have betrayed me. My priests and elders perished in the city
while they searched for food to keep themselves alive.
Lamentations 1:20 See, O LORD, how distressed I
am! I am churning within; my heart is pounding within me, for I
have been most rebellious. Outside, the sword bereaves; inside,
there is death.
Lamentations 1:21 People have heard my groaning,
but there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my
trouble; they are glad that You have caused it. May You bring the
day You have announced, so that they may become like me.
Lamentations 1:22 Let all their wickedness come
before You, and deal with them as You have dealt with me because
of all my transgressions. For my groans are many, and my heart is
faint.
Lamentations 2:1 How the Lord has covered the
Daughter of Zion with the cloud of His anger! He has cast the
glory of Israel from heaven to earth. He has abandoned His
footstool in the day of His anger.
Lamentations 2:2 Without pity the Lord has
swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. In His wrath He has
demolished the fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah. He
brought to the ground and defiled her kingdom and its princes.
Lamentations 2:3 In fierce anger He has cut off
every horn of Israel and withdrawn His right hand at the approach
of the enemy. He has burned in Jacob like a flaming fire that
consumes everything around it.
Lamentations 2:4 He has bent His bow like an
enemy; His right hand is positioned. Like a foe He has killed all
who were pleasing to the eye; He has poured out His wrath like
fire on the tent of the Daughter of Zion.
Lamentations 2:5 The Lord is like an enemy; He
has swallowed up Israel. He has swallowed up all her palaces and
destroyed her strongholds. He has multiplied mourning and
lamentation for the Daughter of Judah.
Lamentations 2:6 He has laid waste His
tabernacle like a garden booth; He has destroyed His place of
meeting. The LORD has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and
Sabbaths. In His fierce anger He has despised both king and
priest.
Lamentations 2:7 The Lord has rejected His
altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls
of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a
shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed
feast.
Lamentations 2:8 The LORD determined to destroy
the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring
line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the
ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away.
Lamentations 2:9 Her gates have sunk into the
ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and
her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and
even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.
Lamentations 2:10 The elders of the Daughter of
Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their
heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have
bowed their heads to the ground.
Lamentations 2:11 My eyes fail from weeping; I
am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief over the
destruction of the daughter of my people, because children and
infants faint in the streets of the city.
Lamentations 2:12 They cry out to their mothers:
“Where is the grain and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in
the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of
their mothers.
Lamentations 2:13 What can I say for you? To
what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I
liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For
your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you?
Lamentations 2:14 The visions of your prophets
were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward
off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty
and misleading.
Lamentations 2:15 All who pass by clap their
hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the
Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the
perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?”
Lamentations 2:16 All your enemies open their
mouths against you. They hiss and gnash their teeth, saying, “We
have swallowed her up. This is the day for which we have waited.
We have lived to see it!”
Lamentations 2:17 The LORD has done what He
planned; He has accomplished His decree, which He ordained in days
of old; He has overthrown you without pity. He has let the enemy
gloat over you and exalted the horn of your foes.
Lamentations 2:18 The hearts of the people cry
out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears
run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and
your eyes no rest.
Lamentations 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night
from the first watch of the night. Pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the
lives of your children who are fainting from hunger on the corner
of every street.
Lamentations 2:20 Look, O LORD, and consider:
Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their
offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and
prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?
Lamentations 2:21 Both young and old lie
together in the dust of the streets. My young men and maidens have
fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of Your anger;
You have slaughtered them without compassion.
Lamentations 2:22 You summoned my attackers on
every side, as for the day of an appointed feast. In the day of
the LORD’s anger no one escaped or survived; my enemy has
destroyed those I nurtured and reared.
Lamentations 3:1 I am the man who has seen
affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.
Lamentations 3:2 He has driven me away and made
me walk in darkness instead of light.
Lamentations 3:3 Indeed, He keeps turning His
hand against me all day long.
Lamentations 3:4 He has worn away my flesh and
skin; He has shattered my bones.
Lamentations 3:5 He has besieged me and
surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
Lamentations 3:6 He has made me dwell in
darkness like those dead for ages.
Lamentations 3:7 He has walled me in so I cannot
escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
Lamentations 3:8 Even when I cry out and plead
for help, He shuts out my prayer.
Lamentations 3:9 He has barred my ways with cut
stones; He has made my paths crooked.
Lamentations 3:10 He is a bear lying in wait, a
lion hiding in ambush.
Lamentations 3:11 He forced me off my path and
tore me to pieces; He left me without help.
Lamentations 3:12 He bent His bow and set me as
the target for His arrow.
Lamentations 3:13 He pierced my kidneys with His
arrows.
Lamentations 3:14 I am a laughingstock to all my
people; they mock me in song all day long.
Lamentations 3:15 He has filled me with
bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood.
Lamentations 3:16 He has ground my teeth with
gravel and trampled me in the dust.
Lamentations 3:17 My soul has been deprived of
peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is.
Lamentations 3:18 So I say, “My strength has
perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”
Lamentations 3:19 Remember my affliction and
wandering, the wormwood and the gall.
Lamentations 3:20 Surely my soul remembers and
is humbled within me.
Lamentations 3:21 Yet I call this to mind, and
therefore I have hope:
Lamentations 3:22 Because of the loving devotion
of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
Lamentations 3:23 They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!
Lamentations 3:24 “The LORD is my portion,” says
my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those who
wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:26 It is good to wait quietly for
the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:27 It is good for a man to bear
the yoke while he is still young.
Lamentations 3:28 Let him sit alone in silence,
for God has disciplined him.
Lamentations 3:29 Let him bury his face in the
dust—perhaps there is still hope.
Lamentations 3:30 Let him offer his cheek to the
one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
Lamentations 3:31 For the Lord will not cast us
off forever.
Lamentations 3:32 Even if He causes grief, He
will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion.
Lamentations 3:33 For He does not willingly
afflict or grieve the sons of men.
Lamentations 3:34 To crush underfoot all the
prisoners of the land,
Lamentations 3:35 to deny a man justice before
the Most High,
Lamentations 3:36 to subvert a man in his
lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.
Lamentations 3:37 Who has spoken and it came to
pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
Lamentations 3:38 Do not both adversity and good
come from the mouth of the Most High?
Lamentations 3:39 Why should any mortal man
complain, in view of his sins?
Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine and test our
ways, and turn back to the LORD.
Lamentations 3:41 Let us lift up our hearts and
hands to God in heaven:
Lamentations 3:42 “We have sinned and rebelled;
You have not forgiven.”
Lamentations 3:43 You have covered Yourself in
anger and pursued us; You have killed without pity.
Lamentations 3:44 You have covered Yourself with
a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
Lamentations 3:45 You have made us scum and
refuse among the nations.
Lamentations 3:46 All our enemies open their
mouths against us.
Lamentations 3:47 Panic and pitfall have come
upon us—devastation and destruction.
Lamentations 3:48 Streams of tears flow from my
eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Lamentations 3:49 My eyes overflow unceasingly,
without relief,
Lamentations 3:50 until the LORD looks down from
heaven and sees.
Lamentations 3:51 My eyes bring grief to my soul
because of all the daughters of my city.
Lamentations 3:52 Without cause my enemies
hunted me like a bird.
Lamentations 3:53 They dropped me alive into a
pit and cast stones upon me.
Lamentations 3:54 The waters flowed over my
head, and I thought I was going to die.
Lamentations 3:55 I called on Your name, O LORD,
out of the depths of the Pit.
Lamentations 3:56 You heard my plea: “Do not
ignore my cry for relief.”
Lamentations 3:57 You drew near when I called on
You; You said, “Do not be afraid.”
Lamentations 3:58 You defend my cause, O Lord;
You redeem my life.
Lamentations 3:59 You have seen, O LORD, the
wrong done to me; vindicate my cause!
Lamentations 3:60 You have seen all their
malice, all their plots against me.
Lamentations 3:61 O LORD, You have heard their
insults, all their plots against me—
Lamentations 3:62 the slander and murmuring of
my assailants against me all day long.
Lamentations 3:63 When they sit and when they
rise, see how they mock me in song.
Lamentations 3:64 You will pay them back what
they deserve, O LORD, according to the work of their hands.
Lamentations 3:65 Put a veil of anguish over
their hearts; may Your curse be upon them!
Lamentations 3:66 You will pursue them in anger
and exterminate them from under Your heavens, O LORD.
Lamentations 4:1 How the gold has become
tarnished, the pure gold has become dull! The gems of the temple
lie scattered on every street corner.
Lamentations 4:2 How the precious sons of Zion,
once worth their weight in pure gold, are now esteemed as jars of
clay, the work of a potter’s hands!
Lamentations 4:3 Even jackals offer their
breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has
become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness.
Lamentations 4:4 The nursing infant’s tongue
clings in thirst to the roof of his mouth. Little children beg for
bread, but no one gives them any.
Lamentations 4:5 Those who once ate delicacies
are destitute in the streets; those brought up in crimson huddle
in ash heaps.
Lamentations 4:6 The punishment of the daughter
of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown
in an instant without a hand turned to help her.
Lamentations 4:7 Her dignitaries were brighter
than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than
rubies, their appearance like sapphires.
Lamentations 4:8 But now their appearance is
blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their
skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a
stick.
Lamentations 4:9 Those slain by the sword are
better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced
with pain because the fields lack produce.
Lamentations 4:10 The hands of compassionate
women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the
destruction of the daughter of my people.
Lamentations 4:11 The LORD has exhausted His
wrath; He has poured out His fierce anger; He has kindled a fire
in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations.
Lamentations 4:12 The kings of the earth did not
believe, nor any people of the world, that an enemy or a foe could
enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Lamentations 4:13 But this was for the sins of
her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of
the righteous in her midst.
Lamentations 4:14 They wandered blind in the
streets, defiled by this blood, so that no one dared to touch
their garments.
Lamentations 4:15 “Go away! Unclean!” men
shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” So they fled and
wandered. Among the nations it was said, “They can stay here no
longer.”
Lamentations 4:16 The presence of the LORD has
scattered them; He regards them no more. The priests are shown no
honor; the elders find no favor.
Lamentations 4:17 All the while our eyes were
failing as we looked in vain for help. We watched from our towers
for a nation that could not save us.
Lamentations 4:18 They stalked our every step,
so that we could not walk in our streets. Our end drew near, our
time ran out, for our end had come!
Lamentations 4:19 Those who chased us were
swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the
mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
Lamentations 4:20 The LORD’s anointed, the
breath of our life, was captured in their pits. We had said of
him, “Under his shadow we will live among the nations.”
Lamentations 4:21 So rejoice and be glad, O
Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Yet the cup
will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself.
Lamentations 4:22 O Daughter of Zion, your
punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He
will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your
sins.
Lamentations 5:1 Remember, O LORD, what has
happened to us. Look and see our disgrace!
Lamentations 5:2 Our inheritance has been turned
over to strangers, our houses to foreigners.
Lamentations 5:3 We have become fatherless
orphans; our mothers are widows.
Lamentations 5:4 We must buy the water we drink;
our wood comes at a price.
Lamentations 5:5 We are closely pursued; we are
weary and find no rest.
Lamentations 5:6 We submitted to Egypt and
Assyria to get enough bread.
Lamentations 5:7 Our fathers sinned and are no
more, but we bear their punishment.
Lamentations 5:8 Slaves rule over us; there is
no one to deliver us from their hands.
Lamentations 5:9 We get our bread at the risk of
our lives because of the sword in the wilderness.
Lamentations 5:10 Our skin is as hot as an oven
with fever from our hunger.
Lamentations 5:11 Women have been ravished in
Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah.
Lamentations 5:12 Princes have been hung up by
their hands; elders receive no respect.
Lamentations 5:13 Young men toil at millstones;
boys stagger under loads of wood.
Lamentations 5:14 The elders have left the city
gate; the young men have stopped their music.
Lamentations 5:15 Joy has left our hearts; our
dancing has turned to mourning.
Lamentations 5:16 The crown has fallen from our
head. Woe to us, for we have sinned!
Lamentations 5:17 Because of this, our hearts
are faint; because of these, our eyes grow dim—
Lamentations 5:18 because of Mount Zion, which
lies desolate, patrolled by foxes.
Lamentations 5:19 You, O LORD, reign forever;
Your throne endures from generation to generation.
Lamentations 5:20 Why have You forgotten us
forever? Why have You forsaken us for so long?
Lamentations 5:21 Restore us to Yourself, O
LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,
Lamentations 5:22 unless You have utterly
rejected us and remain angry with us beyond measure.
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 1:1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth
day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River
Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.
Ezekiel 1:2 On the fifth day of the month—it was
the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
Ezekiel 1:3 the word of the LORD came directly
to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the
Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon
him.
Ezekiel 1:4 I looked and saw a whirlwind coming
from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth
and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire was a
gleam like amber,
Ezekiel 1:5 and within it was the form of four
living creatures. And this was their appearance: They had a human
form,
Ezekiel 1:6 but each had four faces and four
wings.
Ezekiel 1:7 Their legs were straight, and the
soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, gleaming like
polished bronze.
Ezekiel 1:8 Under their wings on their four
sides they had human hands. All four living creatures had faces
and wings,
Ezekiel 1:9 and their wings were touching one
another. They did not turn as they moved; each one went straight
ahead.
Ezekiel 1:10 The form of their faces was that of
a man, and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right
side, the face of an ox on the left side, and also the face of an
eagle.
Ezekiel 1:11 Such were their faces. Their wings
were spread upward; each had two wings touching the wings of the
creature on either side, and two wings covering its body.
Ezekiel 1:12 Each creature went straight ahead.
Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as
they moved.
Ezekiel 1:13 In the midst of the living
creatures was the appearance of glowing coals of fire, or of
torches. Fire moved back and forth between the living creatures;
it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.
Ezekiel 1:14 The creatures were darting back and
forth as quickly as flashes of lightning.
Ezekiel 1:15 When I looked at the living
creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with
its four faces.
Ezekiel 1:16 The workmanship of the wheels
looked like the gleam of beryl, and all four had the same
likeness. Their workmanship looked like a wheel within a wheel.
Ezekiel 1:17 As they moved, they went in any of
the four directions, without pivoting as they moved.
Ezekiel 1:18 Their rims were high and awesome,
and all four rims were full of eyes all around.
Ezekiel 1:19 So as the living creatures moved,
the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the
ground, the wheels also rose.
Ezekiel 1:20 Wherever the spirit would go, they
would go, and the wheels would rise alongside them, because the
spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:21 When the creatures moved, the
wheels moved; when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood
still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels
rose alongside them, because the spirit of the living creatures
was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:22 Spread out above the heads of the
living creatures was the likeness of an awesome expanse, gleaming
like crystal.
Ezekiel 1:23 And under the expanse, their wings
stretched out toward one another. Each one also had two wings
covering its body.
Ezekiel 1:24 When the creatures moved, I heard
the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the
voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood
still, they lowered their wings.
Ezekiel 1:25 And there came a voice from above
the expanse over their heads as they stood still with their wings
lowered.
Ezekiel 1:26 Above the expanse over their heads
was the likeness of a throne with the appearance of sapphire, and
on the throne high above was a figure like that of a man.
Ezekiel 1:27 From what seemed to be His waist
up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire within it
all around. And from what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what
looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him.
Ezekiel 1:28 The appearance of the brilliant
light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a
rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of
the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice
speaking.
Ezekiel 2:1 “Son of man,” He said to me, “stand
up on your feet and I will speak to you.”
Ezekiel 2:2 And as He spoke to me, the Spirit
entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.
Ezekiel 2:3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “I am
sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has
rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have
rebelled against Me.
Ezekiel 2:4 They are obstinate and stubborn
children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them,
‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’
Ezekiel 2:5 And whether they listen or refuse to
listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a
prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel 2:6 But you, son of man, do not be
afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and
thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be
afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they
are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 2:7 But speak My words to them, whether
they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.
Ezekiel 2:8 And you, son of man, listen to what
I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open
your mouth and eat what I give you.”
Ezekiel 2:9 Then I looked and saw a hand
reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,
Ezekiel 2:10 which He unrolled before me. And
written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation,
mourning, and woe.
Ezekiel 3:1 “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat
what you find here. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the
house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 3:2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me
the scroll.
Ezekiel 3:3 “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat
and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate,
and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3:4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go
now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them.
Ezekiel 3:5 For you are not being sent to a
people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the
house of Israel—
Ezekiel 3:6 not to the many peoples of
unfamiliar speech and difficult language whose words you cannot
understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have
listened to you.
Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will be
unwilling to listen to you, since they are unwilling to listen to
Me. For the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.
Ezekiel 3:8 Behold, I will make your face as
hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.
Ezekiel 3:9 I will make your forehead like a
diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or dismayed
at their presence, even though they are a rebellious house.”
Ezekiel 3:10 “Son of man,” He added, “listen
carefully to all the words I speak to you, and take them to heart.
Ezekiel 3:11 Go to your people, the exiles;
speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’
whether they listen or refuse to listen.”
Ezekiel 3:12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I
heard a great rumbling sound behind me: ‘Blessed be the glory of
the LORD in His dwelling place!’
Ezekiel 3:13 It was the sound of the wings of
the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of
the wheels beside them, a great rumbling sound.
Ezekiel 3:14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took
me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit,
with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
Ezekiel 3:15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib
who dwelt by the River Kebar. And for seven days I sat where they
sat and remained there among them, overwhelmed.
Ezekiel 3:16 At the end of seven days the word
of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 3:17 “Son of man, I have made you a
watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My
mouth, give them a warning from Me.
Ezekiel 3:18 If I say to the wicked man, ‘You
will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him
from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in
his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.
Ezekiel 3:19 But if you warn a wicked man and he
does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die
in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.
Ezekiel 3:20 Now if a righteous man turns from
his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling
block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will
die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be
remembered. And I will hold you responsible for his blood.
Ezekiel 3:21 But if you warn the righteous man
not to sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he
heeded your warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
Ezekiel 3:22 And there the hand of the LORD was
upon me, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and
there I will speak with you.”
Ezekiel 3:23 So I got up and went out to the
plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD was present there, like
the glory I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell facedown.
Ezekiel 3:24 Then the Spirit entered me and set
me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself
inside your house.
Ezekiel 3:25 And you, son of man, they will tie
with ropes, and you will be bound so that you cannot go out among
the people.
Ezekiel 3:26 I will make your tongue stick to
the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to
rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3:27 But when I speak with you, I will
open your mouth, and you are to tell them, ‘This is what the Lord
GOD says.’ Whoever listens, let him listen; and whoever refuses,
let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 4:1 “Now you, son of man, take a brick,
place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 4:2 Then lay siege against it: Construct
a siege wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it, and
place battering rams around it on all sides.
Ezekiel 4:3 Then take an iron plate and set it
up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face
toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be
a sign to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 4:4 Then lie down on your left side and
place the iniquity of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are
to bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your
side.
Ezekiel 4:5 For I have assigned to you 390 days,
according to the number of years of their iniquity. So you shall
bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 4:6 When you have completed these days,
lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of
the house of Judah. I have assigned to you 40 days, a day for each
year.
Ezekiel 4:7 You must turn your face toward the
siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
Ezekiel 4:8 Now behold, I will tie you up with
ropes so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished
the days of your siege.
Ezekiel 4:9 But take wheat, barley, beans,
lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and
make them into bread for yourself. This is what you are to eat
during the 390 days you lie on your side.
Ezekiel 4:10 You are to weigh out twenty shekels
of food to eat each day, and you are to eat it at set times.
Ezekiel 4:11 You are also to measure out a sixth
of a hin of water to drink, and you are to drink it at set times.
Ezekiel 4:12 And you shall eat the food as you
would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement
in the sight of the people.”
Ezekiel 4:13 Then the LORD said, “This is how
the Israelites will eat their defiled bread among the nations to
which I will banish them.”
Ezekiel 4:14 “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have
never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten
anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has
ever entered my mouth.”
Ezekiel 4:15 “Look,” He replied, “I will let you
use cow dung instead of human excrement, and you may bake your
bread over that.”
Ezekiel 4:16 Then He told me, “Son of man, I am
going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will
anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will
drink water by measure.
Ezekiel 4:17 So they will lack food and water;
they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in
their iniquity.
Ezekiel 5:1 “As for you, son of man, take a
sharp sword, use it as a barber’s razor, and shave your head and
beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.
Ezekiel 5:2 When the days of the siege have
ended, you are to burn up a third of the hair inside the city; you
are also to take a third and slash it with the sword all around
the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind. For I will
unleash a sword behind them.
Ezekiel 5:3 But you are to take a few strands of
hair and secure them in the folds of your garment.
Ezekiel 5:4 Again, take a few of these, throw
them into the fire, and burn them. From there a fire will spread
to the whole house of Israel.
Ezekiel 5:5 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations,
with countries all around her.
Ezekiel 5:6 But she has rebelled against My
ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against My statutes
worse than the countries around her. For her people have rejected
My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes.’
Ezekiel 5:7 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘You have been more insubordinate than the nations around
you; you have not walked in My statutes or kept My ordinances, nor
have you even conformed to the ordinances of the nations around
you.’
Ezekiel 5:8 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Behold, I Myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will
execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations.
Ezekiel 5:9 Because of all your abominations, I
will do to you what I have never done before and will never do
again.
Ezekiel 5:10 As a result, fathers among you will
eat their sons, and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute
judgments against you and scatter all your remnant to every wind.’
Ezekiel 5:11 Therefore as surely as I live,
declares the Lord GOD, because you have defiled My sanctuary with
all your detestable idols and abominations, I Myself will withdraw
My favor; I will not look upon you with pity, nor will I spare
you.
Ezekiel 5:12 A third of your people will die by
plague or be consumed by famine within you, a third will fall by
the sword outside your walls, and a third I will scatter to every
wind and unleash a sword behind them.
Ezekiel 5:13 And when My anger is spent and I
have vented My wrath against them, I will be appeased. And when I
have spent My wrath on them, they will know that I, the LORD, in
My zeal have spoken.
Ezekiel 5:14 I will make you a ruin and a
disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of all who
pass by.
Ezekiel 5:15 So you will be a reproach and a
taunt, a warning and a horror to the nations around you, when I
execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging fury. I,
the LORD, have spoken.
Ezekiel 5:16 When I shower you with the deadly
arrows of famine and destruction that I will send to destroy you,
I will intensify the famine against you and cut off your supply of
food.
Ezekiel 5:17 I will send famine and wild beasts
against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and
bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against
you. I, the LORD, have spoken.”
Ezekiel 6:1 And the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
Ezekiel 6:2 “Son of man, set your face against
the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them.
Ezekiel 6:3 You are to say: ‘O mountains of
Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! This is what the Lord GOD
says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am
about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high
places.
Ezekiel 6:4 Your altars will be demolished and
your incense altars will be smashed; and I will cast down your
slain before your idols.
Ezekiel 6:5 I will lay the corpses of the
Israelites before their idols and scatter your bones around your
altars.
Ezekiel 6:6 Wherever you live, the cities will
be laid waste and the high places will be demolished, so that your
altars will be laid waste and desecrated, your idols smashed and
obliterated, your incense altars cut down, and your works blotted
out.
Ezekiel 6:7 The slain will fall among you, and
you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 6:8 Yet I will leave a remnant, for some
of you will escape the sword when you are scattered among the
nations and throughout the lands.
Ezekiel 6:9 Then in the nations to which they
have been carried captive, your survivors will remember Me—how I
have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from
Me, and by their eyes that lusted after idols. So they will loathe
themselves for the evil they have done and for all their
abominations.
Ezekiel 6:10 And they will know that I am the
LORD; I did not declare in vain that I would bring this calamity
upon them.
Ezekiel 6:11 This is what the Lord GOD says:
Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and cry out “Alas!” because of
all the wicked abominations of the house of Israel, who will fall
by sword and famine and plague.
Ezekiel 6:12 He who is far off will die by the
plague, he who is near will fall by the sword, and he who remains
will die by famine. So I will vent My fury upon them.
Ezekiel 6:13 Then you will know that I am the
LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars,
on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every green
tree and leafy oak—the places where they offered fragrant incense
to all their idols.
Ezekiel 6:14 I will stretch out My hand against
them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate
waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I
am the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 7:1 And the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
Ezekiel 7:2 “O son of man, this is what the Lord
GOD says to the land of Israel: ‘The end! The end has come upon
the four corners of the land.
Ezekiel 7:3 The end is now upon you, and I will
unleash My anger against you. I will judge you according to your
ways and repay you for all your abominations.
Ezekiel 7:4 I will not look on you with pity,
nor will I spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for
the abominations among you. Then you will know that I am the
LORD.’
Ezekiel 7:5 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Disaster! An unprecedented disaster—behold, it is coming!
Ezekiel 7:6 The end has come! The end has come!
It has roused itself against you. Behold, it has come!
Ezekiel 7:7 Doom has come to you, O inhabitants
of the land. The time has come; the day is near; there is panic on
the mountains instead of shouts of joy.
Ezekiel 7:8 Very soon I will pour out My wrath
upon you and vent My anger against you; I will judge you according
to your ways and repay you for all your abominations.
Ezekiel 7:9 I will not look on you with pity,
nor will I spare you, but I will punish you for your ways and for
the abominations among you. Then you will know that it is I, the
LORD, who strikes the blow.
Ezekiel 7:10 Behold, the day is here! It has
come! Doom has gone out, the rod has budded, arrogance has
bloomed.
Ezekiel 7:11 Their violence has grown into a rod
to punish their wickedness. None of them will remain: none of
their multitude, none of their wealth, and nothing of value.
Ezekiel 7:12 The time has come; the day has
arrived. Let the buyer not rejoice and the seller not mourn, for
wrath is upon the whole multitude.
Ezekiel 7:13 The seller will surely not recover
what he sold while both remain alive. For the vision concerning
the whole multitude will not be revoked, and because of their
iniquity, not one of them will preserve his life.
Ezekiel 7:14 They have blown the trumpet and
made everything ready, but no one goes to war, for My wrath is
upon the whole multitude.
Ezekiel 7:15 The sword is outside; plague and
famine are within. Those in the country will die by the sword, and
those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague.
Ezekiel 7:16 The survivors will escape and live
in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valley, each for his
own iniquity.
Ezekiel 7:17 Every hand will go limp, and every
knee will turn to water.
Ezekiel 7:18 They will put on sackcloth, and
terror will overwhelm them. Shame will cover all their faces, and
all their heads will be shaved.
Ezekiel 7:19 They will throw their silver into
the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and
gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They
cannot satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs with wealth,
for it became the stumbling block that brought their iniquity.
Ezekiel 7:20 His beautiful ornaments they
transformed into pride and used them to fashion their vile images
and detestable idols. Therefore I will make these into something
unclean for them.
Ezekiel 7:21 And I will hand these things over
as plunder to foreigners and loot to the wicked of the earth, who
will defile them.
Ezekiel 7:22 I will turn My face away from them,
and they will defile My treasured place. Violent men will enter
it, and they will defile it.
Ezekiel 7:23 Forge the chain, for the land is
full of crimes of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence.
Ezekiel 7:24 So I will bring the most wicked of
nations to take possession of their houses. I will end the pride
of the mighty, and their holy places will be profaned.
Ezekiel 7:25 Anguish is coming! They will seek
peace, but find none.
Ezekiel 7:26 Disaster upon disaster will come,
and rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a
prophet, but instruction from the priests will perish, as will
counsel from the elders.
Ezekiel 7:27 The king will mourn, the prince
will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the
land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their
conduct, and I will judge them by their own standards. Then they
will know that I am the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 8:1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day
of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of
Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord GOD
fell upon me.
Ezekiel 8:2 Then I looked and saw a figure like
that of a man. From His waist down His appearance was like fire,
and from His waist up He was as bright as the gleam of amber.
Ezekiel 8:3 He stretched out what looked like a
hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me
up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to
Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court,
where the idol that provokes jealousy was seated.
Ezekiel 8:4 And there I saw the glory of the God
of Israel, like the vision I had seen in the plain.
Ezekiel 8:5 “Son of man,” He said to me, “now
lift up your eyes to the north.” So I lifted up my eyes to the
north, and in the entrance north of the Altar Gate I saw this idol
of jealousy.
Ezekiel 8:6 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do you
see what they are doing—the great abominations that the house of
Israel is committing—to drive Me far from My sanctuary? Yet you
will see even greater abominations.”
Ezekiel 8:7 Then He brought me to the entrance
to the court, and I looked and saw a hole in the wall.
Ezekiel 8:8 “Son of man,” He told me, “dig
through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and discovered a
doorway.
Ezekiel 8:9 Then He said to me, “Go in and see
the wicked abominations they are committing here.”
Ezekiel 8:10 So I went in and looked, and
engraved all around the wall was every kind of crawling creature
and detestable beast, along with all the idols of the house of
Israel.
Ezekiel 8:11 Before them stood seventy elders of
the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among
them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of
incense was rising.
Ezekiel 8:12 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do
you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the
darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying,
‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
Ezekiel 8:13 Again, He told me, “You will see
them committing even greater abominations.”
Ezekiel 8:14 Then He brought me to the entrance
of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women
sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.
Ezekiel 8:15 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do
you see this? Yet you will see even greater abominations than
these.”
Ezekiel 8:16 So He brought me to the inner court
of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple
of the LORD, between the portico and the altar, were about
twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and
their faces toward the east; and they were bowing to the east in
worship of the sun.
Ezekiel 8:17 “Son of man,” He said to me, “do
you see this? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit
the abominations they are practicing here, that they must also
fill the land with violence and continually provoke Me to anger?
Look, they are even putting the branch to their nose!
Ezekiel 8:18 Therefore I will respond with
wrath. I will not look on them with pity, nor will I spare them.
Although they shout loudly in My ears, I will not listen to them.”
Ezekiel 9:1 Then I heard Him call out in a loud
voice, saying, “Draw near, O executioners of the city, each with a
weapon of destruction in hand.”
Ezekiel 9:2 And I saw six men coming from the
direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon
of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in
linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and
stood beside the bronze altar.
Ezekiel 9:3 Then the glory of the God of Israel
rose from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the
threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen
who had the writing kit at his side.
Ezekiel 9:4 “Go throughout the city of
Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the
men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed
there.”
Ezekiel 9:5 And as I listened, He said to the
others, “Follow him through the city and start killing; do not
show pity or spare anyone!
Ezekiel 9:6 Slaughter the old men, the young men
and maidens, the women and children; but do not go near anyone who
has the mark. Now begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the
elders who were before the temple.
Ezekiel 9:7 Then He told them, “Defile the
temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go forth!” So they went
out and began killing throughout the city.
Ezekiel 9:8 While they were killing, I was left
alone. And I fell facedown and cried out, “Oh, Lord GOD, when You
pour out Your wrath on Jerusalem, will You destroy the entire
remnant of Israel?”
Ezekiel 9:9 He replied, “The iniquity of the
house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full
of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say,
‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’
Ezekiel 9:10 But as for Me, I will not look on
them with pity, nor will I spare them. I will bring their deeds
down upon their own heads.”
Ezekiel 9:11 Then the man clothed in linen with
the writing kit at his side reported back, “I have done as You
commanded.”
Ezekiel 10:1 And I looked and saw above the
expanse, above the heads of the cherubim, the likeness of a throne
of sapphire.
Ezekiel 10:2 And the LORD said to the man
clothed in linen, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim.
Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and
scatter them over the city.” And as I watched, he went in.
Ezekiel 10:3 Now when the man went in, the
cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple, and a
cloud filled the inner court.
Ezekiel 10:4 Then the glory of the LORD rose
from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the
temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was
filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
Ezekiel 10:5 The sound of the wings of the
cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice
of God Almighty when He speaks.
Ezekiel 10:6 When the LORD commanded the man
clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from within the wheelwork,
from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a
wheel.
Ezekiel 10:7 Then one of the cherubim reached
out his hand and took some of the fire that was among them. And he
put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who received it
and went out.
Ezekiel 10:8 (The cherubim appeared to have the
form of human hands under their wings.)
Ezekiel 10:9 Then I looked and saw four wheels
beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. And the wheels
gleamed like a beryl stone.
Ezekiel 10:10 As for their appearance, all four
had the same form, like a wheel within a wheel.
Ezekiel 10:11 When they moved, they would go in
any of the four directions, without turning as they moved. For
wherever the head faced, the cherubim would go in that direction,
without turning as they moved.
Ezekiel 10:12 Their entire bodies, including
their backs, hands, and wings, were full of eyes all around, as
were their four wheels.
Ezekiel 10:13 I heard the wheels being called
“the whirling wheels.”
Ezekiel 10:14 Each of the cherubim had four
faces: the first face was that of a cherub, the second that of a
man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.
Ezekiel 10:15 Then the cherubim rose upward.
These were the living creatures I had seen by the River Kebar.
Ezekiel 10:16 When the cherubim moved, the
wheels moved beside them, and even when they spread their wings to
rise from the ground, the wheels did not veer away from their
side.
Ezekiel 10:17 When the cherubim stood still, the
wheels also stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels
ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in
the wheels.
Ezekiel 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD moved
away from the threshold of the temple and stood above the
cherubim.
Ezekiel 10:19 As I watched, the cherubim lifted
their wings and rose up from the ground, with the wheels beside
them as they went. And they stopped at the entrance of the east
gate of the house of the LORD, with the glory of the God of Israel
above them.
Ezekiel 10:20 These were the living creatures I
had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Kebar, and I knew
that they were cherubim.
Ezekiel 10:21 Each had four faces and four
wings, with what looked like human hands under their wings.
Ezekiel 10:22 Their faces looked like the faces
I had seen by the River Kebar. Each creature went straight ahead.
Ezekiel 11:1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and
brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east.
And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among
them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who
were leaders of the people.
Ezekiel 11:2 And the LORD said to me, “Son of
man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in
this city.
Ezekiel 11:3 They are saying, ‘Is not the time
near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the
meat.’
Ezekiel 11:4 Therefore prophesy against them;
prophesy, O son of man!”
Ezekiel 11:5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell
upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says:
“That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the
thoughts that arise in your minds.
Ezekiel 11:6 You have multiplied those you
killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
Ezekiel 11:7 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and
the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it.
Ezekiel 11:8 You fear the sword, so I will bring
the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 11:9 I will bring you out of the city
and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute
judgments against you.
Ezekiel 11:10 You will fall by the sword, and I
will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know
that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 11:11 The city will not be a pot for
you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to
the borders of Israel.
Ezekiel 11:12 Then you will know that I am the
LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My
ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the
nations around you.”
Ezekiel 11:13 Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah
son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud
voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a
complete end?”
Ezekiel 11:14 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 11:15 “Son of man, your brothers—your
relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are
those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far
away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a
possession.’
Ezekiel 11:16 Therefore declare that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the
nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little
while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which
they have gone.’
Ezekiel 11:17 Therefore declare that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and
assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered,
and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’
Ezekiel 11:18 When they return to it, they will
remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them singleness of
heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart
of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
Ezekiel 11:20 so that they may follow My
statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be
My people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 11:21 But as for those whose hearts
pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their
conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 11:22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels
beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of
Israel was above them.
Ezekiel 11:23 And the glory of the LORD rose up
from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.
Ezekiel 11:24 And the Spirit lifted me up and
carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by
the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,
Ezekiel 11:25 I told the exiles everything the
LORD had shown me.
Ezekiel 12:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of man, you are living in a
rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears
to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 12:3 Therefore, son of man, pack your
bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go
to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though
they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 12:4 Bring out your baggage for exile by
day, as they watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out
like those who go into exile.
Ezekiel 12:5 As they watch, dig through the wall
and carry your belongings out through it.
Ezekiel 12:6 And as they watch, lift your bags
to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so
that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the
house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 12:7 So I did as I was commanded. I
brought out my bags for exile by day, and in the evening I dug
through the wall by hand. I took my belongings out at dusk,
carrying them on my shoulder as they watched.
Ezekiel 12:8 And in the morning the word of the
LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 12:9 “Son of man, hasn’t the rebellious
house of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’
Ezekiel 12:10 Tell them that this is what the
Lord GOD says: ‘This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and
all the house of Israel who are there.’
Ezekiel 12:11 You are to say, ‘I am a sign to
you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they
will go into exile as captives.
Ezekiel 12:12 And at dusk the prince among them
will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig
through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he
cannot see the land.
Ezekiel 12:13 But I will spread My net over him,
and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon,
the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he
will die.
Ezekiel 12:14 And I will scatter to every wind
all the attendants around him and all his troops, and I will draw
a sword to chase after them.
Ezekiel 12:15 And they will know that I am the
LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them
throughout the countries.
Ezekiel 12:16 But I will spare a few of them
from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which
they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will
know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 12:17 Moreover, the word of the LORD
came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 12:18 “Son of man, eat your bread with
trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.
Ezekiel 12:19 Then tell the people of the land
that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in
Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread
with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will
be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who
dwell in it.
Ezekiel 12:20 The inhabited cities will be laid
waste, and the land will become desolate. Then you will know that
I am the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 12:21 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 12:22 “Son of man, what is this proverb
that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every
vision fails’?
Ezekiel 12:23 Therefore tell them that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in
Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days
are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.
Ezekiel 12:24 For there will be no more false
visions or flattering divinations within the house of Israel,
Ezekiel 12:25 because I, the LORD, will speak
whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For
in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring
it to pass, declares the Lord GOD.’”
Ezekiel 12:26 Furthermore, the word of the LORD
came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 12:27 “Son of man, take note that the
house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many
years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’
Ezekiel 12:28 Therefore tell them that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any
longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord
GOD.’”
Ezekiel 13:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 13:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the
prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Tell those who
prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD!
Ezekiel 13:3 This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe
to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, yet have seen
nothing.
Ezekiel 13:4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like
foxes among the ruins.
Ezekiel 13:5 You did not go up to the gaps or
restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand
in the battle on the Day of the LORD.
Ezekiel 13:6 They see false visions and speak
lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the
LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their
message.
Ezekiel 13:7 Haven’t you seen a false vision and
spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the
LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?
Ezekiel 13:8 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions,
I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 13:9 My hand will be against the
prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They
will not belong to the council of My people or be recorded in the
register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of
Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 13:10 Because they have led My people
astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing
any flimsy wall that is built,
Ezekiel 13:11 tell those whitewashing the wall
that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send
hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth.
Ezekiel 13:12 Surely when the wall has fallen,
you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you
covered it?’
Ezekiel 13:13 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger
torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury.
Ezekiel 13:14 I will tear down the wall you
whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is
exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 13:15 And after I have vented My wrath
against the wall and against those who whitewashed it, I will say
to you: ‘The wall is gone, and so are those who whitewashed it—
Ezekiel 13:16 those prophets of Israel who
prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when
there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’
Ezekiel 13:17 Now, O son of man, set your face
against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own
imagination. Prophesy against them
Ezekiel 13:18 and tell them that this is what
the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their
wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in
order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My
people but preserve your own?
Ezekiel 13:19 You have profaned Me among My
people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My
people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have
died and spared those who should not have lived.
Ezekiel 13:20 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: See, I am against the magic charms with which you
ensnare souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. So
I will free the souls you have ensnared like birds.
Ezekiel 13:21 I will also tear off your veils
and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer
be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 13:22 Because you have disheartened the
righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief,
and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their
evil ways to save their lives,
Ezekiel 13:23 therefore you will no longer see
false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people
from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 14:1 Then some of the elders of Israel
came and sat down before me.
Ezekiel 14:2 And the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 14:3 “Son of man, these men have set up
idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their
faces. Should I consult with them in any way?
Ezekiel 14:4 Therefore speak to them and tell
them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite sets
up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his
face, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him
according to his great idolatry,
Ezekiel 14:5 so that I may take hold of the
hearts of the people of Israel. For because of their idols, they
are all estranged from Me.’
Ezekiel 14:6 Therefore tell the house of Israel
that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Repent and turn away from
your idols; turn your faces away from all your abominations.
Ezekiel 14:7 For when any Israelite or any
foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up
idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his
face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD
will answer him Myself.
Ezekiel 14:8 I will set My face against that man
and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among
My people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 14:9 But if the prophet is enticed to
speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I
will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My
people Israel.
Ezekiel 14:10 They will bear their
punishment—the punishment of the inquirer will be the same as that
of the prophet—
Ezekiel 14:11 in order that the house of Israel
may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with
all their transgressions. Then they will be My people and I will
be their God, declares the Lord GOD.’”
Ezekiel 14:12 And the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 14:13 “Son of man, if a land sins
against Me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out My hand
against it to cut off its supply of food, to send famine upon it,
and to cut off from it both man and beast,
Ezekiel 14:14 then even if these three men—Noah,
Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only
themselves, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 14:15 Or if I send wild beasts through
the land to leave it childless and desolate, with no man passing
through it for fear of the beasts,
Ezekiel 14:16 then as surely as I live, declares
the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not
deliver their own sons or daughters. They alone would be
delivered, but the land would be desolate.
Ezekiel 14:17 Or if I bring a sword against that
land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through it,’ so that I cut off
from it both man and beast,
Ezekiel 14:18 then as surely as I live, declares
the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not
deliver their own sons or daughters. They alone would be
delivered.
Ezekiel 14:19 Or if I send a plague into that
land and pour out My wrath upon it through bloodshed, cutting off
from it both man and beast,
Ezekiel 14:20 then as surely as I live, declares
the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they could
not deliver their own sons or daughters. Their righteousness could
deliver only themselves.
Ezekiel 14:21 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem My
four dire judgments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague—in
order to cut off from it both man and beast?
Ezekiel 14:22 Yet, behold, some survivors will
be left in it—sons and daughters who will be brought out. They
will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and actions,
you will be comforted regarding the disaster I have brought upon
Jerusalem—all that I have brought upon it.
Ezekiel 14:23 They will bring you consolation
when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it
was not without cause that I have done all these things within
it,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 15:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 15:2 “Son of man, how does the wood of
the vine surpass any other branch among the trees in the forest?
Ezekiel 15:3 Can wood be taken from it to make
something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang
utensils?
Ezekiel 15:4 No, it is cast into the fire for
fuel. The fire devours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can
it be useful for anything?
Ezekiel 15:5 Even when it was whole, it could
not be made useful. How much less can it ever be useful when the
fire has consumed it and charred it!
Ezekiel 15:6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest,
which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the
people of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 15:7 And I will set My face against
them. Though they may have escaped the fire, yet another fire will
consume them. And when I set My face against them, you will know
that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 15:8 Thus I will make the land desolate,
because they have acted unfaithfully,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 16:1 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 16:2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem
with her abominations
Ezekiel 16:3 and tell her that this is what the
Lord GOD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the
land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother
a Hittite.
Ezekiel 16:4 On the day of your birth your cord
was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing. You
were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.
Ezekiel 16:5 No one cared enough for you to do
even one of these things out of compassion for you. Instead, you
were thrown out into the open field, because you were despised on
the day of your birth.
Ezekiel 16:6 Then I passed by and saw you
wallowing in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said
to you, ‘Live!’ There I said to you, ‘Live!’
Ezekiel 16:7 I made you thrive like a plant of
the field. You grew up and matured and became very beautiful. Your
breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you were naked and
bare.
Ezekiel 16:8 Then I passed by and saw you, and
you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you
and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into
a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 16:9 Then I bathed you with water,
rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.
Ezekiel 16:10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth
and gave you sandals of fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen
and covered you with silk.
Ezekiel 16:11 I adorned you with jewelry, and I
put bracelets on your wrists and a chain around your neck.
Ezekiel 16:12 I put a ring in your nose,
earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head.
Ezekiel 16:13 So you were adorned with gold and
silver, and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and
embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became
very beautiful and rose to be queen.
Ezekiel 16:14 Your fame spread among the nations
on account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the splendor I
bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 16:15 But because of your fame, you
trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your
favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for
the asking.
Ezekiel 16:16 You took some of your garments and
made colorful high places for yourself, and on them you
prostituted yourself. Such things should not have happened; never
should they have occurred!
Ezekiel 16:17 You also took the fine jewelry of
gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with
which to prostitute yourself.
Ezekiel 16:18 You took your embroidered garments
to cover them, and you set My oil and incense before them.
Ezekiel 16:19 And you set before them as a
pleasing aroma the food I had given you—the fine flour, oil, and
honey that I had fed you. That is what happened, declares the Lord
GOD.
Ezekiel 16:20 You even took the sons and
daughters you bore to Me and sacrificed them as food to idols. Was
your prostitution not enough?
Ezekiel 16:21 You slaughtered My children and
delivered them up through the fire to idols.
Ezekiel 16:22 And in all your abominations and
acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth
when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your own blood.
Ezekiel 16:23 Woe! Woe to you, declares the Lord
GOD. And in addition to all your other wickedness,
Ezekiel 16:24 you built yourself a mound and
made yourself a lofty shrine in every public square.
Ezekiel 16:25 At the head of every street you
built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty. With increasing
promiscuity, you spread your legs to all who passed by.
Ezekiel 16:26 You prostituted yourself with your
lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, and increased your promiscuity
to provoke Me to anger.
Ezekiel 16:27 Therefore I stretched out My hand
against you and reduced your portion. I gave you over to the
desire of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines,
who were ashamed of your lewd conduct.
Ezekiel 16:28 Then you prostituted yourself with
the Assyrians, because you were not yet satisfied. Even after
that, you were still not satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:29 So you extended your promiscuity
to Chaldea, the land of merchants—but even with this you were not
satisfied!
Ezekiel 16:30 How weak-willed is your heart,
declares the Lord GOD, while you do all these things, the acts of
a shameless prostitute!
Ezekiel 16:31 But when you built your mounds at
the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every
public square, you were not even like a prostitute, because you
scorned payment.
Ezekiel 16:32 You adulterous wife! You receive
strangers instead of your own husband!
Ezekiel 16:33 Men give gifts to all their
prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed
them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
Ezekiel 16:34 So your prostitution is the
opposite of that of other women: No one solicited your favors, and
you paid a fee instead of receiving one; so you are the very
opposite!
Ezekiel 16:35 Therefore, O prostitute, hear the
word of the LORD!
Ezekiel 16:36 This is what the Lord GOD says:
Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in
your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable
idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to
them,
Ezekiel 16:37 therefore I will surely gather all
the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and
all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all
around and expose you before them, and they will see you
completely naked.
Ezekiel 16:38 And I will sentence you to the
punishment of women who commit adultery and those who shed blood;
so I will bring upon you the wrath of your bloodshed and jealousy.
Ezekiel 16:39 Then I will deliver you into the
hands of your lovers, and they will level your mounds and tear
down your lofty shrines. They will strip off your clothes, take
your fine jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.
Ezekiel 16:40 They will bring a mob against you,
who will stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
Ezekiel 16:41 Then they will burn down your
houses and execute judgment against you in the sight of many
women. I will put an end to your prostitution, and you will never
again pay your lovers.
Ezekiel 16:42 So I will lay to rest My wrath
against you, and My jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will
be calm and no longer angry.
Ezekiel 16:43 Because you did not remember the
days of your youth, but enraged Me with all these things, I will
surely bring your deeds down upon your own head, declares the Lord
GOD. Have you not committed this lewdness on top of all your other
abominations?
Ezekiel 16:44 Behold, all who speak in proverbs
will quote this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’
Ezekiel 16:45 You are the daughter of your
mother, who despised her husband and children. You are the sister
of your sisters, who despised their husbands and children. Your
mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
Ezekiel 16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who
lived with her daughters to your north; and your younger sister
was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to your south.
Ezekiel 16:47 And you not only walked in their
ways and practiced their abominations, but soon you were more
depraved than they were.
Ezekiel 16:48 As surely as I live, declares the
Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as you and
your daughters have done.
Ezekiel 16:49 Now this was the iniquity of your
sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and
complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.
Ezekiel 16:50 Thus they were haughty and
committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them, as you
have seen.
Ezekiel 16:51 Furthermore, Samaria did not
commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your
abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have
committed have made your sisters appear righteous.
Ezekiel 16:52 So now you must bear your
disgrace, since you have brought justification for your sisters.
For they appear more righteous than you, because your sins were
more vile than theirs. So you too must bear your shame and
disgrace, since you have made your sisters appear righteous.
Ezekiel 16:53 But I will restore Sodom and her
daughters from captivity, as well as Samaria and her daughters.
And I will restore you along with them.
Ezekiel 16:54 So you will bear your disgrace and
be ashamed of all you did to comfort them.
Ezekiel 16:55 And your sisters, Sodom with her
daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to their
former state. You and your daughters will also return to your
former state.
Ezekiel 16:56 Did you not treat your sister
Sodom as an object of scorn in the day of your pride,
Ezekiel 16:57 before your wickedness was
uncovered? Even so, you are now scorned by the daughters of Edom
and all those around her, and by the daughters of the
Philistines—all those around you who despise you.
Ezekiel 16:58 You will bear the consequences of
your lewdness and your abominations, declares the LORD.
Ezekiel 16:59 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: I will deal with you according to your deeds, since you have
despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
Ezekiel 16:60 But I will remember the covenant I
made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an
everlasting covenant with you.
Ezekiel 16:61 Then you will remember your ways
and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I
will give them to you as daughters, but not because of My covenant
with you.
Ezekiel 16:62 So I will establish My covenant
with you, and you will know that I am the LORD,
Ezekiel 16:63 so that when I make atonement for
all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never
again open your mouth because of your disgrace, declares the Lord
GOD.”
Ezekiel 17:1 Now the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 17:2 “Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a
parable to the house of Israel
Ezekiel 17:3 and tell them that this is what the
Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,
full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the
top of the cedar.
Ezekiel 17:4 He plucked off its topmost shoot,
carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of
traders.
Ezekiel 17:5 He took some of the seed of the
land and planted it in fertile soil; he placed it by abundant
waters and set it out like a willow.
Ezekiel 17:6 It sprouted and became a spreading
vine, low in height, with branches turned toward him; yet its
roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and yielded
branches and sent out shoots.
Ezekiel 17:7 But there was another great eagle
with great wings and many feathers. And behold, this vine bent its
roots toward him. It stretched out its branches to him from its
planting bed, so that he might water it.
Ezekiel 17:8 It had been planted in good soil by
abundant waters in order to yield branches and bear fruit and
become a splendid vine.’
Ezekiel 17:9 So you are to tell them that this
is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Will it flourish? Will it not be
uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it shrivels? All its
foliage will wither! It will not take a strong arm or many people
to pull it up by its roots.
Ezekiel 17:10 Even if it is transplanted, will
it flourish? Will it not completely wither when the east wind
strikes? It will wither on the bed where it sprouted.’”
Ezekiel 17:11 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 17:12 “Now say to this rebellious house:
‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the
king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and
officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.
Ezekiel 17:13 He took a member of the royal
family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then
he carried away the leading men of the land,
Ezekiel 17:14 so that the kingdom would be
brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping
his covenant.
Ezekiel 17:15 But this king rebelled against
Babylon by sending his envoys to Egypt to ask for horses and a
large army. Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things
escape? Can he break a covenant and yet escape?’
Ezekiel 17:16 ‘As surely as I live,’ declares
the Lord GOD, ‘he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who
enthroned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.
Ezekiel 17:17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and
vast horde will not help him in battle, when ramps are built and
siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.
Ezekiel 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking
the covenant. Seeing that he gave his hand in pledge yet did all
these things, he will not escape!’
Ezekiel 17:19 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, I will bring down upon his head My
oath that he despised and My covenant that he broke.
Ezekiel 17:20 I will spread My net over him and
catch him in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute
judgment upon him there for the treason he committed against Me.
Ezekiel 17:21 All his choice troops will fall by
the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every wind.
Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken.’
Ezekiel 17:22 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I
will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar, and I will set
it out. I will pluck a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I
will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
Ezekiel 17:23 I will plant it on the mountain
heights of Israel so that it will bear branches; it will yield
fruit and become a majestic cedar. Birds of every kind will nest
under it, taking shelter in the shade of its branches.
Ezekiel 17:24 Then all the trees of the field
will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make
the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered
tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”
Ezekiel 18:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 18:2 “What do you people mean by quoting
this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten
sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?
Ezekiel 18:3 As surely as I live, declares the
Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, every soul belongs to Me;
both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who
will die.
Ezekiel 18:5 Now suppose a man is righteous and
does what is just and right:
Ezekiel 18:6 He does not eat at the mountain or
look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his
neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her period.
Ezekiel 18:7 He does not oppress another, but
restores the pledge to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but
gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
Ezekiel 18:8 He does not engage in usury or take
excess interest, but he withholds his hand from iniquity and
executes true justice between men.
Ezekiel 18:9 He follows My statutes and
faithfully keeps My ordinances. That man is righteous; surely he
will live, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 18:10 Now suppose that man has a violent
son, who sheds blood or does any of these things,
Ezekiel 18:11 though the father has done none of
them: Indeed, the son eats at the mountain and defiles his
neighbor’s wife.
Ezekiel 18:12 He oppresses the poor and needy;
he commits robbery and does not restore a pledge. He lifts his
eyes to idols; he commits abominations.
Ezekiel 18:13 He engages in usury and takes
excess interest. Will this son live? He will not! Since he has
committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood
will be on his own head.
Ezekiel 18:14 Now suppose this son has a son who
sees all the sins his father has committed, considers them, and
does not do likewise:
Ezekiel 18:15 He does not eat at the mountain or
look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his
neighbor’s wife.
Ezekiel 18:16 He does not oppress another, or
retain a pledge, or commit robbery. He gives his bread to the
hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
Ezekiel 18:17 He withholds his hand from harming
the poor and takes no interest or usury. He keeps My ordinances
and follows My statutes. Such a man will not die for his father’s
iniquity. He will surely live.
Ezekiel 18:18 As for his father, he will die for
his own iniquity, because he practiced extortion, robbed his
brother, and did what was wrong among his people.
Ezekiel 18:19 Yet you may ask, ‘Why shouldn’t
the son bear the iniquity of his father?’ Since the son has done
what is just and right, carefully observing all My statutes, he
will surely live.
Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins is the one who
will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a
father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of
the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the
wicked man will fall upon him.
Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked man turns from
all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does
what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die.
Ezekiel 18:22 None of the transgressions he has
committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness
he has practiced, he will live.
Ezekiel 18:23 Do I take any pleasure in the
death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that
he turn from his ways and live?
Ezekiel 18:24 But if a righteous man turns from
his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same
abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous
acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and
sin he has committed, he will die.
Ezekiel 18:25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord
is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is
unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
Ezekiel 18:26 If a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He
will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
Ezekiel 18:27 But if a wicked man turns from the
wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he
will save his life.
Ezekiel 18:28 Because he considered and turned
from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live;
he will not die.
Ezekiel 18:29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The
way of the Lord is not just.’ Are My ways unjust, O house of
Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore, O house of Israel, I
will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD.
Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your
iniquity will not become your downfall.
Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from yourselves all the
transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a
new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 18:32 For I take no pleasure in anyone’s
death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!
Ezekiel 19:1 “As for you, take up a lament for
the princes of Israel
Ezekiel 19:2 and say: ‘What was your mother? A
lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she
reared her cubs.
Ezekiel 19:3 She brought up one of her cubs, and
he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he
devoured men.
Ezekiel 19:4 When the nations heard of him, he
was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land
of Egypt.
Ezekiel 19:5 When she saw that she had waited in
vain, that her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs and
made him a young lion.
Ezekiel 19:6 He prowled among the lions, and
became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured
men.
Ezekiel 19:7 He broke down their strongholds and
devastated their cities. The land and everything in it shuddered
at the sound of his roaring.
Ezekiel 19:8 Then the nations set out against
him from the provinces on every side. They spread their net over
him; he was trapped in their pit.
Ezekiel 19:9 With hooks they caged him and
brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him into
captivity so that his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of
Israel.
Ezekiel 19:10 Your mother was like a vine in
your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of
branches because of the abundant waters.
Ezekiel 19:11 It had strong branches, fit for a
ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches,
conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage.
Ezekiel 19:12 But it was uprooted in fury, cast
down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its
strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire
consumed them.
Ezekiel 19:13 Now it is planted in the
wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.
Ezekiel 19:14 Fire has gone out from its main
branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit
for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a
lament.”
Ezekiel 20:1 In the seventh year, on the tenth
day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to
inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.
Ezekiel 20:2 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of
Israel and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Have you
come to inquire of Me? As surely as I live, I will not be
consulted by you, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 20:4 Will you judge them, will you judge
them, son of man? Confront them with the abominations of their
fathers
Ezekiel 20:5 and tell them that this is what the
Lord GOD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath to the
descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in
the land of Egypt. With an uplifted hand I said to them, ‘I am the
LORD your God.’
Ezekiel 20:6 On that day I swore to bring them
out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for
them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.
Ezekiel 20:7 And I said to them: ‘Each of you
must throw away the abominations before his eyes, and you must not
defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your
God.’
Ezekiel 20:8 But they rebelled against Me and
refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before
their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I
resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against
them in the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:9 But I acted for the sake of My
name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations
among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself
to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:10 So I brought them out of the land
of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:11 And I gave them My statutes and
made known to them My ordinances—for the man who does these things
will live by them.
Ezekiel 20:12 I also gave them My Sabbaths as a
sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who
sanctifies them.
Ezekiel 20:13 Yet the house of Israel rebelled
against Me in the wilderness. They did not follow My statutes and
they rejected My ordinances—though the man who does these things
will live by them—and they utterly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I
resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and put an end to them in
the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:14 But I acted for the sake of My
name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations
in whose sight I had brought them out.
Ezekiel 20:15 Moreover, with an uplifted hand I
swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into
the land that I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey,
the glory of all lands—
Ezekiel 20:16 because they kept rejecting My
ordinances, refusing to walk in My statutes, and profaning My
Sabbaths; for their hearts continually went after their idols.
Ezekiel 20:17 Yet I looked on them with pity and
did not destroy them or bring them to an end in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:18 In the wilderness I said to their
children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep
their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
Ezekiel 20:19 I am the LORD your God; walk in My
statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.
Ezekiel 20:20 Keep My Sabbaths holy, that they
may be a sign between us, so that you may know that I am the LORD
your God.’
Ezekiel 20:21 But the children rebelled against
Me. They did not walk in My statutes or carefully observe My
ordinances—though the man who does these things will live by
them—and they profaned My Sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My
wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20:22 But I withheld My hand and acted
for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the
eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
Ezekiel 20:23 However, with an uplifted hand I
swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among
the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.
Ezekiel 20:24 For they did not practice My
ordinances, but they rejected My statutes and profaned My
Sabbaths, fixing their eyes on the idols of their fathers.
Ezekiel 20:25 I also gave them over to statutes
that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.
Ezekiel 20:26 And I pronounced them unclean
through their gifts—the sacrifice of every firstborn in the
fire—so that I might devastate them, in order that they would know
that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 20:27 Therefore, son of man, speak to
the house of Israel, and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD
says: In this way also your fathers blasphemed Me by their
unfaithfulness against Me.
Ezekiel 20:28 When I brought them into the land
that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy
tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings
that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out
their drink offerings.
Ezekiel 20:29 So I asked them: ‘What is this
high place to which you go?’ (And to this day it is called Bamah.)
Ezekiel 20:30 Therefore tell the house of Israel
that this is what the Lord GOD says: Will you defile yourselves
the way your fathers did, prostituting yourselves with their
abominations?
Ezekiel 20:31 When you offer your gifts,
sacrificing your sons in the fire, you continue to defile
yourselves with all your idols to this day. So should I be
consulted by you, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares
the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you!
Ezekiel 20:32 When you say, ‘Let us be like the
nations, like the peoples of the lands, serving wood and stone,’
what you have in mind will never come to pass.
Ezekiel 20:33 As surely as I live, declares the
Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured
wrath I will rule over you.
Ezekiel 20:34 With a strong hand, an
outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from
the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been
scattered.
Ezekiel 20:35 And I will bring you into the
wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with
you face to face.
Ezekiel 20:36 Just as I entered into judgment
with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I
will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 20:37 I will make you pass under the rod
and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
Ezekiel 20:38 And I will purge you of those who
rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land
in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 20:39 And as for you, O house of Israel,
this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one
of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will
no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.
Ezekiel 20:40 For on My holy mountain, the high
mountain of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, there the whole house
of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land. There I will
accept them and will require your offerings and choice gifts,
along with all your holy sacrifices.
Ezekiel 20:41 When I bring you from the peoples
and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered, I
will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will show My holiness
through you in the sight of the nations.
Ezekiel 20:42 Then you will know that I am the
LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land that I
swore to give your fathers.
Ezekiel 20:43 There you will remember your ways
and all the deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you
will loathe yourselves for all the evils you have done.
Ezekiel 20:44 Then you will know, O house of
Israel, that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for the
sake of My name and not according to your wicked ways and corrupt
acts, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 20:45 Now the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 20:46 “Son of man, set your face toward
the south, preach against it, and prophesy against the forest of
the Negev.
Ezekiel 20:47 Say to the forest of the Negev:
Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Lord GOD says: I am
about to ignite in you a fire, and it will devour all your trees,
both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and by
it every face from south to north will be scorched.
Ezekiel 20:48 Then all people will see that I,
the LORD, have kindled it; it will not be quenched.”
Ezekiel 20:49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they
are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”
Ezekiel 21:1 And the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 21:2 “Son of man, set your face against
Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the
land of Israel
Ezekiel 21:3 and tell her that this is what the
LORD says: ‘I am against you, and I will draw My sword from its
sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
Ezekiel 21:4 Because I will cut off both the
righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against
everyone from south to north.
Ezekiel 21:5 Then all flesh will know that I,
the LORD, have taken My sword from its sheath, not to return it
again.’
Ezekiel 21:6 But you, son of man, groan! Groan
before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief.
Ezekiel 21:7 And when they ask, ‘Why are you
groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming.
Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit
will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming
and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 21:8 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 21:9 “Son of man, prophesy and tell them
that this is what the Lord says: ‘A sword, a sword, sharpened and
polished—
Ezekiel 21:10 it is sharpened for the slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice in the scepter
of My son? The sword despises every such stick.
Ezekiel 21:11 The sword is appointed to be
polished, to be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished,
to be placed in the hand of the slayer.
Ezekiel 21:12 Cry out and wail, O son of man,
for the sword is wielded against My people; it is against all the
princes of Israel! They are tossed to the sword with My people;
therefore strike your thigh.
Ezekiel 21:13 Surely testing will come! And what
if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue?’
declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 21:14 ‘So then, son of man, prophesy and
strike your hands together. Let the sword strike two times, even
three. It is a sword that slays, a sword of great slaughter
closing in on every side!
Ezekiel 21:15 So that their hearts may melt and
many may stumble, I have appointed at all their gates a sword for
slaughter. Yes, it is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn
for slaughter.
Ezekiel 21:16 Slash to the right; set your blade
to the left—wherever your blade is directed.
Ezekiel 21:17 I too will strike My hands
together, and I will satisfy My wrath.’ I, the LORD, have spoken.”
Ezekiel 21:18 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 21:19 “Now you, son of man, mark out two
roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting
from the same land. And make a signpost where the road branches
off to each city.
Ezekiel 21:20 Mark out one road for the sword to
come against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and another against Judah
into fortified Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 21:21 For the king of Babylon stands at
the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an
omen: He shakes the arrows, he consults the idols, he examines the
liver.
Ezekiel 21:22 In his right hand appears the
portent for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to
call for the slaughter, to lift a battle cry, to direct the
battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect a
siege wall.
Ezekiel 21:23 It will seem like a false omen to
the eyes of those who have sworn allegiance to him, but it will
draw attention to their guilt and take them captive.
Ezekiel 21:24 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘Because you have drawn attention to your guilt,
exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in
all your deeds—because you have come to remembrance—you shall be
taken in hand.
Ezekiel 21:25 And you, O profane and wicked
prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’
Ezekiel 21:26 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain
as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted.
Ezekiel 21:27 A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a
ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom
it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’
Ezekiel 21:28 Now prophesy, son of man, and
declare that this is what the Lord GOD says concerning the
Ammonites and their contempt: ‘A sword! A sword is drawn for
slaughter, polished to consume, to flash like lightning—
Ezekiel 21:29 while they offer false visions for
you and lying divinations about you—to be placed on the necks of
the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, the time of their
final punishment.
Ezekiel 21:30 Return the sword to its sheath! In
the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I
will judge you.
Ezekiel 21:31 I will pour out My anger upon you;
I will breathe the fire of My fury against you; I will hand you
over to brutal men, skilled in destruction.
Ezekiel 21:32 You will be fuel for the fire.
Your blood will stain your own land. You will not be remembered,
for I, the LORD, have spoken.’”
Ezekiel 22:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 22:2 “As for you, son of man, will you
judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then
confront her with all her abominations
Ezekiel 22:3 and tell her that this is what the
Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood
within her walls and making idols to defile herself,
Ezekiel 22:4 you are guilty of the blood you
have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You
have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your
years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a
mockery to all the lands.
Ezekiel 22:5 Those near and far will mock you, O
infamous city, full of turmoil.
Ezekiel 22:6 See how every prince of Israel
within you has used his power to shed blood.
Ezekiel 22:7 Father and mother are treated with
contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the
fatherless and the widow are oppressed.
Ezekiel 22:8 You have despised My holy things
and profaned My Sabbaths.
Ezekiel 22:9 Among you are slanderous men bent
on bloodshed; within you are those who eat on the mountain shrines
and commit acts of indecency.
Ezekiel 22:10 In you they have uncovered the
nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their
menstrual impurity.
Ezekiel 22:11 One man commits an abomination
with his neighbor’s wife; another wickedly defiles his
daughter-in-law; and yet another violates his sister, his own
father’s daughter.
Ezekiel 22:12 In you they take bribes to shed
blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your
neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 22:13 Now look, I strike My hands
together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have
shed in your midst.
Ezekiel 22:14 Will your courage endure or your
hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have
spoken, and I will act.
Ezekiel 22:15 I will disperse you among the
nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your
uncleanness.
Ezekiel 22:16 And when you have defiled yourself
in the eyes of the nations, then you will know that I am the
LORD.’”
Ezekiel 22:17 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 22:18 “Son of man, the house of Israel
has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and
lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.
Ezekiel 22:19 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will
gather you into Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 22:20 Just as one gathers silver,
copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery
blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you
there, and melt you.
Ezekiel 22:21 Yes, I will gather you together
and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted
within the city.
Ezekiel 22:22 As silver is melted in a furnace,
so you will be melted within the city. Then you will know that I,
the LORD, have poured out My wrath upon you.’”
Ezekiel 22:23 And the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 22:24 “Son of man, say to her, ‘In the
day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed,
upon which no rain has fallen.’
Ezekiel 22:25 The conspiracy of the princes in
her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the
people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the
widows within her.
Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests do violence to My law
and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the
holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the
clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am
profaned among them.
Ezekiel 22:27 Her officials within her are like
wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives
for dishonest gain.
Ezekiel 22:28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds
by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the
Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.
Ezekiel 22:29 The people of the land have
practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the
poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without
justice.
Ezekiel 22:30 I searched for a man among them to
repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the
land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.
Ezekiel 22:31 So I have poured out My
indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of My fury.
I have brought their ways down upon their own heads, declares the
Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 23:1 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 23:2 “Son of man, there were two women,
daughters of the same mother,
Ezekiel 23:3 and they played in Egypt,
prostituting themselves from their youth. Their breasts were
fondled there, and their virgin bosoms caressed.
Ezekiel 23:4 The older was named Oholah, and her
sister was named Oholibah. They became Mine and gave birth to sons
and daughters. As for their identities, Oholah is Samaria, and
Oholibah is Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23:5 Oholah prostituted herself while
she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the
Assyrians—warriors
Ezekiel 23:6 clothed in blue, governors and
commanders, all desirable young men, horsemen mounted on steeds.
Ezekiel 23:7 She offered sexual favors to all
the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of
those for whom she lusted.
Ezekiel 23:8 She did not give up the
prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her
youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon
her.
Ezekiel 23:9 Therefore I delivered her into the
hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.
Ezekiel 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized
her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became
a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.
Ezekiel 23:11 Her sister Oholibah saw this, yet
in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her
sister.
Ezekiel 23:12 She too lusted after the
Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor,
horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.
Ezekiel 23:13 And I saw that she too had defiled
herself; both of them had taken the same path.
Ezekiel 23:14 But Oholibah carried her
prostitution even further. She saw the men portrayed on the wall,
images of the Chaldeans, engraved in vermilion,
Ezekiel 23:15 wearing belts on their waists and
flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers
of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth.
Ezekiel 23:16 At the sight of them, she lusted
for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
Ezekiel 23:17 Then the Babylonians came to her,
to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. But after
she had been defiled by them, she turned away in disgust.
Ezekiel 23:18 When Oholibah openly prostituted
herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in
disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.
Ezekiel 23:19 Yet she multiplied her
promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth, when she had
prostituted herself in the land of Egypt
Ezekiel 23:20 and lusted after their lovers,
whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was
like that of stallions.
Ezekiel 23:21 So you revisited the indecency of
your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your bosom and pressed
your young breasts.
Ezekiel 23:22 Therefore, Oholibah, this is what
the Lord GOD says: ‘I will incite your lovers against you, those
from whom you turned away in disgust. And I will bring them
against you from every side—
Ezekiel 23:23 the Babylonians and all the
Chaldeans, the men of Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians
with them—all desirable young men, governors and commanders,
officers and men of renown, mounted on horses.
Ezekiel 23:24 They will come against you with a
host of peoples, with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will
array themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield
and helmet. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will punish
you according to their own standards.
Ezekiel 23:25 And I will set My jealous rage
against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut
off your noses and ears, and your survivors will fall by the
sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your remnant
will be consumed by fire.
Ezekiel 23:26 They will strip off your clothes
and take your fine jewelry.
Ezekiel 23:27 So I will put an end to your
indecency and prostitution, which began in the land of Egypt, and
you will not lift your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’
Ezekiel 23:28 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hands of those you hate,
from whom you turned away in disgust.
Ezekiel 23:29 They will treat you with hatred,
take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare,
so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your
indecency and promiscuity
Ezekiel 23:30 have brought these things upon
you, because you have prostituted yourself with the nations and
defiled yourself with their idols.
Ezekiel 23:31 Because you have followed the path
of your sister, I will put her cup into your hand.’
Ezekiel 23:32 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup deep and wide. It will
bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much.
Ezekiel 23:33 You will be filled with
drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
Ezekiel 23:34 You will drink it and drain it;
you will dash it to pieces, and tear your breasts. For I have
spoken,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 23:35 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘Because you have forgotten Me and have cast Me behind
your back, you must bear the consequences of your indecency and
prostitution.’”
Ezekiel 23:36 Then the LORD said to me: “Son of
man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah? Then
declare to them their abominations.
Ezekiel 23:37 For they have committed adultery,
and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with
their idols. They have even sacrificed their children, whom they
bore to Me, in the fire as food for their idols.
Ezekiel 23:38 They have also done this to Me: On
that very same day, they defiled My sanctuary and profaned My
Sabbaths.
Ezekiel 23:39 On the very day they slaughtered
their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary to
profane it. Yes, they did this inside My house.
Ezekiel 23:40 Furthermore, you sisters sent
messengers for men who came from afar; and behold, when they
arrived, you bathed for them, painted your eyes, and adorned
yourself with jewelry.
Ezekiel 23:41 You sat on a couch of luxury with
a table spread before it, on which you had set My incense and My
oil,
Ezekiel 23:42 accompanied by the sound of a
carefree crowd. Drunkards were brought in from the desert along
with men from the rabble, who put bracelets on your wrists and
beautiful crowns on your head.
Ezekiel 23:43 Then I said of her who had grown
old in adulteries: ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute, for that
is all she is!’
Ezekiel 23:44 And they slept with her as with a
prostitute; they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, those lewd women.
Ezekiel 23:45 But righteous men will sentence
them to the punishment of those who commit adultery and bloodshed,
because they are adulteresses with blood on their hands.
Ezekiel 23:46 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Bring a mob against them and consign them to terror and plunder.
Ezekiel 23:47 The mob will stone them and cut
them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and
daughters and burn down their houses.
Ezekiel 23:48 So I will put an end to indecency
in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate
your behavior.
Ezekiel 23:49 They will repay you for your
indecency, and you will bear the consequences of your sins of
idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’”
Ezekiel 24:1 In the ninth year, on the tenth day
of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 24:2 “Son of man, write down today’s
date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to
Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 24:3 Now speak a parable to this
rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Put the pot on the fire; put it on and pour in the water.
Ezekiel 24:4 Put in the pieces of meat, every
good piece—thigh and shoulder—fill it with choice bones.
Ezekiel 24:5 Take the choicest of the flock and
pile the fuel beneath it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in
it.’
Ezekiel 24:6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose
rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for
its contents.
Ezekiel 24:7 For the blood she shed is still
within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour
it on the ground to cover it with dust.
Ezekiel 24:8 In order to stir up wrath and take
vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it
would not be covered.’
Ezekiel 24:9 Yes, this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the
kindling high.
Ezekiel 24:10 Pile on the logs and kindle the
fire; cook the meat well and mix in the spices; let the bones be
burned.
Ezekiel 24:11 Set the empty pot on its coals
until it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will
melt within; its rust will be consumed.
Ezekiel 24:12 It has frustrated every effort;
its thick rust has not been removed, even by the fire.
Ezekiel 24:13 Because of the indecency of your
uncleanness I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be purified
from your filthiness. You will not be pure again until My wrath
against you has subsided.
Ezekiel 24:14 I, the LORD, have spoken; the time
is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor
will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’
declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 24:15 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 24:16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to
take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must
not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
Ezekiel 24:17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for
the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet;
do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”
Ezekiel 24:18 So I spoke to the people in the
morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I
did as I had been commanded.
Ezekiel 24:19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t
you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”
Ezekiel 24:20 So I answered them, “The word of
the LORD came to me, saying:
Ezekiel 24:21 Tell the house of Israel that this
is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary,
the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight
of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall
by the sword.’
Ezekiel 24:22 Then you will do as I have done:
You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.
Ezekiel 24:23 Your turbans will remain on your
heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep,
but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan
among yourselves.
Ezekiel 24:24 ‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for
you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens,
you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’
Ezekiel 24:25 And you, son of man, know that on
the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the
desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and
daughters as well,
Ezekiel 24:26 on that day a fugitive will come
and tell you the news.
Ezekiel 24:27 On that day your mouth will be
opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be
mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am
the LORD.”
Ezekiel 25:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 25:2 “Son of man, set your face against
the Ammonites and prophesy against them.
Ezekiel 25:3 Tell the Ammonites to hear the word
of the Lord GOD, for this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you
exclaimed, “Aha!” when My sanctuary was profaned, when the land of
Israel was laid waste, and when the house of Judah went into
exile,
Ezekiel 25:4 therefore I will indeed give you as
a possession to the people of the East. They will set up their
camps and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit
and drink your milk.
Ezekiel 25:5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for
camels, and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know
that I am the LORD.’
Ezekiel 25:6 For this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Because you clapped your hands and stomped your feet and rejoiced
over the land of Israel with a heart full of contempt,
Ezekiel 25:7 therefore I will indeed stretch out
My hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will
cut you off from the peoples and exterminate you from the
countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the
LORD.’
Ezekiel 25:8 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Because Moab and Seir said, “Look, the house of Judah is like all
the other nations,”
Ezekiel 25:9 therefore I will indeed expose the
flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities—Beth-jeshimoth,
Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim—the glory of the land.
Ezekiel 25:10 I will give it along with the
Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the
Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations.
Ezekiel 25:11 So I will execute judgments on
Moab, and they will know that I am the LORD.’
Ezekiel 25:12 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in
so doing incurred grievous guilt,
Ezekiel 25:13 therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from
it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman
to Dedan they will fall by the sword.
Ezekiel 25:14 I will take My vengeance on Edom
by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom
according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance,
declares the Lord GOD.’
Ezekiel 25:15 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance with
malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient hostility,
Ezekiel 25:16 therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the
Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the
remnant along the coast.
Ezekiel 25:17 I will execute great vengeance
against them with furious reproof. Then they will know that I am
the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.’”
Ezekiel 26:1 In the eleventh month of the
twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD
came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 26:2 “Son of man, because Tyre has said
of Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gate to the nations is broken; it has
swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be filled,’
Ezekiel 26:3 therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many
nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.
Ezekiel 26:4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre
and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and make
her a bare rock.
Ezekiel 26:5 She will become a place to spread
nets in the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She
will become plunder for the nations,
Ezekiel 26:6 and the villages on her mainland
will be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the
LORD.’
Ezekiel 26:7 For this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with
cavalry and a great company of troops.
Ezekiel 26:8 He will slaughter the villages of
your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against
you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against
you.
Ezekiel 26:9 He will direct the blows of his
battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with
his axes.
Ezekiel 26:10 His multitude of horses will cover
you in their dust. When he enters your gates as an army entering a
breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry,
wagons, and chariots.
Ezekiel 26:11 The hooves of his horses will
trample all your streets. He will slaughter your people with the
sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.
Ezekiel 26:12 They will plunder your wealth and
pillage your merchandise. They will demolish your walls, tear down
your beautiful homes, and throw your stones and timber and soil
into the water.
Ezekiel 26:13 So I will silence the sound of
your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard.
Ezekiel 26:14 I will make you a bare rock, and
you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never
be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.’
Ezekiel 26:15 This is what the Lord GOD says to
Tyre: ‘Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your
downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?
Ezekiel 26:16 All the princes of the sea will
descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off
their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on
the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you.
Ezekiel 26:17 Then they will lament for you,
saying, “How you have perished, O city of renown inhabited by
seafaring men—she who was powerful on the sea, along with her
people, who imposed terror on all peoples!
Ezekiel 26:18 Now the coastlands tremble on the
day of your downfall; the islands in the sea are dismayed by your
demise.”’
Ezekiel 26:19 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities,
and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters
cover you,
Ezekiel 26:20 then I will bring you down with
those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will
make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with
those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be
inhabited or set in splendor in the land of the living.
Ezekiel 26:21 I will make you an object of
horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will
never be found,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 27:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 27:2 “Now you, son of man, take up a
lament for Tyre.
Ezekiel 27:3 Tell Tyre, who dwells at the
gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that
this is what the Lord GOD says: You have said, O Tyre, ‘I am
perfect in beauty.’
Ezekiel 27:4 Your borders are in the heart of
the seas; your builders perfected your beauty.
Ezekiel 27:5 They constructed all your planking
with cypress from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a
mast for you.
Ezekiel 27:6 Of oaks from Bashan they made your
oars; of wood from the coasts of Cyprus they made your deck,
inlaid with ivory.
Ezekiel 27:7 Of embroidered fine linen from
Egypt they made your sail, which served as your banner. Of blue
and purple from the coasts of Elishah they made your awning.
Ezekiel 27:8 The men of Sidon and Arvad were
your oarsmen. Your men of skill, O Tyre, were there as your
captains.
Ezekiel 27:9 The elders of Gebal were aboard as
shipwrights, repairing your leaks. All the ships of the sea and
their sailors came alongside to barter for your merchandise.
Ezekiel 27:10 Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put
served as warriors in your army. They hung their shields and
helmets on your walls; they gave you splendor.
Ezekiel 27:11 Men of Arvad and Helech manned
your walls all around, and the men of Gammad were in your towers.
They hung their shields around your walls; they perfected your
beauty.
Ezekiel 27:12 Tarshish was your merchant because
of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin,
and lead for your wares.
Ezekiel 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were
your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your
merchandise.
Ezekiel 27:14 The men of Beth-togarmah exchanged
horses, war horses, and mules for your wares.
Ezekiel 27:15 The men of Dedan were your
clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with
ivory tusks and ebony.
Ezekiel 27:16 Aram was your customer because of
your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered
work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.
Ezekiel 27:17 Judah and the land of Israel
traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith, cakes and
honey, oil and balm for your merchandise.
Ezekiel 27:18 Because of your many products and
your great wealth of goods, Damascus traded with you wine from
Helbon, wool from Zahar,
Ezekiel 27:19 and casks of wine from Izal for
your wares. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were exchanged
for your merchandise.
Ezekiel 27:20 Dedan was your merchant in
saddlecloths for riding.
Ezekiel 27:21 Arabia and all the princes of
Kedar were your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and goats.
Ezekiel 27:22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah
traded with you; for your wares they exchanged gold, the finest of
all spices, and precious stones.
Ezekiel 27:23 Haran, Canneh, and Eden traded
with you, and so did the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad.
Ezekiel 27:24 In your marketplace they traded
with you fine garments of blue, embroidered work, and multicolored
rugs with cords tightly twisted and knotted.
Ezekiel 27:25 The ships of Tarshish carried your
merchandise. And you were filled with heavy cargo in the heart of
the sea.
Ezekiel 27:26 Your oarsmen have brought you onto
the high seas, but the east wind will shatter you in the heart of
the sea.
Ezekiel 27:27 Your wealth, wares, and
merchandise, your sailors, captains, and shipwrights, your
merchants and all the warriors within you, with all the other
people on board, will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of
your downfall.
Ezekiel 27:28 The countryside will shake when
your sailors cry out.
Ezekiel 27:29 All who handle the oars will
abandon their ships. The sailors and all the captains of the sea
will stand on the shore.
Ezekiel 27:30 They will raise their voices for
you and cry out bitterly. They will throw dust on their heads and
roll in ashes.
Ezekiel 27:31 They will shave their heads for
you and wrap themselves in sackcloth. They will weep over you with
anguish of soul and bitter mourning.
Ezekiel 27:32 As they wail and mourn over you,
they will take up a lament for you: ‘Who was ever like Tyre,
silenced in the middle of the sea?
Ezekiel 27:33 When your wares went out to sea,
you satisfied many nations. You enriched the kings of the earth
with your abundant wealth and merchandise.
Ezekiel 27:34 Now you are shattered by the seas
in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the people among
you have gone down with you.
Ezekiel 27:35 All the people of the coastlands
are appalled over you. Their kings shudder with fear; their faces
are contorted.
Ezekiel 27:36 Those who trade among the nations
hiss at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no
more.’”
Ezekiel 28:1 And the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 28:2 “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre
that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you
have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of
the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have
regarded your heart as that of a god.
Ezekiel 28:3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you!
Ezekiel 28:4 By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained your wealth and amassed gold and silver for your
treasuries.
Ezekiel 28:5 By your great skill in trading you
have increased your wealth, but your heart has grown proud because
of it.
Ezekiel 28:6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: Because you regard your heart as the heart of a god,
Ezekiel 28:7 behold, I will bring foreigners
against you, the most ruthless of nations. They will draw their
swords against the beauty of your wisdom and will defile your
splendor.
Ezekiel 28:8 They will bring you down to the
Pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.
Ezekiel 28:9 Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
in the presence of those who slay you? You will be only a man, not
a god, in the hands of those who wound you.
Ezekiel 28:10 You will die the death of the
uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. For I have spoken,
declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 28:11 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 28:12 “Son of man, take up a lament for
the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in
beauty.
Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of
God. Every kind of precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and
diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and
emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold,
prepared on the day of your creation.
Ezekiel 28:14 You were anointed as a guardian
cherub, for I had ordained you. You were on the holy mountain of
God; you walked among the fiery stones.
Ezekiel 28:15 From the day you were created you
were blameless in your ways—until wickedness was found in you.
Ezekiel 28:16 By the vastness of your trade, you
were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in
disgrace from the mountain of God, and I banished you, O guardian
cherub, from among the fiery stones.
Ezekiel 28:17 Your heart grew proud of your
beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I
cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.
Ezekiel 28:18 By the multitude of your
iniquities and the dishonesty of your trading you have profaned
your sanctuaries. So I made fire come from within you, and it
consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the eyes of
all who saw you.
Ezekiel 28:19 All the nations who know you are
appalled over you. You have come to a horrible end and will be no
more.’”
Ezekiel 28:20 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 28:21 “Son of man, set your face against
Sidon and prophesy against her.
Ezekiel 28:22 And you are to declare that this
is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and
I will be glorified within you. They will know that I am the LORD
when I execute judgments against her and demonstrate My holiness
through her.
Ezekiel 28:23 I will send a plague against her
and shed blood in her streets; the slain will fall within her,
while the sword is against her on every side. Then they will know
that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 28:24 For the people of Israel will no
longer face a pricking brier or a painful thorn from all around
them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am
the Lord GOD.’
Ezekiel 28:25 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom
they have been scattered, I will show Myself holy among them in
the sight of the nations. Then they will dwell in their own land,
which I have given to My servant Jacob.
Ezekiel 28:26 And there they will dwell
securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will dwell
securely when I execute judgments against all those around them
who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the
LORD their God.’”
Ezekiel 29:1 In the tenth year, on the twelfth
day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 29:2 “Son of man, set your face against
Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all
Egypt.
Ezekiel 29:3 Speak to him and tell him that this
is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh
king of Egypt, O great monster who lies among his rivers, who
says, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it myself.’
Ezekiel 29:4 But I will put hooks in your jaws
and cause the fish of your streams to cling to your scales. I will
haul you up out of your rivers, and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.
Ezekiel 29:5 I will leave you in the desert, you
and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field
and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given
you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.
Ezekiel 29:6 Then all the people of Egypt will
know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the
house of Israel.
Ezekiel 29:7 When Israel took hold of you with
their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when
they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.
Ezekiel 29:8 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: I will bring a sword against you and cut off from you man
and beast.
Ezekiel 29:9 The land of Egypt will become a
desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’
Ezekiel 29:10 therefore I am against you and
against your rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a
desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as far as the border
of Cush.
Ezekiel 29:11 No foot of man or beast will pass
through, and it will be uninhabited for forty years.
Ezekiel 29:12 I will make the land of Egypt a
desolation among desolate lands, and her cities will lie desolate
for forty years among the ruined cities. And I will disperse the
Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the
countries.
Ezekiel 29:13 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from
the nations to which they were scattered.
Ezekiel 29:14 I will restore Egypt from
captivity and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of
their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.
Ezekiel 29:15 Egypt will be the lowliest of
kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the nations. For
I will diminish Egypt so that it will never again rule over the
nations.
Ezekiel 29:16 Egypt will never again be an
object of trust for the house of Israel, but will remind them of
their iniquity in turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know
that I am the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 29:17 In the twenty-seventh year, on the
first day of the first month, the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
Ezekiel 29:18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre.
Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and
his army received no wages from Tyre for the labor they expended
on it.
Ezekiel 29:19 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seize its spoil, and
remove its plunder. This will be the wages for his army.
Ezekiel 29:20 I have given him the land of Egypt
as the reward for his labor, because it was done for Me, declares
the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 29:21 In that day I will cause a horn to
sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth to
speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 30:1 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 30:2 “Son of man, prophesy and declare
that this is what the Lord GOD says: Wail, ‘Alas for that day!’
Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the Day of the
LORD is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the
nations.
Ezekiel 30:4 A sword will come against Egypt,
and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt,
its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down.
Ezekiel 30:5 Cush, Put, and Lud, and all the
various peoples, as well as Libya and the men of the covenant
land, will fall with Egypt by the sword.
Ezekiel 30:6 For this is what the LORD says: The
allies of Egypt will fall, and her proud strength will collapse.
From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword within her,
declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 30:7 They will be desolate among
desolate lands, and their cities will lie among ruined cities.
Ezekiel 30:8 Then they will know that I am the
LORD when I set fire to Egypt and all her helpers are shattered.
Ezekiel 30:9 On that day messengers will go out
from Me in ships to frighten Cush out of complacency. Anguish will
come upon them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For it is indeed
coming.
Ezekiel 30:10 This is what the Lord GOD says: I
will put an end to the hordes of Egypt by the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Ezekiel 30:11 He and his people with him, the
most ruthless of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the
land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land
with the slain.
Ezekiel 30:12 I will make the streams dry up and
sell the land to the wicked. By the hands of foreigners I will
bring desolation upon the land and everything in it. I, the LORD,
have spoken.
Ezekiel 30:13 This is what the Lord GOD says: I
will destroy the idols and put an end to the images in Memphis.
There will no longer be a prince in Egypt, and I will instill fear
in that land.
Ezekiel 30:14 I will lay waste Pathros, set fire
to Zoan, and execute judgment on Thebes.
Ezekiel 30:15 I will pour out My wrath on
Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the crowds of
Thebes.
Ezekiel 30:16 I will set fire to Egypt, Pelusium
will writhe in anguish, Thebes will be split open, and Memphis
will face daily distress.
Ezekiel 30:17 The young men of On and Pi-beseth
will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.
Ezekiel 30:18 The day will be darkened in
Tahpanhes when I break the yoke of Egypt and her proud strength
comes to an end. A cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go
into captivity.
Ezekiel 30:19 So I will execute judgment on
Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 30:20 In the eleventh year, on the
seventh day of the first month, the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
Ezekiel 30:21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm
of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for
healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.
Ezekiel 30:22 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break
his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will
make the sword fall from his hand.
Ezekiel 30:23 I will disperse the Egyptians
among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
Ezekiel 30:24 I will strengthen the arms of
Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break
the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally
wounded man.
Ezekiel 30:25 I will strengthen the arms of
Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall limp. Then they will
know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of
Babylon’s king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 30:26 I will disperse the Egyptians
among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. Then they
will know that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 31:1 In the eleventh year, on the first
day of the third month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 31:2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of
Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Who can be compared to your
greatness?
Ezekiel 31:3 Look at Assyria, a cedar in
Lebanon, with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It
towered on high; its top was among the clouds.
Ezekiel 31:4 The waters made it grow; the deep
springs made it tall, directing their streams all around its base
and sending their channels to all the trees of the field.
Ezekiel 31:5 Therefore it towered higher than
all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its
boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant
waters.
Ezekiel 31:6 All the birds of the air nested in
its branches, and all the beasts of the field gave birth beneath
its boughs; all the great nations lived in its shade.
Ezekiel 31:7 It was beautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its limbs, for its roots extended to abundant
waters.
Ezekiel 31:8 The cedars in the garden of God
could not rival it; the cypresses could not compare with its
branches, nor the plane trees match its boughs. No tree in the
garden of God could compare with its beauty.
Ezekiel 31:9 I made it beautiful with its many
branches, the envy of all the trees of Eden, which were in the
garden of God.’
Ezekiel 31:10 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: ‘Since it became great in height and set its top among
the clouds, and it grew proud on account of its height,
Ezekiel 31:11 I delivered it into the hand of
the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with it according to its
wickedness. I have banished it.
Ezekiel 31:12 Foreigners, the most ruthless of
the nations, cut it down and left it. Its branches have fallen on
the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all
the earth’s ravines. And all the peoples of the earth left its
shade and abandoned it.
Ezekiel 31:13 All the birds of the air nested on
its fallen trunk, and all the beasts of the field lived among its
boughs.
Ezekiel 31:14 This happened so that no other
trees by the waters would become great in height and set their
tops among the clouds, and no other well-watered trees would reach
them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the
depths of the earth, among the mortals who descend to the Pit.’
Ezekiel 31:15 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused mourning. I
covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its
abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and
all the trees of the field fainted because of it.
Ezekiel 31:16 I made the nations quake at the
sound of its downfall, when I cast it down to Sheol with those who
descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and
best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were consoled in the
earth below.
Ezekiel 31:17 They too descended with it to
Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies they had lived
in its shade among the nations.
Ezekiel 31:18 Who then is like you in glory and
greatness among the trees of Eden? You also will be brought down
to the depths of the earth to be with the trees of Eden. You will
lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This
is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.’”
Ezekiel 32:1 In the twelfth year, on the first
day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezekiel 32:2 “Son of man, take up a lament for
Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You are like a lion among
the nations; you are like a monster in the seas. You thrash about
in your rivers, churning up the waters with your feet and muddying
the streams.’
Ezekiel 32:3 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I
will spread My net over you with a company of many peoples, and
they will draw you up in My net.
Ezekiel 32:4 I will abandon you on the land and
hurl you into the open field. I will cause all the birds of the
air to settle upon you, and all the beasts of the earth to eat
their fill of you.
Ezekiel 32:5 I will put your flesh on the
mountains and fill the valleys with your remains.
Ezekiel 32:6 I will drench the land with the
flow of your blood, all the way to the mountains—the ravines will
be filled.
Ezekiel 32:7 When I extinguish you, I will cover
the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a
cloud, and the moon will not give its light.
Ezekiel 32:8 All the shining lights in the
heavens I will darken over you, and I will bring darkness upon
your land,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 32:9 ‘I will trouble the hearts of many
peoples, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, in
countries you do not know.
Ezekiel 32:10 I will cause many peoples to be
appalled over you, and their kings will shudder in horror because
of you when I brandish My sword before them. On the day of your
downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.’
Ezekiel 32:11 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you!
Ezekiel 32:12 I will make your hordes fall by
the swords of the mighty, the most ruthless of all nations. They
will ravage the pride of Egypt and all her multitudes will be
destroyed.
Ezekiel 32:13 I will slaughter all her cattle
beside the abundant waters. No human foot will muddy them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.
Ezekiel 32:14 Then I will let her waters settle
and will make her rivers flow like oil,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 32:15 ‘When I make the land of Egypt a
desolation and empty it of all that filled it, when I strike down
all who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD.’
Ezekiel 32:16 This is the lament they will chant
for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt
and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 32:17 In the twelfth year, on the
fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
Ezekiel 32:18 “Son of man, wail for the
multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the
mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend
to the Pit:
Ezekiel 32:19 Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go
down and be placed with the uncircumcised!
Ezekiel 32:20 They will fall among those slain
by the sword. The sword is appointed! Let them drag her away along
with all her multitudes.
Ezekiel 32:21 Mighty chiefs will speak from the
midst of Sheol about Egypt and her allies: ‘They have come down
and lie with the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.’
Ezekiel 32:22 Assyria is there with her whole
company; her graves are all around her. All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword.
Ezekiel 32:23 Her graves are set in the depths
of the Pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them
are slain, fallen by the sword—those who once spread terror in the
land of the living.
Ezekiel 32:24 Elam is there with all her
multitudes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the
sword—those who went down uncircumcised to the earth below, who
once spread their terror in the land of the living. They bear
their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit.
Ezekiel 32:25 Among the slain they prepare a
resting place for Elam with all her hordes, with her graves all
around her. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They
are placed among the slain.
Ezekiel 32:26 Meshech and Tubal are there with
all their multitudes, with their graves all around them. All of
them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because they spread
their terror in the land of the living.
Ezekiel 32:27 They do not lie down with the
fallen warriors of old, who went down to Sheol with their weapons
of war, whose swords were placed under their heads, whose shields
rested on their bones, although the terror of the mighty was once
in the land of the living.
Ezekiel 32:28 But you too will be shattered and
lie down among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.
Ezekiel 32:29 Edom is there, and all her kings
and princes, who despite their might are laid among those slain by
the sword. They lie down with the uncircumcised, with those who
descend to the Pit.
Ezekiel 32:30 All the leaders of the north and
all the Sidonians are there; they went down in disgrace with the
slain, despite the terror of their might. They lie uncircumcised
with those slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who
descend to the Pit.
Ezekiel 32:31 Pharaoh will see them and be
comforted over all his multitude—Pharaoh and all his army, slain
by the sword, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 32:32 For I will spread My terror in the
land of the living, so that Pharaoh and all his multitude will be
laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the
sword, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 33:2 “Son of man, speak to your people
and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the
people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him
as their watchman,
Ezekiel 33:3 and he sees the sword coming
against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people.
Ezekiel 33:4 Then if anyone hears the sound of
the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and
takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
Ezekiel 33:5 Since he heard the sound of the
horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own
head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life.
Ezekiel 33:6 But if the watchman sees the sword
coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the
sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken
away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for
his blood.’
Ezekiel 33:7 As for you, O son of man, I have
made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from
My mouth and give them the warning from Me.
Ezekiel 33:8 If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked
man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade
him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity,
yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.
Ezekiel 33:9 But if you warn the wicked man to
turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in
his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
Ezekiel 33:10 Now as for you, son of man, tell
the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our
transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting
away because of them! How can we live?’
Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As surely as I live,
declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and
live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O
house of Israel?’
Ezekiel 33:12 Therefore, son of man, say to your
people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver
him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness
of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from
his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by
his righteousness on the day he sins.’
Ezekiel 33:13 If I tell the righteous man that
he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and
commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be
remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
Ezekiel 33:14 But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You
will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just
and right—
Ezekiel 33:15 if he restores a pledge, makes
restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of
life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will
not die.
Ezekiel 33:16 None of the sins he has committed
will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he
will surely live.
Ezekiel 33:17 Yet your people say, ‘The way of
the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just.
Ezekiel 33:18 If a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.
Ezekiel 33:19 But if a wicked man turns from his
wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because
of this.
Ezekiel 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord
is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways,
O house of Israel.”
Ezekiel 33:21 In the twelfth year of our exile,
on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem
came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!”
Ezekiel 33:22 Now the evening before the
fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened
my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was
opened and I was no longer mute.
Ezekiel 33:23 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 33:24 “Son of man, those living in the
ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man,
yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has
been given to us as a possession.’
Ezekiel 33:25 Therefore tell them that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift
up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then
possess the land?
Ezekiel 33:26 You have relied on your swords,
you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled
his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’
Ezekiel 33:27 Tell them that this is what the
Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall
by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured
by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die
by plague.
Ezekiel 33:28 I will make the land a desolate
waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The
mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass
through.
Ezekiel 33:29 Then they will know that I am the
LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all
the abominations they have committed.’
Ezekiel 33:30 As for you, son of man, your
people are talking about you near the city walls and in the
doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to
his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the
LORD!’
Ezekiel 33:31 So My people come to you as usual,
sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into
practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their
hearts pursue dishonest gain.
Ezekiel 33:32 Indeed, you are to them like a
singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays
an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into
practice.
Ezekiel 33:33 So when it comes to pass—and
surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been
among them.”
Ezekiel 34:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the
shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the
Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed
themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?
Ezekiel 34:3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and
butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.
Ezekiel 34:4 You have not strengthened the weak,
healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or
searched for the lost. Instead, you have ruled them with violence
and cruelty.
Ezekiel 34:5 They were scattered for lack of a
shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all
the wild beasts.
Ezekiel 34:6 My flock went astray on all the
mountains and every high hill. They were scattered over the face
of all the earth, with no one to search for them or seek them
out.’
Ezekiel 34:7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the
word of the LORD:
Ezekiel 34:8 ‘As surely as I live, declares the
Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey
and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not
search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
Ezekiel 34:9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the
word of the LORD!’
Ezekiel 34:10 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand from them
My flock and remove them from tending the flock, so that they can
no longer feed themselves. For I will deliver My flock from their
mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.’
Ezekiel 34:11 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: ‘Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them
out.
Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd looks for his
scattered sheep when he is among the flock, so I will look for My
flock. I will rescue them from all the places to which they were
scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
Ezekiel 34:13 I will bring them out from the
peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their
own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the
ravines, and in all the settlements of the land.
Ezekiel 34:14 I will feed them in good pasture,
and the lofty mountains of Israel will be their grazing land.
There they will lie down in a good grazing land; they will feed in
rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 34:15 I will tend My flock and make them
lie down, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, bring back
the strays, bind up the broken, and strengthen the weak; but the
sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with
justice.’
Ezekiel 34:17 This is what the Lord GOD says to
you, My flock: ‘I will judge between one sheep and another,
between the rams and the goats.
Ezekiel 34:18 Is it not enough for you to feed
on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture
with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink the clear
waters? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
Ezekiel 34:19 Why must My flock feed on what
your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied?’
Ezekiel 34:20 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says to them: ‘Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat
sheep and the lean sheep.
Ezekiel 34:21 Since you shove with flank and
shoulder, butting all the weak ones with your horns until you have
scattered them abroad,
Ezekiel 34:22 I will save My flock, and they
will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and
another.
Ezekiel 34:23 I will appoint over them one
shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed
them and be their shepherd.
Ezekiel 34:24 I, the LORD, will be their God,
and My servant David will be a prince among them. I, the LORD,
have spoken.
Ezekiel 34:25 I will make with them a covenant
of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell
securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
Ezekiel 34:26 I will make them and the places
around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in
season—showers of blessing.
Ezekiel 34:27 The trees of the field will give
their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; My flock will be
secure in their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when
I have broken the bars of their yoke and delivered them from the
hands that enslaved them.
Ezekiel 34:28 They will no longer be prey for
the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not consume them.
They will dwell securely, and no one will frighten them.
Ezekiel 34:29 And I will raise up for them a
garden of renown, and they will no longer be victims of famine in
the land or bear the scorn of the nations.
Ezekiel 34:30 Then they will know that I, the
LORD their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel,
are My people,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 34:31 ‘You are My flock, the sheep of My
pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 35:1 Moreover, the word of the LORD came
to me, saying,
Ezekiel 35:2 “Son of man, set your face against
Mount Seir and prophesy against it,
Ezekiel 35:3 and declare that this is what the
Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Mount Seir. I will
stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolate waste.
Ezekiel 35:4 I will turn your cities into ruins,
and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the
LORD.
Ezekiel 35:5 Because you harbored an ancient
hatred and delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the time
of their disaster at the final stage of their punishment,
Ezekiel 35:6 therefore as surely as I live,
declares the Lord GOD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it
will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue
you.
Ezekiel 35:7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate
waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.
Ezekiel 35:8 I will fill its mountains with the
slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills, in your
valleys, and in all your ravines.
Ezekiel 35:9 I will make you a perpetual
desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will
know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 35:10 Because you have said, ‘These two
nations and countries will be ours, and we will possess them,’
even though the LORD was there,
Ezekiel 35:11 therefore as surely as I live,
declares the Lord GOD, I will treat you according to the anger and
jealousy you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make
Myself known among them when I judge you.
Ezekiel 35:12 Then you will know that I, the
LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you uttered against the
mountains of Israel when you said, ‘They are desolate; they are
given to us to devour!’
Ezekiel 35:13 You boasted against Me with your
mouth and multiplied your words against Me. I heard it Myself!
Ezekiel 35:14 This is what the Lord GOD says:
While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
Ezekiel 35:15 As you rejoiced when the
inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do
to you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will
all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 36:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to
the mountains of Israel and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the
word of the LORD.
Ezekiel 36:2 This is what the Lord GOD says:
Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have
become our possession,’
Ezekiel 36:3 therefore prophesy and declare that
this is what the Lord GOD says: Because they have made you
desolate and have trampled you on every side, so that you became a
possession of the rest of the nations and were taken up in slander
by the lips of their talkers,
Ezekiel 36:4 therefore, O mountains of Israel,
hear the word of the Lord GOD. This is what the Lord GOD says to
the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the
desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become a spoil and
a mockery to the rest of the nations around you.
Ezekiel 36:5 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: Surely in My burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of
the nations, and against all Edom, who took My land as their own
possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, so that its
pastureland became plunder.
Ezekiel 36:6 Therefore, prophesy concerning the
land of Israel and tell the mountains and hills, the ravines and
valleys, that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I have
spoken in My burning zeal because you have endured the reproach of
the nations.
Ezekiel 36:7 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: I have sworn with an uplifted hand that surely the nations
around you will endure reproach of their own.
Ezekiel 36:8 But you, O mountains of Israel,
will produce branches and bear fruit for My people Israel, for
they will soon come home.
Ezekiel 36:9 For behold, I am on your side; I
will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown.
Ezekiel 36:10 I will multiply the people upon
you—the house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be
inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
Ezekiel 36:11 I will fill you with people and
animals, and they will multiply and be fruitful. I will make you
as inhabited as you once were, and I will make you prosper more
than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 36:12 Yes, I will cause My people Israel
to walk upon you; they will possess you, and you will be their
inheritance, and you will no longer deprive them of their
children.
Ezekiel 36:13 For this is what the Lord GOD
says: Because people say to you, ‘You devour men and deprive your
nation of its children,’
Ezekiel 36:14 therefore you will no longer
devour men or deprive your nation of its children, declares the
Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 36:15 I will no longer allow the taunts
of the nations to be heard against you, and you will no longer
endure the reproach of the peoples or cause your nation to
stumble, declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 36:16 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 36:17 “Son of man, when the people of
Israel lived in their land, they defiled it by their own ways and
deeds. Their behavior before Me was like the uncleanness of a
woman’s impurity.
Ezekiel 36:18 So I poured out My wrath upon them
because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they
had defiled it with their idols.
Ezekiel 36:19 I dispersed them among the
nations, and they were scattered throughout the lands. I judged
them according to their ways and deeds.
Ezekiel 36:20 And wherever they went among the
nations, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them,
‘These are the people of the LORD, yet they had to leave His
land.’
Ezekiel 36:21 But I had concern for My holy
name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to
which they had gone.
Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore tell the house of Israel
that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that
I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you
profaned among the nations to which you went.
Ezekiel 36:23 I will show the holiness of My
great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you
have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the
LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I show My holiness in you before
their eyes.
Ezekiel 36:24 For I will take you from among the
nations and gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring
you back into your own land.
Ezekiel 36:25 I will also sprinkle clean water
on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your
impurities and all your idols.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and
put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and
give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put My Spirit within
you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe
My ordinances.
Ezekiel 36:28 Then you will live in the land
that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be
your God.
Ezekiel 36:29 I will save you from all your
uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I
will not bring famine upon you.
Ezekiel 36:30 I will also make the fruit of the
trees and the crops of the field plentiful, so that you will no
longer bear reproach among the nations on account of famine.
Ezekiel 36:31 Then you will remember your evil
ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your
iniquities and abominations.
Ezekiel 36:32 It is not for your sake that I
will act, declares the Lord GOD—let it be known to you. Be ashamed
and disgraced for your ways, O house of Israel!
Ezekiel 36:33 This is what the Lord GOD says: On
the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the
cities to be resettled and the ruins to be rebuilt.
Ezekiel 36:34 The desolate land will be
cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass
through.
Ezekiel 36:35 Then they will say, ‘This land
that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities
that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are now fortified
and inhabited.’
Ezekiel 36:36 Then the nations around you that
remain will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was
destroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD,
have spoken, and I will do it.
Ezekiel 36:37 This is what the Lord GOD says:
Once again I will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for
them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.
Ezekiel 36:38 Like the numerous flocks for
sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined
cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know
that I am the LORD.”
Ezekiel 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me,
and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle
of the valley, and it was full of bones.
Ezekiel 37:2 He led me all around among them,
and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and
indeed, they were very dry.
Ezekiel 37:3 Then He asked me, “Son of man, can
these bones come to life?” “O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You
know.”
Ezekiel 37:4 And He said to me, “Prophesy
concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of
the LORD!
Ezekiel 37:5 This is what the Lord GOD says to
these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will come
to life.
Ezekiel 37:6 I will attach tendons to you and
make flesh grow upon you and cover you with skin. I will put
breath within you so that you will come to life. Then you will
know that I am the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 37:7 So I prophesied as I had been
commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a
rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
Ezekiel 37:8 As I looked on, tendons appeared on
them, flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath
in them.
Ezekiel 37:9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to
the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is
what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and
breathe into these slain, so that they may live!”
Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as He had
commanded me, and the breath entered them, and they came to life
and stood on their feet—a vast army.
Ezekiel 37:11 Then He said to me, “Son of man,
these bones are the whole house of Israel. Look, they are saying,
‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut
off.’
Ezekiel 37:12 Therefore prophesy and tell them
that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O My people, I will open
your graves and bring you up from them, and I will bring you back
to the land of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:13 Then you, My people, will know
that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from
them.
Ezekiel 37:14 I will put My Spirit in you and
you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you
will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it,
declares the LORD.’”
Ezekiel 37:15 Again the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 37:16 “And you, son of man, take a
single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Judah and to the
Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write
on it: ‘Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and to all the
house of Israel associated with him.’
Ezekiel 37:17 Then join them together into one
stick, so that they become one in your hand.
Ezekiel 37:18 When your people ask you, ‘Won’t
you explain to us what you mean by these?’
Ezekiel 37:19 you are to tell them that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the stick of Joseph, which is
in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with
him, and I will put them together with the stick of Judah. I will
make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My
hand.’
Ezekiel 37:20 When the sticks on which you write
are in your hand and in full view of the people,
Ezekiel 37:21 you are to tell them that this is
what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will take the Israelites out of the
nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all
around and bring them into their own land.
Ezekiel 37:22 I will make them one nation in the
land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all
of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never
again be divided into two kingdoms.
Ezekiel 37:23 They will no longer defile
themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of
their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies
by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be
My people, and I will be their God.
Ezekiel 37:24 My servant David will be king over
them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will
follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.
Ezekiel 37:25 They will live in the land that I
gave to My servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They will live
there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My
servant David will be their prince forever.
Ezekiel 37:26 And I will make a covenant of
peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will
establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary
among them forever.
Ezekiel 37:27 My dwelling place will be with
them; I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Ezekiel 37:28 Then the nations will know that I
the LORD sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is among them
forever.’”
Ezekiel 38:1 And the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Ezekiel 38:2 “Son of man, set your face against
Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
Prophesy against him
Ezekiel 38:3 and declare that this is what the
Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal.
Ezekiel 38:4 I will turn you around, put hooks
in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses,
your horsemen in full armor, and a great company armed with
shields and bucklers, all brandishing their swords.
Ezekiel 38:5 Persia, Cush, and Put will
accompany them, all with shields and helmets,
Ezekiel 38:6 as well as Gomer with all its
troops, and Beth-togarmah from the far north with all its
troops—the many nations with you.
Ezekiel 38:7 Get ready; prepare yourself, you
and all your company gathered around you; you will be their guard.
Ezekiel 38:8 After a long time you will be
summoned. In the latter years you will enter a land that has
recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations
to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had
been brought out from the nations, and all now dwell securely.
Ezekiel 38:9 You and all your troops, and many
peoples with you will go up, advancing like a thunderstorm; you
will be like a cloud covering the land.
Ezekiel 38:10 This is what the Lord GOD says: On
that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an
evil plan.
Ezekiel 38:11 You will say, ‘I will go up
against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a
tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without
walls or bars or gates—
Ezekiel 38:12 in order to seize the spoil and
carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places
now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who
have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center
of the land.’
Ezekiel 38:13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants
of Tarshish with all its villages will ask, ‘Have you come to
capture the plunder? Have you assembled your hordes to carry away
loot, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and goods,
to seize great spoil?’
Ezekiel 38:14 Therefore prophesy, son of man,
and tell Gog that this is what the Lord GOD says: On that day when
My people Israel are dwelling securely, will you not take notice
of this?
Ezekiel 38:15 And you will come from your place
out of the far north—you and many peoples with you, all riding
horses—a mighty horde, a huge army.
Ezekiel 38:16 You will advance against My people
Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the
latter days, O Gog, that I will bring you against My land, so that
the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy in you before
their eyes.
Ezekiel 38:17 This is what the Lord GOD says:
Are you the one of whom I have spoken in former days through My
servants, the prophets of Israel, who in those times prophesied
for years that I would bring you against them?
Ezekiel 38:18 Now on that day when Gog comes
against the land of Israel, declares the Lord GOD, My wrath will
flare up.
Ezekiel 38:19 In My zeal and fiery rage I
proclaim that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the
land of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:20 The fish of the sea, the birds of
the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that crawls upon
the ground, and all mankind on the face of the earth will tremble
at My presence. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will
collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.
Ezekiel 38:21 And I will summon a sword against
Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s
sword will be against his brother.
Ezekiel 38:22 I will execute judgment upon him
with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain,
hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the
many nations with him.
Ezekiel 38:23 I will magnify and sanctify
Myself, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then
they will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 39:1 “As for you, O son of man, prophesy
against Gog and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:
Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and
Tubal.
Ezekiel 39:2 I will turn you around, drive you
along, bring you up from the far north, and send you against the
mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 39:3 Then I will strike the bow from
your left hand and dash down the arrows from your right hand.
Ezekiel 39:4 On the mountains of Israel you will
fall—you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give
you as food to every kind of ravenous bird and wild beast.
Ezekiel 39:5 You will fall in the open field,
for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 39:6 I will send fire on Magog and on
those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they will know
that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 39:7 So I will make My holy name known
among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned.
Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in
Israel.
Ezekiel 39:8 Yes, it is coming, and it will
surely happen, declares the Lord GOD. This is the day of which I
have spoken.
Ezekiel 39:9 Then those who dwell in the cities
of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the
bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears.
For seven years they will use them for fuel.
Ezekiel 39:10 They will not gather wood from the
countryside or cut it from the forests, for they will use the
weapons for fuel. They will loot those who looted them and plunder
those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 39:11 And on that day I will give Gog a
burial place in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the
Sea. It will block those who travel through, because Gog and all
his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley
of Hamon-gog.
Ezekiel 39:12 For seven months the house of
Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.
Ezekiel 39:13 All the people of the land will
bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day I display My
glory, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 39:14 And men will be employed to
continually pass through the land to cleanse it by burying the
invaders who remain on the ground. At the end of the seven months
they will begin their search.
Ezekiel 39:15 As they pass through the land,
anyone who sees a human bone will set up a pillar next to it,
until the gravediggers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog.
Ezekiel 39:16 (Even the city will be named
Hamonah.) And so they will cleanse the land.
Ezekiel 39:17 And as for you, son of man, this
is what the Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and to
every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come together from all
around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a
great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh
and drink blood.
Ezekiel 39:18 You will eat the flesh of the
mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though
they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals
of Bashan.
Ezekiel 39:19 At the sacrifice I am preparing,
you will eat fat until you are gorged and drink blood until you
are drunk.
Ezekiel 39:20 And at My table you will eat your
fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and warriors of every
kind,’ declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 39:21 I will display My glory among the
nations, and all the nations will see the judgment that I execute
and the hand that I lay upon them.
Ezekiel 39:22 From that day forward the house of
Israel will know that I am the LORD their God.
Ezekiel 39:23 And the nations will know that the
house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity, because they
were unfaithful to Me. So I hid My face from them and delivered
them into the hands of their enemies, so that they all fell by the
sword.
Ezekiel 39:24 I dealt with them according to
their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid My face from them.
Ezekiel 39:25 Therefore this is what the Lord
GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have
compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for
My holy name.
Ezekiel 39:26 They will forget their disgrace
and all the treachery they committed against Me, when they dwell
securely in their land, with no one to frighten them.
Ezekiel 39:27 When I bring them back from the
peoples and gather them out of the lands of their enemies, I will
show My holiness in them in the sight of many nations.
Ezekiel 39:28 Then they will know that I am the
LORD their God, when I regather them to their own land, not
leaving any of them behind after their exile among the nations.
Ezekiel 39:29 And I will no longer hide My face
from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel,
declares the Lord GOD.”
Ezekiel 40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our
exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the
month—in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been struck
down—on that very day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He
took me there.
Ezekiel 40:2 In visions of God He took me to the
land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose
southern slope was a structure that resembled a city.
Ezekiel 40:3 So He took me there, and I saw a
man whose appearance was like bronze. He was standing in the
gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.
Ezekiel 40:4 “Son of man,” he said to me, “look
with your eyes, hear with your ears, and pay attention to
everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been
brought here. Report to the house of Israel everything you see.”
Ezekiel 40:5 And I saw a wall surrounding the
temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand
was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth),
and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high.
Ezekiel 40:6 Then he came to the gate facing
east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate
to be one rod deep.
Ezekiel 40:7 Each gate chamber was one rod long
and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the gate
chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing
inward was one rod deep.
Ezekiel 40:8 Then he measured the portico of the
gateway inside;
Ezekiel 40:9 it was eight cubits deep, and its
jambs were two cubits thick. And the portico of the gateway faced
the temple.
Ezekiel 40:10 There were three gate chambers on
each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and
the gateposts on either side also had the same measurements.
Ezekiel 40:11 And he measured the width of the
gateway entrance to be ten cubits, and its length was thirteen
cubits.
Ezekiel 40:12 In front of each gate chamber was
a wall one cubit high, and the gate chambers were six cubits
square.
Ezekiel 40:13 Then he measured the gateway from
the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the opposite one; the
distance was twenty-five cubits from doorway to doorway.
Ezekiel 40:14 Next he measured the gateposts to
be sixty cubits high. The gateway extended around to the gatepost
of the courtyard.
Ezekiel 40:15 And the distance from the entrance
of the gateway to the far end of its inner portico was fifty
cubits.
Ezekiel 40:16 The gate chambers and their side
pillars had beveled windows all around the inside of the gateway.
The porticos also had windows all around on the inside. Each side
pillar was decorated with palm trees.
Ezekiel 40:17 Then he brought me into the outer
court, and there were chambers and a pavement laid out all around
the court. Thirty chambers faced the pavement,
Ezekiel 40:18 which flanked the gateways and
corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower
pavement.
Ezekiel 40:19 Then he measured the distance from
the front of the lower gateway to the outside of the inner court;
it was a hundred cubits on the east side as well as on the north.
Ezekiel 40:20 He also measured the length and
width of the gateway of the outer court facing north.
Ezekiel 40:21 Its three gate chambers on each
side, its side pillars, and its portico all had the same
measurements as the first gate: fifty cubits long and twenty-five
cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:22 Its windows, portico, and palm
trees had the same measurements as those of the gate facing east.
Seven steps led up to it, with its portico opposite them.
Ezekiel 40:23 There was a gate to the inner
court facing the north gate, just as there was on the east. He
measured the distance from gateway to gateway to be a hundred
cubits.
Ezekiel 40:24 Then he led me to the south side,
and I saw a gateway facing south. He measured its side pillars and
portico, and they had the same measurements as the others.
Ezekiel 40:25 Both the gateway and its portico
had windows all around, like the other windows. It was fifty
cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:26 Seven steps led up to it, and its
portico was opposite them; it had palm trees on its side pillars,
one on each side.
Ezekiel 40:27 The inner court also had a gate
facing south, and he measured the distance from gateway to gateway
toward the south to be a hundred cubits.
Ezekiel 40:28 Next he brought me into the inner
court through the south gate, and he measured the south gate; it
had the same measurements as the others.
Ezekiel 40:29 Its gate chambers, side pillars,
and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the
gateway and its portico had windows all around; it was fifty
cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:30 (The porticoes around the inner
court were twenty-five cubits long and five cubits deep.)
Ezekiel 40:31 Its portico faced the outer court,
and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees. Eight steps
led up to it.
Ezekiel 40:32 And he brought me to the inner
court on the east side, and he measured the gateway; it had the
same measurements as the others.
Ezekiel 40:33 Its gate chambers, side pillars,
and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both the
gateway and its portico had windows all around. It was fifty
cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:34 Its portico faced the outer court,
and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side.
Eight steps led up to it.
Ezekiel 40:35 Then he brought me to the north
gate and measured it. It had the same measurements as the others,
Ezekiel 40:36 as did its gate chambers, side
pillars, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was fifty
cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:37 Its portico faced the outer court,
and its side pillars were decorated with palm trees on each side.
Eight steps led up to it.
Ezekiel 40:38 There was a chamber with a doorway
by the portico in each of the inner gateways. There the burnt
offering was to be washed.
Ezekiel 40:39 Inside the portico of the gateway
were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin
offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered.
Ezekiel 40:40 Outside, as one goes up to the
entrance of the north gateway, there were two tables on one side
and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico.
Ezekiel 40:41 So there were four tables inside
the gateway and four outside—eight tables in all—on which the
sacrifices were to be slaughtered.
Ezekiel 40:42 There were also four tables of
dressed stone for the burnt offering, each a cubit and a half
long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit high. On these were
placed the utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and the
other sacrifices.
Ezekiel 40:43 The double-pronged hooks, each a
handbreadth long, were fastened all around the inside of the room,
and the flesh of the offering was to be placed on the tables.
Ezekiel 40:44 Outside the inner gate, within the
inner court, were two chambers, one beside the north gate and
facing south, and another beside the south gate and facing north.
Ezekiel 40:45 Then the man said to me: “The
chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the
temple,
Ezekiel 40:46 and the chamber that faces north
is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the
sons of Zadok, the only Levites who may approach the LORD to
minister before Him.”
Ezekiel 40:47 Next he measured the court. It was
square, a hundred cubits long and a hundred cubits wide. And the
altar was in front of the temple.
Ezekiel 40:48 Then he brought me to the portico
of the temple and measured the side pillars of the portico to be
five cubits on each side. The width of the gateway was fourteen
cubits and its sidewalls were three cubits on either side.
Ezekiel 40:49 The portico was twenty cubits wide
and twelve cubits deep, and ten steps led up to it. There were
columns by the side pillars, one on each side.
Ezekiel 41:1 Then the man brought me into the
outer sanctuary and measured the side pillars to be six cubits
wide on each side.
Ezekiel 41:2 The width of the entrance was ten
cubits, and the sides of the entrance were five cubits on each
side. He also measured the length of the outer sanctuary to be
forty cubits, and the width to be twenty cubits.
Ezekiel 41:3 And he went into the inner
sanctuary and measured the side pillars at the entrance to be two
cubits wide. The entrance was six cubits wide, and the walls on
each side were seven cubits wide.
Ezekiel 41:4 Then he measured the room adjacent
to the inner sanctuary to be twenty cubits long and twenty cubits
wide. And he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”
Ezekiel 41:5 Next he measured the wall of the
temple to be six cubits thick, and the width of each side room
around the temple was four cubits.
Ezekiel 41:6 The side rooms were arranged one
above another in three levels of thirty rooms each. There were
ledges all around the wall of the temple to serve as supports for
the side rooms, so that the supports would not be fastened into
the wall of the temple itself.
Ezekiel 41:7 The side rooms surrounding the
temple widened at each successive level, because the structure
surrounding the temple ascended by stages corresponding to the
narrowing of the temple wall as it rose upward. And so a stairway
went up from the lowest story to the highest, through the middle
one.
Ezekiel 41:8 I saw that the temple had a raised
base all around it, forming the foundation of the side rooms. It
was the full length of a rod, six long cubits.
Ezekiel 41:9 The outer wall of the side rooms
was five cubits thick, and the open area between the side rooms of
the temple
Ezekiel 41:10 and the outer chambers was twenty
cubits wide all around the temple.
Ezekiel 41:11 The side rooms opened into this
area, with one entrance on the north and another on the south. The
open area was five cubits wide all around.
Ezekiel 41:12 Now the building that faced the
temple courtyard on the west was seventy cubits wide, and the wall
of the building was five cubits thick all around, with a length of
ninety cubits.
Ezekiel 41:13 Then he measured the temple to be
a hundred cubits long, and the temple courtyard and the building
with its walls were also a hundred cubits long.
Ezekiel 41:14 The width of the temple courtyard
on the east, including the front of the temple, was a hundred
cubits.
Ezekiel 41:15 Next he measured the length of the
building facing the temple courtyard at the rear of the temple,
including its galleries on each side; it was a hundred cubits. The
outer sanctuary, the inner sanctuary, and the porticoes facing the
court,
Ezekiel 41:16 as well as the thresholds and the
beveled windows and the galleries all around with their three
levels opposite the threshold, were overlaid with wood on all
sides. They were paneled from the ground to the windows, and the
windows were covered.
Ezekiel 41:17 In the space above the outside of
the entrance to the inner sanctuary on all the walls, spaced
evenly around the inner and outer sanctuary,
Ezekiel 41:18 were alternating carved cherubim
and palm trees. Each cherub had two faces:
Ezekiel 41:19 the face of a man was toward the
palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion was toward the
palm tree on the other side. They were carved all the way around
the temple.
Ezekiel 41:20 Cherubim and palm trees were
carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary from the floor to the
space above the entrance.
Ezekiel 41:21 The outer sanctuary had a
rectangular doorframe, and the doorframe of the sanctuary was
similar.
Ezekiel 41:22 There was an altar of wood three
cubits high and two cubits square. Its corners, base, and sides
were of wood. And the man told me, “This is the table that is
before the LORD.”
Ezekiel 41:23 Both the outer sanctuary and the
inner sanctuary had double doors,
Ezekiel 41:24 and each door had two swinging
panels. There were two panels for one door and two for the other.
Ezekiel 41:25 Cherubim and palm trees like those
on the walls were carved on the doors of the outer sanctuary, and
there was a wooden canopy outside, on the front of the portico.
Ezekiel 41:26 There were beveled windows and
palm trees on the sidewalls of the portico. The side rooms of the
temple also had canopies.
Ezekiel 42:1 Then the man led me out northward
into the outer court, and he brought me to the group of chambers
opposite the temple courtyard and the outer wall on the north
side.
Ezekiel 42:2 The building with the door facing
north was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide.
Ezekiel 42:3 Gallery faced gallery in three
levels opposite the twenty cubits that belonged to the inner court
and opposite the pavement that belonged to the outer court.
Ezekiel 42:4 In front of the chambers was an
inner walkway ten cubits wide and a hundred cubits long. Their
doors were on the north.
Ezekiel 42:5 Now the upper chambers were smaller
because the galleries took more space from the chambers on the
lower and middle floors of the building.
Ezekiel 42:6 For they were arranged in three
stories, and unlike the courts, they had no pillars. So the upper
chambers were set back further than the lower and middle floors.
Ezekiel 42:7 An outer wall in front of the
chambers was fifty cubits long and ran parallel to the chambers
and the outer court.
Ezekiel 42:8 For the chambers on the outer court
were fifty cubits long, while those facing the temple were a
hundred cubits long.
Ezekiel 42:9 And below these chambers was the
entrance on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.
Ezekiel 42:10 On the south side along the length
of the wall of the outer court were chambers adjoining the
courtyard and opposite the building,
Ezekiel 42:11 with a passageway in front of
them, just like the chambers that were on the north. They had the
same length and width, with similar exits and dimensions.
Ezekiel 42:12 And corresponding to the doors of
the chambers that were facing south, there was a door in front of
the walkway that was parallel to the wall extending eastward.
Ezekiel 42:13 Then the man said to me, “The
north and south chambers facing the temple courtyard are the holy
chambers where the priests who approach the LORD will eat the most
holy offerings. There they will place the most holy offerings—the
grain offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings—for
the place is holy.
Ezekiel 42:14 Once the priests have entered the
holy area, they must not go out into the outer court until they
have left behind the garments in which they minister, for these
are holy. They are to put on other clothes before they approach
the places that are for the people.”
Ezekiel 42:15 Now when the man had finished
measuring the interior of the temple area, he led me out by the
gate that faced east, and he measured the area all around:
Ezekiel 42:16 With a measuring rod he measured
the east side to be five hundred cubits long.
Ezekiel 42:17 He measured the north side to be
five hundred cubits long.
Ezekiel 42:18 He measured the south side to be
five hundred cubits long.
Ezekiel 42:19 And he came around and measured
the west side to be five hundred cubits long.
Ezekiel 42:20 So he measured the area on all
four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and
five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.
Ezekiel 43:1 Then the man brought me back to the
gate that faces east,
Ezekiel 43:2 and I saw the glory of the God of
Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many
waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
Ezekiel 43:3 The vision I saw was like the
vision I had seen when He came to destroy the city and like the
visions I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell facedown,
Ezekiel 43:4 and the glory of the LORD entered
the temple through the gate facing east.
Ezekiel 43:5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and
brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the LORD filled
the temple.
Ezekiel 43:6 While the man was standing beside
me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple,
Ezekiel 43:7 and He said to me, “Son of man,
this is the place of My throne and the place for the soles of My
feet, where I will dwell among the Israelites forever. The house
of Israel will never again defile My holy name—neither they nor
their kings—by their prostitution and by the funeral offerings for
their kings at their deaths.
Ezekiel 43:8 When they placed their threshold
next to My threshold and their doorposts beside My doorposts, with
only a wall between Me and them, they defiled My holy name by the
abominations they committed. Therefore I have consumed them in My
anger.
Ezekiel 43:9 Now let them remove far from Me
their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and
I will dwell among them forever.
Ezekiel 43:10 As for you, son of man, describe
the temple to the people of Israel, so that they may be ashamed of
their iniquities. Let them measure the plan,
Ezekiel 43:11 and if they are ashamed of all
they have done, then make known to them the design of the
temple—its arrangement and its exits and entrances—its whole
design along with all its statutes, forms, and laws. Write it down
in their sight, so that they may keep its complete design and all
its statutes and may carry them out.
Ezekiel 43:12 This is the law of the temple: All
its surrounding territory on top of the mountain will be most
holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.
Ezekiel 43:13 These are the measurements of the
altar in long cubits (a cubit and a handbreadth): Its gutter shall
be a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span around
its edge. And this is the height of the altar:
Ezekiel 43:14 The space from the gutter on the
ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the ledge one
cubit wide. The space from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge
shall be four cubits, and the ledge one cubit wide.
Ezekiel 43:15 The altar hearth shall be four
cubits high, and four horns shall project upward from the hearth.
Ezekiel 43:16 The altar hearth shall be square
at its four corners, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide.
Ezekiel 43:17 The ledge shall also be square,
fourteen cubits long and fourteen cubits wide, with a rim of half
a cubit and a gutter of a cubit all around it. The steps of the
altar shall face east.”
Ezekiel 43:18 Then He said to me: “Son of man,
this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘These are the statutes for the
altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings may be
sacrificed on it and blood may be sprinkled on it:
Ezekiel 43:19 You are to give a young bull from
the herd as a sin offering to the Levitical priests who are of the
family of Zadok, who approach Me to minister before Me, declares
the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 43:20 You are to take some of its blood
and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of
the ledge, and all around the rim; thus you will cleanse the altar
and make atonement for it.
Ezekiel 43:21 Then you are to take away the bull
for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the
temple area outside the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 43:22 On the second day you are to
present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering, and the altar
is to be cleansed as it was with the bull.
Ezekiel 43:23 When you have finished the
purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull and an
unblemished ram from the flock.
Ezekiel 43:24 You must present them before the
LORD; the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them
as a burnt offering to the LORD.
Ezekiel 43:25 For seven days you are to provide
a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a
young bull and a ram from the flock, both unblemished.
Ezekiel 43:26 For seven days the priests are to
make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; so they shall
consecrate it.
Ezekiel 43:27 At the end of these days, from the
eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and
peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the
Lord GOD.’”
Ezekiel 44:1 The man then brought me back to the
outer gate of the sanctuary that faced east, but it was shut.
Ezekiel 44:2 And the LORD said to me, “This gate
is to remain shut. It shall not be opened, and no man shall enter
through it, because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered
through it. Therefore it will remain shut.
Ezekiel 44:3 Only the prince himself may sit
inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He must
enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same
way.”
Ezekiel 44:4 Then the man brought me to the
front of the temple by way of the north gate. I looked and saw the
glory of the LORD filling His temple, and I fell facedown.
Ezekiel 44:5 The LORD said to me: “Son of man,
pay attention; look carefully with your eyes and listen closely
with your ears to everything I tell you concerning all the
statutes and laws of the house of the LORD. Take careful note of
the entrance to the temple, along with all the exits of the
sanctuary.
Ezekiel 44:6 Tell the rebellious house of Israel
that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I have had enough of all
your abominations, O house of Israel.
Ezekiel 44:7 In addition to all your other
abominations, you brought in foreigners uncircumcised in both
heart and flesh to occupy My sanctuary; you defiled My temple when
you offered My food—the fat and the blood; you broke My covenant.
Ezekiel 44:8 And you have not kept charge of My
holy things, but have appointed others to keep charge of My
sanctuary for you.’
Ezekiel 44:9 This is what the Lord GOD says: No
foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My
sanctuary—not even a foreigner who lives among the Israelites.
Ezekiel 44:10 Surely the Levites who wandered
away from Me when Israel went astray, and who wandered away from
Me after their idols, will bear the consequences of their
iniquity.
Ezekiel 44:11 Yet they shall be ministers in My
sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and
ministering there. They shall slaughter the burnt offerings and
other sacrifices for the people and stand before them to minister
to them.
Ezekiel 44:12 Because they ministered before
their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house
of Israel, therefore I swore with an uplifted hand concerning them
that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity, declares
the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 44:13 They must not approach Me to serve
Me as priests or come near any of My holy things or the most holy
things. They will bear the shame of the abominations they have
committed.
Ezekiel 44:14 Yet I will appoint them to keep
charge of all the work for the temple and everything to be done in
it.
Ezekiel 44:15 But the Levitical priests, who are
descended from Zadok and who kept charge of My sanctuary when the
Israelites went astray from Me, are to approach Me to minister
before Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood,
declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 44:16 They alone shall enter My
sanctuary and draw near to My table to minister before Me. They
will keep My charge.
Ezekiel 44:17 When they enter the gates of the
inner court, they are to wear linen garments; they must not wear
anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner
court or inside the temple.
Ezekiel 44:18 They are to wear linen turbans on
their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must
not wear anything that makes them perspire.
Ezekiel 44:19 When they go out to the outer
court, to the people, they are to take off the garments in which
they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress
in other clothes so that they do not transmit holiness to the
people with their garments.
Ezekiel 44:20 They must not shave their heads or
let their hair grow long, but must carefully trim their hair.
Ezekiel 44:21 No priest may drink wine before he
enters the inner court.
Ezekiel 44:22 And they shall not marry a widow
or a divorced woman, but must marry a virgin of the descendants of
the house of Israel, or a widow of a priest.
Ezekiel 44:23 They are to teach My people the
difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to
discern between the clean and the unclean.
Ezekiel 44:24 In any dispute, they shall
officiate as judges and judge according to My ordinances. They
must keep My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed feasts,
and they must keep My Sabbaths holy.
Ezekiel 44:25 A priest must not defile himself
by going near a dead person. However, for a father, a mother, a
son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister, he may do so,
Ezekiel 44:26 and after he is cleansed, he must
count off seven days for himself.
Ezekiel 44:27 And on the day he goes into the
sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he
must present his sin offering, declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 44:28 In regard to their inheritance, I
am their inheritance. You are to give them no possession in
Israel, for I am their possession.
Ezekiel 44:29 They shall eat the grain
offerings, the sin offerings, and the guilt offerings. Everything
in Israel devoted to the LORD will belong to them.
Ezekiel 44:30 The best of all the firstfruits
and of every contribution from all your offerings will belong to
the priests. You are to give your first batch of dough to the
priest, so that a blessing may rest upon your homes.
Ezekiel 44:31 The priests may not eat any bird
or animal found dead or torn by wild beasts.
Ezekiel 45:1 “When you divide the land by lot as
an inheritance, you are to set aside a portion for the LORD, a
holy portion of the land 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits
wide. This entire tract of land will be holy.
Ezekiel 45:2 Within this area there is to be a
section for the sanctuary 500 cubits square, with 50 cubits around
it for open land.
Ezekiel 45:3 From this holy portion, you are to
measure off a length of 25,000 cubits and a width of 10,000
cubits, and in it will be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.
Ezekiel 45:4 It will be a holy portion of the
land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who
draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for
their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 45:5 An adjacent area 25,000 cubits long
and 10,000 cubits wide shall belong to the Levites who minister in
the temple; it will be their possession for towns in which to
live.
Ezekiel 45:6 As the property of the city, you
are to set aside an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long,
adjacent to the holy district. It will belong to the whole house
of Israel.
Ezekiel 45:7 Now the prince will have the area
bordering each side of the area formed by the holy district and
the property of the city, extending westward from the western side
and eastward from the eastern side, running lengthwise from the
western boundary to the eastern boundary and parallel to one of
the tribal portions.
Ezekiel 45:8 This land will be his possession in
Israel. And My princes will no longer oppress My people, but will
give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to
their tribes.
Ezekiel 45:9 For this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression,
and do what is just and right. Stop dispossessing My people,
declares the Lord GOD.’
Ezekiel 45:10 You must use honest scales, a just
ephah, and a just bath.
Ezekiel 45:11 The ephah and the bath shall be
the same quantity so that the bath will contain a tenth of a
homer, and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer will be the
standard measure for both.
Ezekiel 45:12 The shekel will consist of twenty
gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen
shekels will equal one mina.
Ezekiel 45:13 This is the contribution you are
to offer: a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and a
sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley.
Ezekiel 45:14 The prescribed portion of oil,
measured by the bath, is a tenth of a bath from each cor (a cor
consists of ten baths or one homer, since ten baths are equivalent
to a homer).
Ezekiel 45:15 And one sheep shall be given from
each flock of two hundred from the well-watered pastures of
Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and
peace offerings, to make atonement for the people, declares the
Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 45:16 All the people of the land must
participate in this contribution for the prince in Israel.
Ezekiel 45:17 And it shall be the prince’s part
to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink
offerings for the feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—for all the
appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin
offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings
to make atonement for the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 45:18 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘On the first day of the first month you are to take a young bull
without blemish and purify the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 45:19 And the priest is to take some of
the blood from the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the
temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the
gateposts of the inner court.
Ezekiel 45:20 You must do the same thing on the
seventh day of the month for anyone who strays unintentionally or
in ignorance. In this way you will make atonement for the temple.
Ezekiel 45:21 On the fourteenth day of the first
month you are to observe the Passover, a feast of seven days,
during which unleavened bread shall be eaten.
Ezekiel 45:22 On that day the prince shall
provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the
people of the land.
Ezekiel 45:23 Each day during the seven days of
the feast, he shall provide seven bulls and seven rams without
blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, along with a male goat
for a sin offering.
Ezekiel 45:24 He shall also provide as a grain
offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along
with a hin of olive oil for each ephah of grain.
Ezekiel 45:25 During the seven days of the feast
that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, he is to
make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain
offerings, and oil.’
Ezekiel 46:1 “This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘The gate of the inner court that faces east must be kept shut
during the six days of work, but on the Sabbath day and on the day
of the New Moon it shall be opened.
Ezekiel 46:2 The prince is to enter from the
outside through the portico of the gateway and stand by the
gatepost, while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and
peace offerings. He is to bow in worship at the threshold of the
gate and then depart, but the gate must not be shut until evening.
Ezekiel 46:3 On the Sabbaths and New Moons the
people of the land are also to bow in worship before the LORD at
the entrance to that gateway.
Ezekiel 46:4 The burnt offering that the prince
presents to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six unblemished
male lambs and an unblemished ram.
Ezekiel 46:5 The grain offering with the ram
shall be one ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be
as much as he is able, along with a hin of oil per ephah.
Ezekiel 46:6 On the day of the New Moon he shall
offer a young, unblemished bull, six lambs, and a ram without
blemish.
Ezekiel 46:7 He is to provide a grain offering
of an ephah with the bull, an ephah with the ram, and as much as
he is able with the lambs, along with a hin of oil per ephah.
Ezekiel 46:8 When the prince enters, he shall go
in through the portico of the gateway, and he shall go out the
same way.
Ezekiel 46:9 When the people of the land come
before the LORD at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by the
north gate to worship must go out by the south gate, and whoever
enters by the south gate must go out by the north gate. No one is
to return through the gate by which he entered, but each must go
out by the opposite gate.
Ezekiel 46:10 When the people enter, the prince
shall go in with them, and when they leave, he shall leave.
Ezekiel 46:11 At the festivals and appointed
feasts, the grain offering shall be an ephah with a bull, an ephah
with a ram, and as much as one is able to give with the lambs,
along with a hin of oil per ephah.
Ezekiel 46:12 When the prince makes a freewill
offering to the LORD, whether a burnt offering or a peace
offering, the gate facing east must be opened for him. He is to
offer his burnt offering or peace offering just as he does on the
Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate must be closed
after he goes out.
Ezekiel 46:13 And you shall provide an
unblemished year-old lamb as a daily burnt offering to the LORD;
you are to offer it every morning.
Ezekiel 46:14 You are also to provide with it
every morning a grain offering of a sixth of an ephah with a third
of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour—a grain offering to the
LORD. This is a permanent statute.
Ezekiel 46:15 Thus they shall provide the lamb,
the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt
offering.’
Ezekiel 46:16 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons as an inheritance,
it will belong to his descendants. It will become their property
by inheritance.
Ezekiel 46:17 But if he gives a gift from his
inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant
until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His
inheritance belongs only to his sons; it shall be theirs.
Ezekiel 46:18 The prince must not take any of
the inheritance of the people by evicting them from their
property. He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his
own property, so that none of My people will be displaced from his
property.’”
Ezekiel 46:19 Then the man brought me through
the entrance at the side of the gate into the holy chambers facing
north, which belonged to the priests, and he showed me a place
there at the far western end
Ezekiel 46:20 and said to me, “This is the place
where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin
offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that
they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness
to the people.”
Ezekiel 46:21 Then he brought me into the outer
court and led me around to its four corners, and I saw a separate
court in each of its corners.
Ezekiel 46:22 In the four corners of the outer
court there were enclosed courts, each forty cubits long and
thirty cubits wide. Each of the four corner areas had the same
dimensions.
Ezekiel 46:23 Around the inside of each of the
four courts was a row of masonry with ovens built at the base of
the walls on all sides.
Ezekiel 46:24 And he said to me, “These are the
kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the
sacrifices offered by the people.”
Ezekiel 47:1 Then the man brought me back to the
entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the
threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced
east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the
temple, south of the altar.
Ezekiel 47:2 Next he brought me out through the
north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing
east, and there I saw the water trickling out from the south side.
Ezekiel 47:3 As the man went eastward with a
measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and
led me through ankle-deep water.
Ezekiel 47:4 Then he measured off a thousand
cubits and led me through knee-deep water. Again he measured a
thousand cubits and led me through waist-deep water.
Ezekiel 47:5 Once again he measured off a
thousand cubits, but now it was a river that I could not cross,
because the water had risen and was deep enough for swimming—a
river that could not be crossed on foot.
Ezekiel 47:6 “Son of man, do you see this?” he
asked. Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
Ezekiel 47:7 When I arrived, I saw a great
number of trees along both banks of the river.
Ezekiel 47:8 And he said to me, “This water
flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah.
When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.
Ezekiel 47:9 Wherever the river flows, there
will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish,
because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the
river flows, everything will flourish.
Ezekiel 47:10 Fishermen will stand by the shore;
from En-gedi to En-eglaim they will spread their nets to catch
fish of many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.
Ezekiel 47:11 But the swamps and marshes will
not become fresh; they will be left for salt.
Ezekiel 47:12 Along both banks of the river,
fruit trees of all kinds will grow. Their leaves will not wither,
and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fruit,
because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit
will be used for food and their leaves for healing.”
Ezekiel 47:13 This is what the Lord GOD says:
“These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as
an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel; Joseph shall
receive two portions.
Ezekiel 47:14 You are to divide it equally among
them. Because I swore with an uplifted hand to give it to your
forefathers, this land will fall to you as an inheritance.
Ezekiel 47:15 This shall be the boundary of the
land: On the north side it will extend from the Great Sea by way
of Hethlon through Lebo-hamath to Zedad,
Ezekiel 47:16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is on
the border between Damascus and Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon,
which is on the border of Hauran.
Ezekiel 47:17 So the border will run from the
Sea to Hazar-enan, along the northern border of Damascus, with the
territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern
boundary.
Ezekiel 47:18 On the east side the border will
run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead
and the land of Israel, to the Eastern Sea and as far as Tamar.
This will be the eastern boundary.
Ezekiel 47:19 On the south side it will run from
Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and along the Brook of
Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the southern boundary.
Ezekiel 47:20 And on the west side, the Great
Sea will be the boundary up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This
will be the western boundary.
Ezekiel 47:21 You are to divide this land among
yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 47:22 You shall allot it as an
inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners who dwell among
you and who have children. You are to treat them as native-born
Israelites; along with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance
among the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 47:23 In whatever tribe a foreigner
dwells, you are to assign his inheritance there,” declares the
Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 48:1 “Now these are the names of the
tribes: At the northern frontier, Dan will have one portion
bordering the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath and running on to
Hazar-enan on the border of Damascus with Hamath to the north, and
extending from the east side to the west side.
Ezekiel 48:2 Asher will have one portion
bordering the territory of Dan from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:3 Naphtali will have one portion
bordering the territory of Asher from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:4 Manasseh will have one portion
bordering the territory of Naphtali from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:5 Ephraim will have one portion
bordering the territory of Manasseh from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:6 Reuben will have one portion
bordering the territory of Ephraim from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:7 Judah will have one portion
bordering the territory of Reuben from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:8 Bordering the territory of Judah,
from east to west, will be the portion you are to set apart. It
will be 25,000 cubits wide, and the length of a tribal portion
from east to west. In the center will be the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 48:9 The special portion you set apart
to the LORD shall be 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits wide.
Ezekiel 48:10 This will be the holy portion for
the priests. It will be 25,000 cubits long on the north side,
10,000 cubits wide on the west side, 10,000 cubits wide on the
east side, and 25,000 cubits long on the south side. In the center
will be the sanctuary of the LORD.
Ezekiel 48:11 It will be for the consecrated
priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept My charge and did not
go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.
Ezekiel 48:12 It will be a special portion for
them set apart from the land, a most holy portion adjacent to the
territory of the Levites.
Ezekiel 48:13 Bordering the territory of the
priests, the Levites shall have an area 25,000 cubits long and
10,000 cubits wide. The whole length will be 25,000 cubits, and
the width 10,000 cubits.
Ezekiel 48:14 They must not sell or exchange any
of it, and they must not transfer this best part of the land, for
it is holy to the LORD.
Ezekiel 48:15 The remaining area, 5,000 cubits
wide and 25,000 cubits long, will be for common use by the city,
for houses, and for pastureland. The city will be in the center of
it
Ezekiel 48:16 and will have these measurements:
4,500 cubits on the north side, 4,500 cubits on the south side,
4,500 cubits on the east side, and 4,500 cubits on the west side.
Ezekiel 48:17 The pastureland of the city will
extend 250 cubits to the north, 250 cubits to the south, 250
cubits to the east, and 250 cubits to the west.
Ezekiel 48:18 The remainder of the length
bordering the holy portion and running adjacent to it will be
10,000 cubits on the east side and 10,000 cubits on the west side.
Its produce will supply food for the workers of the city.
Ezekiel 48:19 The workers of the city who
cultivate it will come from all the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 48:20 The entire portion will be a
square, 25,000 cubits by 25,000 cubits. You are to set apart the
holy portion, along with the city property.
Ezekiel 48:21 The remaining area on both sides
of the holy portion and of the property of the city will belong to
the prince. He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions,
extending eastward from the 25,000 cubits of the holy district
toward the eastern border, and westward from the 25,000 cubits to
the western border. And in the center of them will be the holy
portion and the sanctuary of the temple.
Ezekiel 48:22 So the Levitical property and the
city property will lie in the center of the area belonging to the
prince—the area between the borders of Judah and Benjamin.
Ezekiel 48:23 As for the rest of the tribes:
Benjamin will have one portion extending from the east side to the
west side.
Ezekiel 48:24 Simeon will have one portion
bordering the territory of Benjamin from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:25 Issachar will have one portion
bordering the territory of Simeon from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:26 Zebulun will have one portion
bordering the territory of Issachar from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:27 And Gad will have one portion
bordering the territory of Zebulun from east to west.
Ezekiel 48:28 The southern border of Gad will
run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then along the
Brook of Egypt and out to the Great Sea.
Ezekiel 48:29 This is the land you are to allot
as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their
portions,” declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 48:30 “These will be the exits of the
city: Beginning on the north side, which will be 4,500 cubits
long,
Ezekiel 48:31 the gates of the city will be
named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be
three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate
of Levi.
Ezekiel 48:32 On the east side, which will be
4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Joseph,
the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan.
Ezekiel 48:33 On the south side, which will be
4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Simeon,
the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun.
Ezekiel 48:34 And on the west side, which will
be 4,500 cubits long, there will be three gates: the gate of Gad,
the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali.
Ezekiel 48:35 The perimeter of the city will be
18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be:
THE LORD IS THERE.”
DANIEL
Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of
Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to
Jerusalem and besieged it.
Daniel 1:2 And the Lord delivered into his hand
Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the
house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the
house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.
Daniel 1:3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the
chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the
royal family and the nobility—
Daniel 1:4 young men without blemish, handsome,
gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and
qualified to serve in the king’s palace—and to teach them the
language and literature of the Chaldeans.
Daniel 1:5 The king assigned them daily
provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for
three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.
Daniel 1:6 Among these young men were some from
Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel 1:7 The chief official gave them new
names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah,
Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
Daniel 1:8 But Daniel made up his mind that he
would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked
the chief official for permission not to defile himself.
Daniel 1:9 Now God had granted Daniel favor and
compassion from the chief official,
Daniel 1:10 but he said to Daniel, “I fear my
lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. For why
should he see your faces looking thinner than those of the other
young men your age? You would endanger my head before the king!”
Daniel 1:11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom
the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah,
Daniel 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten
days. Let us be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Daniel 1:13 Then compare our appearances with
those of the young men who are eating the royal food, and deal
with your servants according to what you see.”
Daniel 1:14 So he consented to this and tested
them for ten days.
Daniel 1:15 And at the end of ten days, they
looked healthier and better nourished than all the young men who
were eating the king’s food.
Daniel 1:16 So the steward continued to withhold
their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and he gave
them vegetables instead.
Daniel 1:17 To these four young men God gave
knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and
wisdom. And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and
dreams.
Daniel 1:18 Now at the end of the time specified
by the king, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 1:19 And the king spoke with them, and
among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king’s service.
Daniel 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and
understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them
ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his
entire kingdom.
Daniel 1:21 And Daniel remained there until the
first year of King Cyrus.
Daniel 2:1 In the second year of his reign,
Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep
escaped him.
Daniel 2:2 So the king gave orders to summon the
magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to explain his
dreams. When they came and stood before the king,
Daniel 2:3 he said to them, “I have had a dream,
and my spirit is anxious to understand it.”
Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the
king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants
the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:5 The king replied to the astrologers,
“My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its
interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will
be reduced to rubble.
Daniel 2:6 But if you tell me the dream and its
interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and
great honor. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
Daniel 2:7 They answered a second time, “Let the
king tell the dream to his servants, and we will give the
interpretation.”
Daniel 2:8 The king replied, “I know for sure
that you are stalling for time, because you see that my word is
final.
Daniel 2:9 If you do not tell me the dream,
there is only one decree for you. You have conspired to speak
before me false and fraudulent words, hoping the situation will
change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I will know that you can
give me its interpretation.”
Daniel 2:10 The astrologers answered the king,
“No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however
great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any
magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
Daniel 2:11 What the king requests is so
difficult that no one can tell it to him except the gods, whose
dwelling is not with mortals.”
Daniel 2:12 This response made the king so
furious with anger that he gave orders to destroy all the wise men
of Babylon.
Daniel 2:13 So the decree went out that the wise
men were to be executed, and men went to look for Daniel and his
friends to execute them.
Daniel 2:14 When Arioch, the commander of the
king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon,
Daniel replied with discretion and tact.
Daniel 2:15 “Why is the decree from the king so
harsh?” he asked. At this time Arioch explained the situation to
Daniel.
Daniel 2:16 So Daniel went in and asked the king
to give him some time, so that he could give him the
interpretation.
Daniel 2:17 Then Daniel returned to his house
and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah,
Daniel 2:18 urging them to plead for mercy from
the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his
friends would not be killed with the rest of the wise men of
Babylon.
Daniel 2:19 During the night, the mystery was
revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven
Daniel 2:20 and declared: “Blessed be the name
of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.
Daniel 2:21 He changes the times and seasons; He
removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
Daniel 2:22 He reveals the deep and hidden
things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.
Daniel 2:23 To You, O God of my fathers, I give
thanks and praise, because You have given me wisdom and power. And
now You have made known to me what we have requested, for You have
made known to us the dream of the king.”
Daniel 2:24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch,
whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon,
and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon! Bring me
before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:25 Arioch hastily brought Daniel before
the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the exiles
from Judah who will tell the king the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:26 The king responded to Daniel, whose
name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in the
dream, as well as its interpretation?”
Daniel 2:27 Daniel answered the king, “No wise
man, enchanter, medium, or magician can explain to the king the
mystery of which he inquires.
Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven who
reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar
what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions
that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:
Daniel 2:29 As you lay on your bed, O king, your
thoughts turned to the future, and the Revealer of Mysteries made
known to you what will happen.
Daniel 2:30 And to me this mystery has been
revealed, not because I have more wisdom than any man alive, but
in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king,
and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.
Daniel 2:31 As you, O king, were watching, a
great statue appeared. A great and dazzling statue stood before
you, and its form was awesome.
Daniel 2:32 The head of the statue was pure
gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were
bronze,
Daniel 2:33 its legs were iron, and its feet
were part iron and part clay.
Daniel 2:34 As you watched, a stone was cut out,
but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron
and clay, and crushed them.
Daniel 2:35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver,
and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing
floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of
them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:36 This was the dream; now we will tell
the king its interpretation.
Daniel 2:37 You, O king, are the king of kings,
to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength,
and glory.
Daniel 2:38 Wherever the sons of men or beasts
of the field or birds of the air dwell, He has given them into
your hand and has made you ruler over them all. You are that head
of gold.
Daniel 2:39 But after you, there will arise
another kingdom, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of
bronze, will rule the whole earth.
Daniel 2:40 Finally, there will be a fourth
kingdom as strong as iron; for iron shatters and crushes all
things, and like iron that crushes all things, it will shatter and
crush all the others.
Daniel 2:41 And just as you saw that the feet
and toes were made partly of fired clay and partly of iron, so
this will be a divided kingdom, yet some of the strength of iron
will be in it—just as you saw the iron mixed with clay.
Daniel 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were
partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong
and partly brittle.
Daniel 2:43 As you saw the iron mixed with clay,
so the peoples will mix with one another, but will not hold
together any more than iron mixes with clay.
Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings, the God
of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor
will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these
kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.
Daniel 2:45 And just as you saw a stone being
cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the
iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told
the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and
its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel 2:46 At this, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on
his face, paid homage to Daniel, and ordered that an offering of
incense be presented to him.
Daniel 2:47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God
is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of
Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”
Daniel 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and
gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire
province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men
of Babylon.
Daniel 2:49 And at Daniel’s request, the king
appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to manage the province
of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.
Daniel 3:1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden
statue sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and he set it up on
the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to
assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers,
judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces
to attend the dedication of the statue he had set up.
Daniel 3:3 So the satraps, prefects, governors,
advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the rulers of
the provinces assembled for the dedication of the statue that King
Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
Daniel 3:4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “O
people of every nation and language, this is what you are
commanded:
Daniel 3:5 As soon as you hear the sound of the
horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music,
you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King
Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Daniel 3:6 And whoever does not fall down and
worship will immediately be thrown into the blazing fiery
furnace.”
Daniel 3:7 Therefore, as soon as all the people
heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all
kinds of music, the people of every nation and language would fall
down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had
set up.
Daniel 3:8 At this time some astrologers came
forward and maliciously accused the Jews,
Daniel 3:9 saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O
king, may you live forever!
Daniel 3:10 You, O king, have issued a decree
that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither,
lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music must fall down and
worship the golden statue,
Daniel 3:11 and that whoever does not fall down
and worship will be thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:12 But there are some Jews you have
appointed to manage the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego—who have ignored you, O king, and have refused to serve
your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.”
Daniel 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with
rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were
brought before the king,
Daniel 3:14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them,
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve
my gods or worship the golden statue I have set up?
Daniel 3:15 Now, if you are ready, as soon as
you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes,
and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue
I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at
once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to
deliver you from my hands?”
Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer
you in this matter.
Daniel 3:17 If the God whom we serve exists,
then He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and
from your hand, O king.
Daniel 3:18 But even if He does not, let it be
known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship
the golden statue you have set up.”
Daniel 3:19 At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled
with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven
times hotter than usual,
Daniel 3:20 and he commanded some mighty men of
valor in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and
throw them into the blazing fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:21 So they were tied up, wearing robes,
trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into
the blazing fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:22 The king’s command was so urgent and
the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who
carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Daniel 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the blazing fiery
furnace.
Daniel 3:24 Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped
up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three
men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they
replied.
Daniel 3:25 “Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four
men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the
fourth looks like a son of the gods!”
Daniel 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the
door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,
Daniel 3:27 and when the satraps, prefects,
governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that
the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of
their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was
no smell of fire on them.
Daniel 3:28 Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel
and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the
king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship
any god except their own God.
Daniel 3:29 Therefore I decree that the people
of any nation or language who say anything offensive against the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces and
their houses reduced to rubble. For there is no other god who can
deliver in this way.”
Daniel 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 4:1 King Nebuchadnezzar, To the people of
every nation and language who dwell in all the earth: May your
prosperity be multiplied.
Daniel 4:2 I am pleased to declare the signs and
wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.
Daniel 4:3 How great are His signs, how mighty
His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion
endures from generation to generation.
Daniel 4:4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my
house and flourishing in my palace.
Daniel 4:5 I had a dream, and it frightened me;
while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me.
Daniel 4:6 So I issued a decree that all the
wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream
for me.
Daniel 4:7 When the magicians, enchanters,
astrologers, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, and they
could not interpret it for me.
Daniel 4:8 But at last, into my presence came
Daniel (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and
in whom is the spirit of the holy gods). And I told him the dream:
Daniel 4:9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the
magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and
that no mystery baffles you. So explain to me the visions I saw in
my dream, and their interpretation.
Daniel 4:10 In these visions of my mind as I was
lying in bed, I saw this come to pass: There was a tree in the
midst of the land, and its height was great.
Daniel 4:11 The tree grew large and strong; its
top reached the sky, and it was visible to the ends of the earth.
Daniel 4:12 Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit
was abundant, and upon it was food for all. Under it the beasts of
the field found shelter, in its branches the birds of the air
nested, and from it every creature was fed.
Daniel 4:13 As I lay on my bed, I also saw in
the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one, coming down from
heaven.
Daniel 4:14 He called out in a loud voice: ‘Cut
down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and
scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it, and the
birds from its branches.
Daniel 4:15 But leave the stump with its roots
in the ground, and a band of iron and bronze around it, in the
tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of
heaven and graze with the beasts on the grass of the earth.
Daniel 4:16 Let his mind be changed from that of
a man, and let him be given the mind of a beast till seven times
pass him by.
Daniel 4:17 This decision is the decree of the
watchers, the verdict declared by the holy ones, so that the
living will know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of
mankind and gives it to whom He wishes, setting over it the
lowliest of men.’
Daniel 4:18 This is the dream that I, King
Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me the
interpretation, because none of the wise men of my kingdom can
interpret it for me. But you are able, because the spirit of the
holy gods is in you.”
Daniel 4:19 For a time, Daniel, who was also
known as Belteshazzar, was perplexed, and his thoughts alarmed
him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its
interpretation alarm you.” “My lord,” replied Belteshazzar, “may
the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to
your enemies!
Daniel 4:20 The tree you saw that grew large and
strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the
earth,
Daniel 4:21 whose foliage was beautiful and
whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all, under which the
beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the
air nested—
Daniel 4:22 you, O king, are that tree! For you
have become great and strong; your greatness has grown to reach
the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.
Daniel 4:23 And you, O king, saw a watcher, a
holy one, coming down from heaven and saying: ‘Cut down the tree
and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground,
and a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of
the field. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and graze
with the beasts of the field till seven times pass him by.’
Daniel 4:24 This is the interpretation, O king,
and this is the decree that the Most High has issued against my
lord the king:
Daniel 4:25 You will be driven away from
mankind, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field.
You will feed on grass like an ox and be drenched with the dew of
heaven, and seven times shall pass you by, until you acknowledge
that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it
to whom He wishes.
Daniel 4:26 As for the command to leave the
stump of the tree with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to
you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules.
Daniel 4:27 Therefore, may my advice be pleasing
to you, O king. Break away from your sins by doing what is right,
and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed.
Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”
Daniel 4:28 All this happened to King
Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 4:29 Twelve months later, as he was
walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
Daniel 4:30 the king exclaimed, “Is this not
Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my
power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
Daniel 4:31 While the words were still in the
king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you,
King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you.
Daniel 4:32 You will be driven away from mankind
to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass
like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you
acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind
and gives it to whom He wishes.”
Daniel 4:33 At that moment the sentence against
Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mankind. He
ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of
heaven, until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his
nails like the claws of a bird.
Daniel 4:34 But at the end of those days I,
Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity was restored to
me. Then I praised the Most High, and I honored and glorified Him
who lives forever: “For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
Daniel 4:35 All the peoples of the earth are
counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of
heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can
restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”
Daniel 4:36 At the same time my sanity was
restored, my honor and splendor returned to me for the glory of my
kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored
to my throne, and surpassing greatness was added to me.
Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and
exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true
and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk
in pride.
Daniel 5:1 Later, King Belshazzar held a great
feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.
Daniel 5:2 Under the influence of the wine,
Belshazzar gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels
that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in
Jerusalem, so that the king could drink from them, along with his
nobles, his wives, and his concubines.
Daniel 5:3 Thus they brought in the gold vessels
that had been taken from the temple, the house of God in
Jerusalem, and the king drank from them, along with his nobles,
his wives, and his concubines.
Daniel 5:4 As they drank the wine, they praised
their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
Daniel 5:5 At that moment the fingers of a human
hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the
lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that
was writing,
Daniel 5:6 his face grew pale and his thoughts
so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked
together.
Daniel 5:7 The king called out for the
enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he
said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription
and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have
a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third
highest ruler in the kingdom.”
Daniel 5:8 So all the king’s wise men came in,
but they could not read the inscription or interpret it for him.
Daniel 5:9 Then King Belshazzar became even more
terrified, his face grew even more pale, and his nobles were
bewildered.
Daniel 5:10 Hearing the outcry of the king and
his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you
live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or
your face grow pale.
Daniel 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who
has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your father
he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like that
of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief
of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and diviners. Your own
father, the king,
Daniel 5:12 did this because Daniel, the one he
named Belteshazzar, was found to have an extraordinary spirit, as
well as knowledge, understanding, and the ability to interpret
dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Summon
Daniel, therefore, and he will give you the interpretation.”
Daniel 5:13 So Daniel was brought before the
king, who asked him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father
the king brought from Judah?
Daniel 5:14 I have heard that the spirit of the
gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and
extraordinary wisdom.
Daniel 5:15 Now the wise men and enchanters were
brought before me to read this inscription and interpret it for
me, but they could not give its interpretation.
Daniel 5:16 But I have heard about you, that you
are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems.
Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its
interpretation, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold
chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third
highest ruler in the kingdom.”
Daniel 5:17 In response, Daniel said to the
king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards
to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the inscription for the
king and interpret it for him.
Daniel 5:18 As for you, O king, the Most High
God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness,
glory and honor.
Daniel 5:19 Because of the greatness that He
bestowed on him, the people of every nation and language trembled
in fear before him. He killed whom he wished and kept alive whom
he wished; he exalted whom he wished and humbled whom he wished.
Daniel 5:20 But when his heart became arrogant
and his spirit was hardened with pride, he was deposed from his
royal throne, and his glory was taken from him.
Daniel 5:21 He was driven away from mankind, and
his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys
and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew
of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over
the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes.
Daniel 5:22 But you his son, O Belshazzar, have
not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.
Daniel 5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself
against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were
brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles,
wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold,
bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or
understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in
His hand your very breath and all your ways.
Daniel 5:24 Therefore He sent the hand that
wrote the inscription.
Daniel 5:25 Now this is the inscription that was
written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
Daniel 5:26 And this is the interpretation of
the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your
reign and brought it to an end.
Daniel 5:27 TEKEL means that you have been
weighed on the scales and found deficient.
Daniel 5:28 PERES means that your kingdom has
been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
Daniel 5:29 Then Belshazzar gave the command,
and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his
neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel 5:30 That very night Belshazzar king of
the Chaldeans was slain,
Daniel 5:31 and Darius the Mede received the
kingdom at the age of sixty-two.
Daniel 6:1 Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120
satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
Daniel 6:2 and over them three administrators,
including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that
the king would not suffer loss.
Daniel 6:3 Soon, by his extraordinary spirit,
Daniel distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps.
So the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
Daniel 6:4 Thus the administrators and satraps
sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they
could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy,
and no negligence or corruption was found in him.
Daniel 6:5 Finally these men said, “We will
never find any charge against this Daniel, unless we find
something against him concerning the law of his God.”
Daniel 6:6 So the administrators and satraps
went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live
forever!
Daniel 6:7 All the royal administrators,
prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the
king should establish an ordinance and enforce a decree that for
thirty days anyone who petitions any god or man except you, O
king, will be thrown into the den of lions.
Daniel 6:8 Therefore, O king, establish the
decree and sign the document so that it cannot be changed—in
accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be
repealed.”
Daniel 6:9 Therefore King Darius signed the
written decree.
Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the
document had been signed, he went into his house, where the
windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times
a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his
God, just as he had done before.
Daniel 6:11 Then these men went as a group and
found Daniel petitioning and imploring his God.
Daniel 6:12 So they approached the king and
asked about his royal decree: “Did you not sign a decree that for
thirty days any man who petitions any god or man except you, O
king, will be thrown into the den of lions?” The king replied,
“According to the law of the Medes and Persians the order stands,
and it cannot be repealed.”
Daniel 6:13 Then they told the king, “Daniel,
one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or
for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition
three times a day.”
Daniel 6:14 As soon as the king heard this, he
was deeply distressed and set his mind on delivering Daniel, and
he labored until sundown to rescue him.
Daniel 6:15 Then the men approached the king
together and said to him, “Remember, O king, that by the law of
the Medes and Persians no decree or ordinance established by the
king can be changed.”
Daniel 6:16 So the king gave the order, and they
brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said
to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver
you!”
Daniel 6:17 A stone was brought and placed over
the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet
ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning
Daniel could be changed.
Daniel 6:18 Then the king went to his palace and
spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him,
and sleep fled from him.
Daniel 6:19 At the first light of dawn, the king
got up and hurried to the den of lions.
Daniel 6:20 When he reached the den, he cried
out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God,
has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you
from the lions?”
Daniel 6:21 Then Daniel replied, “O king, may
you live forever!
Daniel 6:22 My God sent His angel and shut the
mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found
innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O
king.”
Daniel 6:23 The king was overjoyed and gave
orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted
out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he
had trusted in his God.
Daniel 6:24 At the command of the king, the men
who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the
den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they
had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and
crushed all their bones.
Daniel 6:25 Then King Darius wrote to the people
of every nation and language throughout the land: “May your
prosperity abound.
Daniel 6:26 I hereby decree that in every part
of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of
Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His
kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
Daniel 6:27 He delivers and rescues; He performs
signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has
rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Daniel 6:28 So Daniel prospered during the reign
of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel 7:1 In the first year of the reign of
Belshazzar over Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed
through his mind as he lay on his bed. He wrote down the dream,
and this is the summary of his account.
Daniel 7:2 Daniel declared: “In my vision in the
night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were
churning up the great sea.
Daniel 7:3 Then four great beasts came up out of
the sea, each one different from the others:
Daniel 7:4 The first beast was like a lion, and
it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn
off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two
feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.
Daniel 7:5 Suddenly another beast appeared,
which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides,
and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. So it was
told, ‘Get up and gorge yourself on flesh!’
Daniel 7:6 Next, as I watched, another beast
appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings
like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was
given authority to rule.
Daniel 7:7 After this, as I watched in my vision
in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was
terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It
devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was
left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had
ten horns.
Daniel 7:8 While I was contemplating the horns,
suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three
of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes
like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Daniel 7:9 As I continued to watch, thrones were
set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing
was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
Daniel 7:10 A river of fire was flowing, coming
out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and
myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and
the books were opened.
Daniel 7:11 Then I kept watching because of the
arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the
beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the
blazing fire.
Daniel 7:12 As for the rest of the beasts, their
dominion was removed, but they were granted an extension of life
for a season and a time.
Daniel 7:13 In my vision in the night I
continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with
the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was
led into His presence.
Daniel 7:14 And He was given dominion, glory,
and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should
serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not
pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Daniel 7:15 I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit,
and the visions in my mind alarmed me.
Daniel 7:16 I approached one of those who were
standing there, and I asked him the true meaning of all this. So
he told me the interpretation of these things:
Daniel 7:17 ‘These four great beasts are four
kings who will arise from the earth.
Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the Most High will
receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
Daniel 7:19 Then I wanted to know the true
meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the
others—extremely terrifying—devouring and crushing with iron teeth
and bronze claws, then trampling underfoot whatever was left.
Daniel 7:20 I also wanted to know about the ten
horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which
three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing
than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of
arrogance.
Daniel 7:21 As I watched, this horn was waging
war against the saints and prevailing against them,
Daniel 7:22 until the Ancient of Days arrived
and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High,
and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
Daniel 7:23 This is what he said: ‘The fourth
beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different
from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth,
trample it down, and crush it.
Daniel 7:24 And the ten horns are ten kings who
will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different
from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.
Daniel 7:25 He will speak out against the Most
High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change
the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into
his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.
Daniel 7:26 But the court will convene, and his
dominion will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
Daniel 7:27 Then the sovereignty, dominion, and
greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the
people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an
everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey Him.’
Daniel 7:28 Thus ends the matter. As for me,
Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face turned pale.
But I kept the matter to myself.”
Daniel 8:1 In the third year of the reign of
King Belshazzar, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to
the one that had appeared to me earlier.
Daniel 8:2 And in the vision I saw myself in the
citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that
I was beside the Ulai Canal.
Daniel 8:3 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a
ram with two horns standing beside the canal. The horns were long,
but one was longer than the other, and the longer one grew up
later.
Daniel 8:4 I saw the ram charging toward the
west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against
him, and there was no deliverance from his power. He did as he
pleased and became great.
Daniel 8:5 As I was contemplating all this,
suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came out of
the west, crossing the surface of the entire earth without
touching the ground.
Daniel 8:6 He came toward the two-horned ram I
had seen standing beside the canal and rushed at him with furious
power.
Daniel 8:7 I saw him approach the ram in a rage
against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns.
The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him
to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram
from his power.
Daniel 8:8 Thus the goat became very great, but
at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and
four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the
four winds of heaven.
Daniel 8:9 From one of these horns a little horn
emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and
toward the Beautiful Land.
Daniel 8:10 It grew as high as the host of
heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to
the earth, and trampled them.
Daniel 8:11 It magnified itself, even to the
Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew
the place of His sanctuary.
Daniel 8:12 And in the rebellion, the host and
the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung
truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.
Daniel 8:13 Then I heard a holy one speaking,
and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment
of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes
desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to
be trampled?”
Daniel 8:14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300
evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly
restored.”
Daniel 8:15 While I, Daniel, was watching the
vision and trying to understand it, there stood before me one
having the appearance of a man.
Daniel 8:16 And I heard the voice of a man
calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the
vision to this man.”
Daniel 8:17 As he came near to where I stood, I
was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me,
“understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
Daniel 8:18 While he was speaking with me, I
fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he
touched me, helped me to my feet,
Daniel 8:19 and said, “Behold, I will make known
to you what will happen in the latter time of wrath, because it
concerns the appointed time of the end.
Daniel 8:20 The two-horned ram that you saw
represents the kings of Media and Persia.
Daniel 8:21 The shaggy goat represents the king
of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king.
Daniel 8:22 The four horns that replaced the
broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that
nation, but will not have the same power.
Daniel 8:23 In the latter part of their reign,
when the rebellion has reached its full measure, an insolent king,
skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.
Daniel 8:24 His power will be great, but it will
not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in
whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the
holy people.
Daniel 8:25 Through his craft and by his hand,
he will cause deceit to prosper, and in his own mind he will make
himself great. In a time of peace he will destroy many, and he
will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be
broken off, but not by human hands.
Daniel 8:26 The vision of the evenings and the
mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the
vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
Daniel 8:27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill
for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was
confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius son of
Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of
the Chaldeans—
Daniel 9:2 in the first year of his reign, I,
Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of
the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem
would last seventy years.
Daniel 9:3 So I turned my attention to the Lord
God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth,
and ashes.
Daniel 9:4 And I prayed to the LORD my God and
confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His
covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His
commandments,
Daniel 9:5 we have sinned and done wrong. We
have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your
commandments and ordinances.
Daniel 9:6 We have not listened to Your servants
the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, and
fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Daniel 9:7 To You, O Lord, belongs
righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of
Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in
all the countries to which You have driven us because of our
unfaithfulness to You.
Daniel 9:8 O LORD, we are covered with shame—our
kings, our leaders, and our fathers—because we have sinned against
You.
Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong compassion
and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled against Him
Daniel 9:10 and have not obeyed the voice of the
LORD our God to walk in His laws, which He set before us through
His servants the prophets.
Daniel 9:11 All Israel has transgressed Your law
and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the
curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been
poured out on us, because we have sinned against You.
Daniel 9:12 You have carried out the words
spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a
great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been
done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
Daniel 9:13 Just as it is written in the Law of
Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought
the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and
giving attention to Your truth.
Daniel 9:14 Therefore the LORD has kept the
calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is
righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.
Daniel 9:15 Now, O Lord our God, who brought
Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who
made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we
have acted wickedly.
Daniel 9:16 O Lord, in keeping with all Your
righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away
from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our
sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people
are a reproach to all around us.
Daniel 9:17 So now, our God, hear the prayers
and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your
face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary.
Daniel 9:18 Incline Your ear, O my God, and
hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears
Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You
because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great
compassion.
Daniel 9:19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O
Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because
Your city and Your people bear Your name.”
Daniel 9:20 While I was speaking, praying,
confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my
petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—
Daniel 9:21 while I was still praying, Gabriel,
the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift
flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
Daniel 9:22 He instructed me and spoke with me,
saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and
understanding.
Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of your petitions,
an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are
highly precious. So consider the message and understand the
vision:
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are decreed for your
people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an
end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the Most Holy Place.
Daniel 9:25 Know and understand this: From the
issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the
Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two
weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times
of distress.
Daniel 9:26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the
Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of
the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be
war; desolations have been decreed.
Daniel 9:27 And he will confirm a covenant with
many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an
end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will
come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed
destruction is poured out upon him.”
Daniel 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of
Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called
Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great
conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in
a vision.
Daniel 10:2 In those days I, Daniel, was
mourning for three full weeks.
Daniel 10:3 I ate no rich food, no meat or wine
entered my mouth, and I did not anoint myself with oil until the
three weeks were completed.
Daniel 10:4 On the twenty-fourth day of the
first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the
Tigris,
Daniel 10:5 I lifted up my eyes, and behold,
there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold
from Uphaz around his waist.
Daniel 10:6 His body was like beryl, his face
like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches,
his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice
like the sound of a multitude.
Daniel 10:7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the
men with me did not see it, but a great terror fell upon them, and
they ran and hid themselves.
Daniel 10:8 So I was left alone, gazing at this
great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly
pale, and I was powerless.
Daniel 10:9 I heard the sound of his words, and
as I listened, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the
ground.
Daniel 10:10 Suddenly, a hand touched me and set
me trembling on my hands and knees.
Daniel 10:11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are a
man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am
about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.”
And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Daniel 10:12 “Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he
said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and
to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I
have come in response to them.
Daniel 10:13 However, the prince of the kingdom
of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the
chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the
kings of Persia.
Daniel 10:14 Now I have come to explain to you
what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision
concerns those days.”
Daniel 10:15 While he was speaking these words
to me, I set my face toward the ground and became speechless.
Daniel 10:16 And suddenly one with the likeness
of a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and said to the
one standing before me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am
overcome with anguish, and I have no strength.
Daniel 10:17 How can I, your servant, speak with
you, my lord? Now I have no strength, nor is any breath left in
me.”
Daniel 10:18 Again the one with the likeness of
a man touched me and strengthened me.
Daniel 10:19 “Do not be afraid, you who are
highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be
very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said,
“Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
Daniel 10:20 “Do you know why I have come to
you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince
of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of
Greece will come.
Daniel 10:21 But first I will tell you what is
inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to
support me against these, except Michael your prince.
Daniel 11:1 “And I, in the first year of Darius
the Mede, stood up to strengthen and protect him.
Daniel 11:2 Now then, I will tell you the truth:
Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will
be far richer than all the others. By the power of his wealth, he
will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
Daniel 11:3 Then a mighty king will arise, who
will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.
Daniel 11:4 But as soon as he is established,
his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four
winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it
have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will
be uprooted and given to others.
Daniel 11:5 The king of the South will grow
strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will
rule his own kingdom with great authority.
Daniel 11:6 After some years they will form an
alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the
king of the North to seal the agreement. But his daughter will not
retain her position of power, nor will his strength endure. At
that time she will be given up, along with her royal escort and
her father and the one who supported her.
Daniel 11:7 But one from her family line will
rise up in his place, come against the army of the king of the
North, and enter his fortress, fighting and prevailing.
Daniel 11:8 He will take even their gods captive
to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of
silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of
the North,
Daniel 11:9 who will invade the realm of the
king of the South and then return to his own land.
Daniel 11:10 But his sons will stir up strife
and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping
through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as
his fortress.
Daniel 11:11 In a rage, the king of the South
will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a
large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy.
Daniel 11:12 When the army is carried off, the
king of the South will be proud in heart and will cast down tens
of thousands, but he will not triumph.
Daniel 11:13 For the king of the North will
raise another army, larger than the first, and after some years he
will advance with a great army and many supplies.
Daniel 11:14 In those times many will rise up
against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people
will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they will
fail.
Daniel 11:15 Then the king of the North will
come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. The
forces of the South will not stand; even their best troops will
not be able to resist.
Daniel 11:16 The invader will do as he pleases,
and no one will stand against him. He will establish himself in
the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.
Daniel 11:17 He will resolve to come with the
strength of his whole kingdom, and will reach an agreement with
the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage in
order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plan will not succeed or
help him.
Daniel 11:18 Then he will turn his face to the
coastlands and capture many of them. But a commander will put an
end to his reproach and will turn it back upon him.
Daniel 11:19 After this, he will turn back
toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and
fall and be no more.
Daniel 11:20 In his place one will arise who
will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but
within a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or in
battle.
Daniel 11:21 In his place a despicable person
will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will
come in a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue.
Daniel 11:22 Then a flood of forces will be
swept away before him and destroyed, along with a prince of the
covenant.
Daniel 11:23 After an alliance is made with him,
he will act deceitfully; for he will rise to power with only a few
people.
Daniel 11:24 In a time of peace, he will invade
the richest provinces and do what his fathers and forefathers
never did. He will lavish plunder, loot, and wealth on his
followers, and he will plot against the strongholds—but only for a
time.
Daniel 11:25 And with a large army he will stir
up his power and his courage against the king of the South, who
will mobilize a very large and powerful army but will not
withstand the plots devised against him.
Daniel 11:26 Those who eat from his provisions
will seek to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many
will fall slain.
Daniel 11:27 And the two kings, with their
hearts bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table, but to no
avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.
Daniel 11:28 The king of the North will return
to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against
the holy covenant; so he will do damage and return to his own
land.
Daniel 11:29 At the appointed time he will
invade the South again, but this time will not be like the first.
Daniel 11:30 Ships of Kittim will come against
him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage
against the holy covenant and do damage. So he will return and
show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
Daniel 11:31 His forces will rise up and
desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily
sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 11:32 With flattery he will corrupt those
who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God will
firmly resist him.
Daniel 11:33 Those with insight will instruct
many, though for a time they will fall by sword or flame, or be
captured or plundered.
Daniel 11:34 Now when they fall, they will be
granted a little help, but many will join them insincerely.
Daniel 11:35 Some of the wise will fall, so that
they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of
the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
Daniel 11:36 Then the king will do as he pleases
and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will
speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be
successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been
decreed must be accomplished.
Daniel 11:37 He will show no regard for the gods
of his fathers, nor for the one desired by women, nor for any
other god, because he will magnify himself above them all.
Daniel 11:38 And in their place, he will honor a
god of fortresses—a god his fathers did not know—with gold,
silver, precious stones, and riches.
Daniel 11:39 He will attack the strongest
fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor
those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and
distributing the land for a price.
Daniel 11:40 At the time of the end, the king of
the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North
will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many
ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a
flood.
Daniel 11:41 He will also invade the Beautiful
Land, and many countries will fall. But these will be delivered
from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the leaders of the Ammonites.
Daniel 11:42 He will extend his power over many
countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape.
Daniel 11:43 He will gain control of the
treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt, and
the Libyans and Cushites will also submit to him.
Daniel 11:44 But news from the east and the
north will alarm him, and he will go out with great fury to
destroy many and devote them to destruction.
Daniel 11:45 He will pitch his royal tents
between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet
his end with no one to help him.
Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael, the great
prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will
be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred
from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time
your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will
be delivered.
Daniel 12:2 And many who sleep in the dust of
the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to
shame and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:3 Then the wise will shine like the
brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to
righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up these words
and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and
fro, and knowledge will increase.”
Daniel 12:5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two
others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on
the opposite bank.
Daniel 12:6 One of them said to the man dressed
in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until
the fulfillment of these wonders?”
Daniel 12:7 And the man dressed in linen, who
was above the waters of the river, raised his right hand and his
left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by Him who lives
forever, saying, “It will be for a time, and times, and half a
time. When the power of the holy people has finally been
shattered, all these things will be completed.”
Daniel 12:8 I heard, but I did not understand.
So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”
Daniel 12:9 “Go on your way, Daniel,” he
replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of
the end.
Daniel 12:10 Many will be purified, made
spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to act
wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will
understand.
Daniel 12:11 And from the time the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up,
there will be 1,290 days.
Daniel 12:12 Blessed is he who waits and reaches
the end of the 1,335 days.
Daniel 12:13 But as for you, go on your way
until the end. You will rest, and will arise to your inheritance
at the end of the days.”
HOSEA
Hosea 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came
to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of
Israel.
Hosea 1:2 When the LORD first spoke through
Hosea, He told him, “Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have
children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting
itself by departing from the LORD.”
Hosea 1:3 So Hosea went and married Gomer
daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
Hosea 1:4 Then the LORD said to Hosea, “Name him
Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the
house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
Hosea 1:5 And on that day I will break the bow
of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
Hosea 1:6 Gomer again conceived and gave birth
to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-ruhamah,
for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that
I should ever forgive them.
Hosea 1:7 Yet I will have compassion on the
house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war,
not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.”
Hosea 1:8 After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer
conceived and gave birth to a son.
Hosea 1:9 And the LORD said, “Name him Lo-ammi,
for you are not My people, and I am not your God.
Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the Israelites will
be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted.
And it will happen that in the very place where it was said to
them, ‘You are not My people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the
living God.’
Hosea 1:11 Then the people of Judah and of
Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for
themselves one leader, and will go up out of the land. For great
will be the day of Jezreel.
Hosea 2:1 “Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’
and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’
Hosea 2:2 Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for
she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the
adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her
breasts.
Hosea 2:3 Otherwise, I will strip her naked and
expose her like the day of her birth. I will make her like a
desert and turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of
thirst.
Hosea 2:4 I will have no compassion on her
children, because they are the children of adultery.
Hosea 2:5 For their mother has played the harlot
and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go
after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil
and drink.’
Hosea 2:6 Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her
path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot
find her way.
Hosea 2:7 She will pursue her lovers but not
catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will
say, ‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off
than now.’
Hosea 2:8 For she does not acknowledge that it
was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her
silver and gold—which they crafted for Baal.
Hosea 2:9 Therefore I will take back My grain in
its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool
and linen, which were given to cover her nakedness.
Hosea 2:10 And then I will expose her lewdness
in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of My
hands.
Hosea 2:11 I will put an end to all her
exultation: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths—all her appointed
feasts.
Hosea 2:12 I will destroy her vines and fig
trees, which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers. So I
will make them into a thicket, and the beasts of the field will
devour them.
Hosea 2:13 I will punish her for the days of the
Baals when she burned incense to them, when she decked herself
with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she
forgot,” declares the LORD.
Hosea 2:14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her
and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly.
Hosea 2:15 There I will give back her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she
will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day
she came up out of Egypt.
Hosea 2:16 In that day,” declares the LORD, “you
will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’
Hosea 2:17 For I will remove from her lips the
names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.
Hosea 2:18 On that day I will make a covenant
for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and
the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish bow and
sword and weapons of war in the land, and will make them lie down
in safety.
Hosea 2:19 So I will betroth you to Me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving
devotion and compassion.
Hosea 2:20 And I will betroth you in
faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.”
Hosea 2:21 “On that day I will respond—”
declares the LORD—“I will respond to the heavens, and they will
respond to the earth.
Hosea 2:22 And the earth will respond to the
grain, to the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
Hosea 2:23 And I will sow her as My own in the
land, and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’ I will say to
those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people,’ and they will
say, ‘You are my God.’”
Hosea 3:1 Then the LORD said to me, “Go show
love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an
adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they
turn to other gods and offer raisin cakes to idols.”
Hosea 3:2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of
silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.
Hosea 3:3 Then I said to her, “You must live
with me for many days; you must not be promiscuous or belong to
another, and I will do the same for you.”
Hosea 3:4 For the Israelites must live many days
without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and
without ephod or idol.
Hosea 3:5 Afterward, the people of Israel will
return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will
come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.
Hosea 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, O children
of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land:
“There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in
the land!
Hosea 4:2 Cursing and lying, murder and
stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows
another.
Hosea 4:3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who
dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the
birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.
Hosea 4:4 But let no man contend; let no man
offer reproof; for your people are like those who contend with a
priest.
Hosea 4:5 You will stumble by day, and the
prophet will stumble with you by night; so I will destroy your
mother—
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject
you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I
will also forget your children.
Hosea 4:7 The more they multiplied, the more
they sinned against Me; they exchanged their Glory for a thing of
disgrace.
Hosea 4:8 They feed on the sins of My people and
set their hearts on iniquity.
Hosea 4:9 And it shall be like people, like
priest. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them
for their deeds.
Hosea 4:10 They will eat but not be satisfied;
they will be promiscuous but not multiply. For they have stopped
obeying the LORD.
Hosea 4:11 Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take
away understanding.
Hosea 4:12 My people consult their wooden idols,
and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution
leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their
God.
Hosea 4:13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth,
because their shade is pleasant. And so your daughters turn to
prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
Hosea 4:14 I will not punish your daughters when
they prostitute themselves, nor your daughters-in-law when they
commit adultery. For the men themselves go off with prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with shrine prostitutes. So a people without
understanding will come to ruin.
Hosea 4:15 Though you prostitute yourself, O
Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do
not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as
the LORD lives!’
Hosea 4:16 For Israel is as obstinate as a
stubborn heifer. Can the LORD now shepherd them like lambs in an
open meadow?
Hosea 4:17 Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him
alone!
Hosea 4:18 When their liquor is gone, they turn
to prostitution; their rulers dearly love disgrace.
Hosea 4:19 The whirlwind has wrapped them in its
wings, and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
Hosea 5:1 “Hear this, O priests! Take heed, O
house of Israel! Give ear, O royal house! For this judgment is
against you because you have been a snare at Mizpah, a net spread
out on Tabor.
Hosea 5:2 The rebels are deep in slaughter; but
I will chastise them all.
Hosea 5:3 I know all about Ephraim, and Israel
is not hidden from Me. For now, O Ephraim, you have turned to
prostitution; Israel is defiled.
Hosea 5:4 Their deeds do not permit them to
return to their God, for a spirit of prostitution is within them,
and they do not know the LORD.
Hosea 5:5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against
them; Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity; even Judah
stumbles with them.
Hosea 5:6 They go with their flocks and herds to
seek the LORD, but they do not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself
from them.
Hosea 5:7 They have been unfaithful to the LORD;
for they have borne illegitimate children. Now the New Moon will
devour them along with their land.
Hosea 5:8 Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah, the
trumpet in Ramah; raise the battle cry in Beth-aven: Lead on, O
Benjamin!
Hosea 5:9 Ephraim will be laid waste on the day
of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain.
Hosea 5:10 The princes of Judah are like those
who move boundary stones; I will pour out My fury upon them like
water.
Hosea 5:11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in
judgment, for he is determined to follow worthless idols.
Hosea 5:12 So I am like a moth to Ephraim, and
like decay to the house of Judah.
Hosea 5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and
Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the
great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.
Hosea 5:14 For I am like a lion to Ephraim and
like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them
to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can
rescue them.
Hosea 5:15 Then I will return to My place until
they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they
will earnestly seek Me.”
Hosea 6:1 Come, let us return to the LORD. For
He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us,
but He will bind up our wounds.
Hosea 6:2 After two days He will revive us; on
the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His
presence.
Hosea 6:3 So let us know—let us press on to know
the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come
to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.
Hosea 6:4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a
morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.
Hosea 6:5 Therefore I have hewn them by the
prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth, and My
judgments go forth like lightning.
Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:7 But they, like Adam, have transgressed
the covenant; there they were unfaithful to Me.
Hosea 6:8 Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked
with footprints of blood.
Hosea 6:9 Like raiders who lie in ambush, so
does a band of priests; they murder on the way to Shechem; surely
they have committed atrocities.
Hosea 6:10 In the house of Israel I have seen a
horrible thing: Ephraim practices prostitution there, and Israel
is defiled.
Hosea 6:11 Also for you, O Judah, a harvest is
appointed, when I restore My people from captivity.
Hosea 7:1 When I heal Israel, the iniquity of
Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For
they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the
streets.
Hosea 7:2 But they fail to consider in their
hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all
around them; they are before My face.
Hosea 7:3 They delight the king with their evil,
and the princes with their lies.
Hosea 7:4 They are all adulterers, like an oven
heated by a baker who needs not stoke the fire from the kneading
to the rising of the dough.
Hosea 7:5 The princes are inflamed with wine on
the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.
Hosea 7:6 For they prepare their heart like an
oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in
the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
Hosea 7:7 All of them are hot as an oven, and
they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them
calls upon Me.
Hosea 7:8 Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is an unturned cake.
Hosea 7:9 Foreigners consume his strength, but
he does not notice. Even his hair is streaked with gray, but he
does not know.
Hosea 7:10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against
them, yet they do not return to the LORD their God; despite all
this, they do not seek Him.
Hosea 7:11 So Ephraim has become like a silly,
senseless dove—calling out to Egypt, then turning to Assyria.
Hosea 7:12 As they go, I will spread My net over
them; I will bring them down like birds of the air. I will
chastise them when I hear them flocking together.
Hosea 7:13 Woe to them, for they have strayed
from Me! Destruction to them, for they have rebelled against Me!
Though I would redeem them, they speak lies against Me.
Hosea 7:14 They do not cry out to Me from their
hearts when they wail upon their beds. They slash themselves for
grain and new wine, but turn away from Me.
Hosea 7:15 Although I trained and strengthened
their arms, they plot evil against Me.
Hosea 7:16 They turn, but not to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow. Their leaders will fall by the sword
for the cursing of their tongue; for this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
Hosea 8:1 Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An
eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have
transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
Hosea 8:2 Israel cries out to Me, “O our God, we
know You!”
Hosea 8:3 But Israel has rejected good; an enemy
will pursue him.
Hosea 8:4 They set up kings, but not by Me. They
make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold
they make themselves idols, to their own destruction.
Hosea 8:5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria.
My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of
innocence?
Hosea 8:6 For this thing is from Israel—a
craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces,
that calf of Samaria.
Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind, and they shall
reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails
to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would
swallow it up.
Hosea 8:8 Israel is swallowed up! Now they are
among the nations like a worthless vessel.
Hosea 8:9 For they have gone up to Assyria like
a wild donkey on its own. Ephraim has hired lovers.
Hosea 8:10 Though they hire allies among the
nations, I will now round them up, and they will begin to diminish
under the oppression of the king of princes.
Hosea 8:11 Though Ephraim multiplied the altars
for sin, they became his altars for sinning.
Hosea 8:12 Though I wrote for them the great
things of My law, they regarded them as something strange.
Hosea 8:13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts
to Me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD does not accept
them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins:
They will return to Egypt.
Hosea 8:14 Israel has forgotten his Maker and
built palaces; Judah has multiplied its fortified cities. But I
will send fire upon their cities, and it will consume their
citadels.
Hosea 9:1 Do not rejoice, O Israel, with
exultation like the nations, for you have played the harlot
against your God; you have made love for hire on every threshing
floor.
Hosea 9:2 The threshing floor and winepress will
not feed them, and the new wine will fail them.
Hosea 9:3 They will not remain in the land of
the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in
Assyria.
Hosea 9:4 They will not pour out wine offerings
to the LORD, and their sacrifices will not please Him, but will be
to them like the bread of mourners; all who eat will be defiled.
For their bread will be for themselves; it will not enter the
house of the LORD.
Hosea 9:5 What will you do on the appointed day,
on the day of the LORD’s feast?
Hosea 9:6 For even if they flee destruction,
Egypt will gather them and Memphis will bury them. Their precious
silver will be taken over by thistles, and thorns will overrun
their tents.
Hosea 9:7 The days of punishment have come; the
days of retribution have arrived—let Israel know it. The prophet
is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the
greatness of your iniquity and hostility.
Hosea 9:8 The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman,
along with my God, yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his
paths. Hostility is in the house of his God!
Hosea 9:9 They have deeply corrupted themselves
as in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their guilt; He will
punish their sins.
Hosea 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the
wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree
in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated
themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing
they loved.
Hosea 9:11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a
bird, with no birth, no pregnancy, and no conception.
Hosea 9:12 Even if they raise their children, I
will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn
away from them!
Hosea 9:13 I have seen Ephraim, like Tyre,
planted in a meadow. But Ephraim will bring out his children for
slaughter.
Hosea 9:14 Give them, O LORD—what will You give?
Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that dry up!
Hosea 9:15 All their evil appears at Gilgal, for
there I hated them. I will drive them from My house for the
wickedness of their deeds. I will no longer love them; all their
leaders are rebellious.
Hosea 9:16 Ephraim is struck down; their root is
withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I
will slay the darlings of their wombs.
Hosea 9:17 My God will reject them because they
have not obeyed Him; and they shall be wanderers among the
nations.
Hosea 10:1 Israel was a luxuriant vine, yielding
fruit for himself. The more his fruit increased, the more he
increased the altars. The better his land produced, the better he
made the sacred pillars.
Hosea 10:2 Their hearts are devious; now they
must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and
demolish their sacred pillars.
Hosea 10:3 Surely now they will say, “We have no
king, for we do not revere the LORD. What can a king do for us?”
Hosea 10:4 They speak mere words; with false
oaths they make covenants. So judgment springs up like poisonous
weeds in the furrows of a field.
Hosea 10:5 The people of Samaria will fear for
the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, its people will mourn with its
idolatrous priests—those who rejoiced in its glory—for it has been
taken from them into exile.
Hosea 10:6 Yes, it will be carried to Assyria as
tribute to the great king. Ephraim will be seized with shame;
Israel will be ashamed of its wooden idols.
Hosea 10:7 Samaria will be carried off with her
king like a twig on the surface of the water.
Hosea 10:8 The high places of Aven will be
destroyed—it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will
overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover
us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”
Hosea 10:9 Since the days of Gibeah you have
sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle
in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity?
Hosea 10:10 I will chasten them when I please;
nations will be gathered against them to put them in bondage for
their double transgression.
Hosea 10:11 Ephraim is a well-trained heifer
that loves to thresh; but I will place a yoke on her fair neck. I
will harness Ephraim, Judah will plow, and Jacob will break the
hard ground.
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness and
reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground.
For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends
righteousness upon you like rain.
Hosea 10:13 You have plowed wickedness and
reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you
have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your mighty
men,
Hosea 10:14 the roar of battle will rise against
your people, so that all your fortresses will be demolished as
Shalman devastated Beth-arbel in the day of battle, when mothers
were dashed to pieces along with their children.
Hosea 10:15 Thus it will be done to you, O
Bethel, because of your great wickedness. When the day dawns, the
king of Israel will be utterly cut off.
Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called My son.
Hosea 11:2 But the more I called Israel, the
farther they departed from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and
burned incense to carved images.
Hosea 11:3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
taking them in My arms, but they never realized that it was I who
healed them.
Hosea 11:4 I led them with cords of kindness,
with ropes of love; I lifted the yoke from their necks and bent
down to feed them.
Hosea 11:5 Will they not return to the land of
Egypt and be ruled by Assyria because they refused to repent?
Hosea 11:6 A sword will flash through their
cities; it will destroy the bars of their gates and consume them
in their own plans.
Hosea 11:7 My people are bent on turning from
Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt
them.
Hosea 11:8 How could I give you up, O Ephraim?
How could I surrender you, O Israel? How could I make you like
Admah? How could I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is turned
within Me; My compassion is stirred!
Hosea 11:9 I will not execute the full fury of
My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God
and not man—the Holy One among you—and I will not come in wrath.
Hosea 11:10 They will walk after the LORD; He
will roar like a lion. When He roars, His children will come
trembling from the west.
Hosea 11:11 They will come trembling like birds
from Egypt and like doves from the land of Assyria. Then I will
settle them in their homes, declares the LORD.
Hosea 11:12 Ephraim surrounds Me with lies, the
house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is
faithful to the Holy One.
Hosea 12:1 Ephraim chases the wind and pursues
the east wind all day long; he multiplies lies and violence; he
makes a covenant with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.
Hosea 12:2 The LORD also brings a charge against
Judah. He will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him
according to his deeds.
Hosea 12:3 In the womb he grasped his brother’s
heel, and in his vigor he wrestled with God.
Hosea 12:4 Yes, he struggled with the angel and
prevailed; he wept and sought His favor; he found Him at Bethel
and spoke with Him there—
Hosea 12:5 the LORD is the God of Hosts—the LORD
is His name of renown.
Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God,
maintaining love and justice, and always waiting on your God.
Hosea 12:7 A merchant loves to defraud with
dishonest scales in his hands.
Hosea 12:8 And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have
become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can
find in me no iniquity that is sinful.”
Hosea 12:9 But I am the LORD your God ever since
the land of Egypt. I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the
days of the appointed feast.
Hosea 12:10 I spoke through the prophets and
multiplied their visions; I gave parables through the prophets.
Hosea 12:11 Is there iniquity in Gilead? They
will surely come to nothing. Do they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal?
Indeed, their altars will be heaps of stones in the furrows of the
field.
Hosea 12:12 Jacob fled to the land of Aram and
Israel worked for a wife—for a wife he tended sheep.
Hosea 12:13 But by a prophet the LORD brought
Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet he was preserved.
Hosea 12:14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger,
so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt upon him and repay him for
his contempt.
Hosea 13:1 When Ephraim spoke, there was
trembling; he was exalted in Israel. But he incurred guilt through
Baal, and he died.
Hosea 13:2 Now they sin more and more and make
for themselves cast images, idols skillfully made from their
silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say of them,
“They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves!”
Hosea 13:3 Therefore they will be like the
morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown
from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.
Hosea 13:4 Yet I am the LORD your God ever since
the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, for there is no Savior
besides Me.
Hosea 13:5 I knew you in the wilderness, in the
land of drought.
Hosea 13:6 When they had pasture, they became
satisfied; when they were satisfied, their hearts became proud,
and as a result they forgot Me.
Hosea 13:7 So like a lion I will pounce on them;
like a leopard I will lurk by the path.
Hosea 13:8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will
attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will
devour them like a lion, like a wild beast would tear them apart.
Hosea 13:9 You are destroyed, O Israel, because
you are against Me—against your helper.
Hosea 13:10 Where is your king now to save you
in all your cities, and the rulers to whom you said, “Give me a
king and princes”?
Hosea 13:11 So in My anger I gave you a king,
and in My wrath I took him away.
Hosea 13:12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;
his sin is stored up.
Hosea 13:13 Labor pains come upon him, but he is
an unwise son. When the time arrives, he fails to present himself
at the opening of the womb.
Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of
Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your
plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from
My eyes.
Hosea 13:15 Although he flourishes among his
brothers, an east wind will come—a wind from the LORD rising up
from the desert. His fountain will fail, and his spring will run
dry. The wind will plunder his treasury of every precious article.
Hosea 13:16 Samaria will bear her guilt because
she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword;
their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant
women ripped open.
Hosea 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your
God, for you have stumbled by your iniquity.
Hosea 14:2 Bring your confessions and return to
the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us
graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
Hosea 14:3 Assyria will not save us, nor will we
ride on horses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods!’ to the work
of our own hands. For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
Hosea 14:4 I will heal their apostasy; I will
freely love them, for My anger has turned away from them.
Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he
will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of
Lebanon.
Hosea 14:6 His shoots will sprout, and his
splendor will be like the olive tree, his fragrance like the
cedars of Lebanon.
Hosea 14:7 They will return and dwell in his
shade; they will grow grain and blossom like the vine. His renown
will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Hosea 14:8 O Ephraim, what have I to do anymore
with idols? It is I who answer and watch over him. I am like a
flourishing cypress; your fruit comes from Me.
Hosea 14:9 Whoever is wise, let him understand
these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the
ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous walk in them but the
rebellious stumble in them.
JOEL
Joel 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came
to Joel son of Pethuel:
Joel 1:2 Hear this, O elders; and give ear, all
who dwell in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in
your days or in the days of your fathers?
Joel 1:3 Tell it to your children; let your
children tell it to their children, and their children to the next
generation.
Joel 1:4 What the devouring locust has left, the
swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the
young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the
destroying locust has eaten.
Joel 1:5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail,
all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has
been cut off from your mouth.
Joel 1:6 For a nation has invaded My land,
powerful and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion,
and its fangs are the fangs of a lioness.
Joel 1:7 It has laid waste My grapevine and
splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it
away; the branches have turned white.
Joel 1:8 Wail like a virgin dressed in
sackcloth, grieving for the husband of her youth.
Joel 1:9 Grain and drink offerings have been cut
off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those
who minister before the LORD.
Joel 1:10 The field is ruined; the land mourns.
For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil
fails.
Joel 1:11 Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O
vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of
the field has perished.
Joel 1:12 The grapevine is dried up, and the fig
tree is withered; the pomegranate, palm, and apple—all the trees
of the orchard—are withered. Surely the joy of mankind has dried
up.
Joel 1:13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O
priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in
sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink
offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
Joel 1:14 Consecrate a fast; proclaim a solemn
assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land to
the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.
Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! For the Day of the
LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Joel 1:16 Has not the food been cut off before
our very eyes—joy and gladness from the house of our God?
Joel 1:17 The seeds lie shriveled beneath the
clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken
down, for the grain has withered away.
Joel 1:18 How the cattle groan! The herds wander
in confusion because they have no pasture. Even the flocks of
sheep are suffering.
Joel 1:19 To You, O LORD, I call, for fire has
consumed the open pastures and flames have scorched all the trees
of the field.
Joel 1:20 Even the beasts of the field pant for
You, for the streams of water have dried up, and fire has consumed
the open pastures.
Joel 2:1 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the
alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the Day of the LORD is coming; indeed, it is near—
Joel 2:2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of
clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a
great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will
ever be in ages to come.
Joel 2:3 Before them a fire devours, and behind
them a flame scorches. The land before them is like the Garden of
Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland—surely
nothing will escape them.
Joel 2:4 Their appearance is like that of
horses, and they gallop like swift steeds.
Joel 2:5 With a sound like that of chariots they
bound over the mountaintops, like the crackling of fire consuming
stubble, like a mighty army deployed for battle.
Joel 2:6 Nations writhe in horror before them;
every face turns pale.
Joel 2:7 They charge like mighty men; they scale
the walls like men of war. Each one marches in formation, not
swerving from the course.
Joel 2:8 They do not jostle one another; each
proceeds in his path. They burst through the defenses, never
breaking ranks.
Joel 2:9 They storm the city; they run along the
wall; they climb into houses, entering through windows like
thieves.
Joel 2:10 Before them the earth quakes; the
heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose
their brightness.
Joel 2:11 The LORD raises His voice in the
presence of His army. Indeed, His camp is very large, for mighty
are those who obey His command. For the Day of the LORD is great
and very dreadful. Who can endure it?
Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and
mourning.”
Joel 2:13 So rend your hearts and not your
garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He
relents from sending disaster.
Joel 2:14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and
leave a blessing behind Him—grain and drink offerings for the LORD
your God.
Joel 2:15 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion,
consecrate a fast, proclaim a sacred assembly.
Joel 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the
congregation, assemble the aged, gather the children, even those
nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the
bride her chamber.
Joel 2:17 Let the priests who minister before
the LORD weep between the portico and the altar, saying, “Spare
Your people, O LORD, and do not make Your heritage a reproach, an
object of scorn among the nations. Why should they say among the
peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
Joel 2:18 Then the LORD became jealous for His
land, and He spared His people.
Joel 2:19 And the LORD answered His people:
“Behold, I will send you grain, new wine, and oil, and by them you
will be satisfied. I will never again make you a reproach among
the nations.
Joel 2:20 The northern army I will drive away
from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front
ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western
Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He
has done great things.
Joel 2:21 Do not be afraid, O land; rejoice and
be glad, for the LORD has done great things.
Joel 2:22 Do not be afraid, O beasts of the
field, for the open pastures have turned green, the trees bear
their fruit, and the fig tree and vine yield their best.
Joel 2:23 Be glad, O children of Zion, and
rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the autumn
rains for your vindication. He sends you showers, both autumn and
spring rains, as before.
Joel 2:24 The threshing floors will be full of
grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
Joel 2:25 I will repay you for the years eaten
by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying
locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against
you.
Joel 2:26 You will have plenty to eat, until you
are satisfied. You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who
has worked wonders for you. My people will never again be put to
shame.
Joel 2:27 Then you will know that I am present
in Israel and that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other.
My people will never again be put to shame.
Joel 2:28 And afterward, I will pour out My
Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your
old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
Joel 2:29 Even on My menservants and
maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Joel 2:30 I will show wonders in the heavens and
on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and
the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day
of the LORD.
Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls on the name of
the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there
will be deliverance, as the LORD has promised, among the remnant
called by the LORD.
Joel 3:1 “Yes, in those days and at that time,
when I restore Judah and Jerusalem from captivity,
Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations and bring
them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into
judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance,
Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided
up My land.
Joel 3:3 They cast lots for My people; they
bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.
Joel 3:4 Now what do you have against Me, O
Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering
against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will
swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads.
Joel 3:5 For you took My silver and gold and
carried off My finest treasures to your temples.
Joel 3:6 You sold the people of Judah and
Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.
Joel 3:7 Behold, I will rouse them from the
places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon
your heads.
Joel 3:8 I will sell your sons and daughters
into the hands of the people of Judah, and they will sell them to
the Sabeans—to a distant nation.” Indeed, the LORD has spoken.
Joel 3:9 Proclaim this among the nations:
“Prepare for war; rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war
advance and attack!
Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords and
your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, ‘I am strong!’
Joel 3:11 Come quickly, all you surrounding
nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O
LORD.
Joel 3:12 Let the nations be roused and advance
to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit down to judge
all the nations on every side.
Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is
ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the
wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley
of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of
decision.
Joel 3:15 The sun and moon will grow dark, and
the stars will no longer shine.
Joel 3:16 The LORD will roar from Zion and raise
His voice from Jerusalem; heaven and earth will tremble. But the
LORD will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people
of Israel.
Joel 3:17 Then you will know that I am the LORD
your God, who dwells in Zion, My holy mountain. Jerusalem will be
holy, never again to be overrun by foreigners.
Joel 3:18 And in that day the mountains will
drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the
streams of Judah will run with water, and a spring will flow from
the house of the LORD to water the Valley of Acacias.
Joel 3:19 Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a
desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of
Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
Joel 3:20 But Judah will be inhabited forever,
and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joel 3:21 For I will avenge their blood, which I
have not yet avenged.” For the LORD dwells in Zion.
AMOS
Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, who was
among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two
years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of
Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
Amos 1:2 He said: “The LORD roars from Zion and
raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds
mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.”
Amos 1:3 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My
judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron.
Amos 1:4 So I will send fire upon the house of
Hazael to consume the citadels of Ben-hadad.
Amos 1:5 I will break down the gates of
Damascus; I will cut off the ruler of the Valley of Aven and the
one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will
be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.
Amos 1:6 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not revoke My judgment,
because they exiled a whole population, delivering them up to
Edom.
Amos 1:7 So I will send fire upon the walls of
Gaza, to consume its citadels.
Amos 1:8 I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and
the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand
against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,”
says the Lord GOD.
Amos 1:9 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment,
because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom
and broke a covenant of brotherhood.
Amos 1:10 So I will send fire upon the walls of
Tyre to consume its citadels.”
Amos 1:11 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment,
because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all
compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed
incessantly.
Amos 1:12 So I will send fire upon Teman to
consume the citadels of Bozrah.”
Amos 1:13 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of the Ammonites, even four, I will not revoke My
judgment, because they ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in
order to enlarge their territory.
Amos 1:14 So I will kindle a fire in the walls
of Rabbah to consume its citadels amid war cries on the day of
battle and a violent wind on the day of tempest.
Amos 1:15 Their king will go into exile—he and
his princes together,” says the LORD.
Amos 2:1 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Moab, even four, I will not revoke My judgment,
because he burned to lime the bones of Edom’s king.
Amos 2:2 So I will send fire against Moab to
consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die in tumult, amid war
cries and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Amos 2:3 I will cut off the ruler of Moab and
kill all the officials with him,” says the LORD.
Amos 2:4 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Judah, even four, I will not revoke My judgment,
because they reject the Law of the LORD and fail to keep His
statutes; they are led astray by the lies in which their fathers
walked.
Amos 2:5 So I will send fire upon Judah to
consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
Amos 2:6 This is what the LORD says: “For three
transgressions of Israel, even four, I will not revoke My
judgment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy
for a pair of sandals.
Amos 2:7 They trample on the heads of the poor
as on the dust of the earth; they push the needy out of their way.
A man and his father have relations with the same girl and so
profane My holy name.
Amos 2:8 They lie down beside every altar on
garments taken in pledge. And in the house of their God, they
drink wine obtained through fines.
Amos 2:9 Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite
before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he
was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and his
roots below.
Amos 2:10 And I brought you up from the land of
Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, that you might
take possession of the land of the Amorite.
Amos 2:11 I raised up prophets from your sons
and Nazirites from your young men. Is this not true, O children of
Israel?” declares the LORD.
Amos 2:12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets not to prophesy.
Amos 2:13 Behold, I am about to crush you in
your place as with a cart full of grain.
Amos 2:14 Escape will fail the swift, the strong
will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his
life.
Amos 2:15 The archer will not stand his ground,
the fleet of foot will not escape, and the horseman will not save
his life.
Amos 2:16 Even the bravest of mighty men will
flee naked on that day,” declares the LORD.
Amos 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken
against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family that I
brought up out of the land of Egypt:
Amos 3:2 “Only you have I known from all the
families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your
iniquities.”
Amos 3:3 Can two walk together without agreeing
where to go?
Amos 3:4 Does a lion roar in the forest when he
has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught
nothing?
Amos 3:5 Does a bird land in a snare where no
bait has been set? Does a trap spring from the ground when it has
nothing to catch?
Amos 3:6 If a ram’s horn sounds in a city, do
the people not tremble? If calamity comes to a city, has not the
LORD caused it?
Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing
without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
Amos 3:8 The lion has roared—who will not fear?
The Lord GOD has spoken—who will not prophesy?
Amos 3:9 Proclaim to the citadels of Ashdod and
to the citadels of Egypt: “Assemble on the mountains of Samaria;
see the great unrest in the city and the acts of oppression in her
midst.”
Amos 3:10 “For they know not how to do right,”
declares the LORD. “They store up violence and destruction in
their citadels.”
Amos 3:11 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD
says: “An enemy will surround the land; he will pull down your
strongholds and plunder your citadels.”
Amos 3:12 This is what the LORD says: “As the
shepherd snatches from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece
of an ear, so the Israelites dwelling in Samaria will be rescued
having just the corner of a bed or the cushion of a couch.
Amos 3:13 Hear and testify against the house of
Jacob, declares the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts.
Amos 3:14 On the day I punish Israel for their
transgressions, I will visit destruction on the altars of Bethel;
the horns of the altar will be cut off, and they will fall to the
ground.
Amos 3:15 I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house; the houses of ivory will also perish,
and the great houses will come to an end,” declares the LORD.
Amos 4:1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on
Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
Amos 4:2 The Lord GOD has sworn by His holiness:
“Behold, the days are coming when you will be taken away with
hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
Amos 4:3 You will go out through broken walls,
each one straight ahead of her, and you will be cast out toward
Harmon,” declares the LORD.
Amos 4:4 “Go to Bethel and transgress; rebel
even more at Gilgal! Bring your sacrifices every morning, your
tithes every three days.
Amos 4:5 Offer leavened bread as a thank
offering, and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings. For that is
what you children of Israel love to do,” declares the Lord GOD.
Amos 4:6 “I beset all your cities with cleanness
of teeth and all your towns with lack of bread, yet you did not
return to Me,” declares the LORD.
Amos 4:7 “I also withheld the rain from you when
the harvest was three months away. I sent rain on one city but
withheld it from another. One field received rain; another without
rain withered.
Amos 4:8 People staggered from city to city for
water to drink, but they were not satisfied; yet you did not
return to Me,” declares the LORD.
Amos 4:9 “I struck you with blight and mildew in
your growing gardens and vineyards; the locust devoured your fig
and olive trees, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.
Amos 4:10 “I sent plagues among you like those
of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, along with your
captured horses. I filled your nostrils with the stench of your
camp, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the LORD.
Amos 4:11 “Some of you I overthrew as I
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were like a firebrand
snatched from a blaze, yet you did not return to Me,” declares the
LORD.
Amos 4:12 “Therefore, that is what I will do to
you, O Israel, and since I will do this to you, prepare to meet
your God, O Israel!
Amos 4:13 For behold, He who forms the
mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man,
who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the
earth—the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”
Amos 5:1 Hear this word, O house of Israel, this
lamentation I take up against you:
Amos 5:2 “Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise
again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her
up.”
Amos 5:3 This is what the Lord GOD says: “The
city that marches out a thousand strong will only see a hundred
return, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have
but ten left in the house of Israel.”
Amos 5:4 For this is what the LORD says to the
house of Israel: “Seek Me and live!
Amos 5:5 Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do
not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will come to nothing.
Amos 5:6 Seek the LORD and live, or He will
sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour
everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
Amos 5:7 There are those who turn justice into
wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.
Amos 5:8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who
turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons
the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the
earth—the LORD is His name—
Amos 5:9 He flashes destruction on the strong,
so that fury comes upon the stronghold.
Amos 5:10 There are those who hate the one who
reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.
Amos 5:11 Therefore, because you trample on the
poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the
stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from
the lush vineyards you have planted.
Amos 5:12 For I know that your transgressions
are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by
taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
Amos 5:13 Therefore, the prudent keep silent in
such times, for the days are evil.
Amos 5:14 Seek good, not evil, so that you may
live. And the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you
have claimed.
Amos 5:15 Hate evil and love good; establish
justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be
gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
Amos 5:16 Therefore this is what the LORD, the
God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the
public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The
farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.
Amos 5:17 There will be wailing in all the
vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.
Amos 5:18 Woe to you who long for the Day of the
LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be
darkness and not light.
Amos 5:19 It will be like a man who flees from a
lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests
his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
Amos 5:20 Will not the Day of the LORD be
darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
Amos 5:21 “I hate, I despise your feasts! I
cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
Amos 5:22 Even though you offer Me burnt
offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your
peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard.
Amos 5:23 Take away from Me the noise of your
songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
Amos 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Amos 5:25 Did you bring Me sacrifices and
offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Amos 5:26 You have taken along Sakkuth your king
and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.
Amos 5:27 Therefore I will send you into exile
beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Hosts.
Amos 6:1 Woe to those at ease in Zion and those
secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost
nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.
Amos 6:2 Cross over to Calneh and see; go from
there to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the
Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Is their
territory larger than yours?
Amos 6:3 You dismiss the day of calamity and
bring near a reign of violence.
Amos 6:4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and
lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and
calves from the stall.
Amos 6:5 You improvise songs on the harp like
David and invent your own musical instruments.
Amos 6:6 You drink wine by the bowlful and
anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve
over the ruin of Joseph.
Amos 6:7 Therefore, you will now go into exile
as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will
come to an end.
Amos 6:8 The Lord GOD has sworn by Himself—the
LORD, the God of Hosts, has declared: “I abhor Jacob’s pride and
detest his citadels, so I will deliver up the city and everything
in it.”
Amos 6:9 And if there are ten men left in one
house, they too will die.
Amos 6:10 And when the relative who is to burn
the bodies picks them up to remove them from the house, he will
call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?” “None,” that person
will answer. “Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of
the LORD must not be invoked.”
Amos 6:11 For the LORD gives a command: “The
great house will be smashed to pieces, and the small house to
rubble.”
Amos 6:12 “Do horses gallop on the cliffs? Does
one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into
poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood—
Amos 6:13 you who rejoice in Lo-debar and say,
‘Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?’
Amos 6:14 For behold, I will raise up a nation
against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD, the God of
Hosts, “and they will oppress you from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of
the Arabah.”
Amos 7:1 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: He
was preparing swarms of locusts just after the king’s harvest, as
the late spring crop was coming up.
Amos 7:2 And when the locusts had eaten every
green plant in the land, I said, “Lord GOD, please forgive! How
will Jacob survive, since he is so small?”
Amos 7:3 So the LORD relented from this plan.
“It will not happen,” He said.
Amos 7:4 This is what the Lord GOD showed me:
The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the
great deep and devoured the land.
Amos 7:5 Then I said, “Lord GOD, please stop!
How will Jacob survive, since he is so small?”
Amos 7:6 So the LORD relented from this plan.
“It will not happen either,” said the Lord GOD.
Amos 7:7 This is what He showed me: Behold, the
Lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in
His hand.
Amos 7:8 “Amos, what do you see?” asked the
LORD. “A plumb line,” I replied. “Behold,” said the Lord, “I am
setting a plumb line among My people Israel; I will no longer
spare them:
Amos 7:9 The high places of Isaac will be
deserted, and the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste; and I
will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with My sword.”
Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent
word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired
against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot
bear all his words,
Amos 7:11 for this is what Amos has said:
‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into
exile, away from their homeland.’”
Amos 7:12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away,
you seer! Flee to the land of Judah; earn your bread there and do
your prophesying there.
Amos 7:13 But never prophesy at Bethel again,
because it is the sanctuary of the king and the temple of the
kingdom.”
Amos 7:14 “I was not a prophet,” Amos replied,
“nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a
tender of sycamore-fig trees.
Amos 7:15 But the LORD took me from following
the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’
Amos 7:16 Now, therefore, hear the word of the
LORD. You say: ‘Do not prophesy against Israel; do not preach
against the house of Isaac.’
Amos 7:17 Therefore this is what the LORD says:
‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and
daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be divided by a
measuring line, and you yourself will die on pagan soil. And
Israel will surely go into exile, away from their homeland.’”
Amos 8:1 This is what the Lord GOD showed me: I
saw a basket of summer fruit.
Amos 8:2 “Amos, what do you see?” He asked. “A
basket of summer fruit,” I replied. So the LORD said to me, “The
end has come for My people Israel; I will no longer spare them.”
Amos 8:3 “In that day,” declares the Lord GOD,
“the songs of the temple will turn to wailing. Many will be the
corpses, strewn in silence everywhere!”
Amos 8:4 Hear this, you who trample the needy,
who do away with the poor of the land,
Amos 8:5 asking, “When will the New Moon be
over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we
may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel;
let us cheat with dishonest scales.
Amos 8:6 Let us buy the poor with silver and the
needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the
wheat!”
Amos 8:7 The LORD has sworn by the Pride of
Jacob: “I will never forget any of their deeds.
Amos 8:8 Will not the land quake for this, and
all its dwellers mourn? All of it will swell like the Nile; it
will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt.
Amos 8:9 And in that day, declares the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth
in the daytime.
Amos 8:10 I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation. I will cause everyone to wear
sackcloth and every head to be shaved. I will make it like a time
of mourning for an only son, and its outcome like a bitter day.
Amos 8:11 Behold, the days are coming, declares
the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine
of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words
of the LORD.
Amos 8:12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and roam from north to east, seeking the word of the LORD, but
they will not find it.
Amos 8:13 In that day the lovely young women—the
young men as well—will faint from thirst.
Amos 8:14 Those who swear by the guilt of
Samaria and say, ‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’ or, ‘As
surely as the way of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to
rise again.”
Amos 9:1 I saw the Lord standing beside the
altar, and He said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the
thresholds shake. Topple them on the heads of all the people, and
I will kill the rest with the sword. None of those who flee will
get away; none of the fugitives will escape.
Amos 9:2 Though they dig down to Sheol, from
there My hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven,
from there I will pull them down.
Amos 9:3 Though they hide themselves atop
Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they
hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the
serpent to bite them.
Amos 9:4 Though they are driven by their enemies
into captivity, there I will command the sword to slay them. I
will fix My eyes upon them for harm and not for good.”
Amos 9:5 The Lord GOD of Hosts, He who touches
the earth and it melts, and all its dwellers mourn—all the land
rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt—
Amos 9:6 He builds His upper rooms in the
heavens and founds His vault upon the earth. He summons the waters
of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth. The LORD is
His name.
Amos 9:7 “Are you not like the Cushites to Me, O
children of Israel?” declares the LORD. “Did I not bring Israel up
from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the
Arameans from Kir?
Amos 9:8 Surely the eyes of the Lord GOD are on
the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the
earth. Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the LORD.
Amos 9:9 “For surely I will give the command,
and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as
grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the
ground.
Amos 9:10 All the sinners among My people will
die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Disaster will never draw near
or confront us.’”
Amos 9:11 “In that day I will restore the fallen
tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and
rebuild it as in the days of old,
Amos 9:12 that they may possess the remnant of
Edom and all the nations that bear My name,” declares the LORD,
who will do this.
Amos 9:13 “Behold, the days are coming,”
declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and
the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip
with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow.
Amos 9:14 I will restore My people Israel from
captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They
will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens
and eat their fruit.
Amos 9:15 I will firmly plant them in their own
land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given
them,” says the LORD your God.
OBADIAH
Obadiah 1:1 This is the vision of Obadiah: This
is what the Lord GOD says about Edom—We have heard a message from
the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, “Rise
up, and let us go to battle against her!”—
Obadiah 1:2 “Behold, I will make you small among
the nations; you will be deeply despised.
Obadiah 1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived
you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the
heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the
ground?’
Obadiah 1:4 Though you soar like the eagle and
make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you
down,” declares the LORD.
Obadiah 1:5 “If thieves came to you, if robbers
by night—oh, how you will be ruined—would they not steal only what
they wanted? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave
some gleanings?
Obadiah 1:6 But how Esau will be pillaged, his
hidden treasures sought out!
Obadiah 1:7 All the men allied with you will
drive you to the border; the men at peace with you will deceive
and overpower you. Those who eat your bread will set a trap for
you without your awareness of it.
Obadiah 1:8 In that day, declares the LORD, will
I not destroy the wise men of Edom and the men of understanding in
the mountains of Esau?
Obadiah 1:9 Then your mighty men, O Teman, will
be terrified, so that everyone in the mountains of Esau will be
cut down in the slaughter.
Obadiah 1:10 Because of the violence against
your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off
forever.
Obadiah 1:11 On the day you stood aloof while
strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate
and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.
Obadiah 1:12 But you should not gloat in that
day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people
of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the
day of their distress.
Obadiah 1:13 You should not enter the gate of My
people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over their
affliction in the day of their disaster, nor loot their wealth in
the day of their disaster.
Obadiah 1:14 Nor should you stand at the
crossroads to cut off their fugitives, nor deliver up their
survivors in the day of their distress.
Obadiah 1:15 For the Day of the LORD is near for
all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your
recompense will return upon your own head.
Obadiah 1:16 For as you drank on My holy
mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will
drink and gulp it down; they will be as if they had never existed.
Obadiah 1:17 But on Mount Zion there will be
deliverance, and it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will
reclaim their possession.
Obadiah 1:18 Then the house of Jacob will be a
blazing fire, and the house of Joseph a burning flame; but the
house of Esau will be stubble—Jacob will set it ablaze and consume
it. Therefore no survivor will remain from the house of Esau.” For
the LORD has spoken.
Obadiah 1:19 Those from the Negev will possess
the mountains of Esau; those from the foothills will possess the
land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim
and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.
Obadiah 1:20 And the exiles of this host of the
Israelites will possess the land of the Canaanites as far as
Zarephath; and the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will
possess the cities of the Negev.
Obadiah 1:21 The deliverers will ascend Mount
Zion to rule over the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will
belong to the LORD.
JONAH
Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah
son of Amittai, saying,
Jonah 1:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of
Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up
before Me.”
Jonah 1:3 Jonah, however, got up to flee to
Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to
Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and
went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the
LORD.
Jonah 1:4 Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon
the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in
danger of breaking apart.
Jonah 1:5 The sailors were afraid, and each
cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the
sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest
part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
Jonah 1:6 The captain approached him and said,
“How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this
God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”
Jonah 1:7 “Come!” said the sailors to one
another. “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this
calamity that is upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on
Jonah.
Jonah 1:8 “Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is
to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your
occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country,
and who are your people?”
Jonah 1:9 “I am a Hebrew,” replied Jonah. “I
worship the LORD, the God of the heavens, who made the sea and the
dry land.”
Jonah 1:10 Then the men were even more afraid
and said to him, “What have you done?” The men knew that he was
fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.
Jonah 1:11 Now the sea was growing worse and
worse, so they said to Jonah, “What must we do to you to calm this
sea for us?”
Jonah 1:12 “Pick me up,” he answered, “and cast
me into the sea, so it may quiet down for you. For I know that I
am to blame for this violent storm that has come upon you.”
Jonah 1:13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to
get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea was raging
against them more and more.
Jonah 1:14 So they cried out to the LORD:
“Please, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s
life! Do not charge us with innocent blood! For You, O LORD, have
done as You pleased.”
Jonah 1:15 At this, they picked up Jonah and
cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm.
Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD greatly,
and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.
Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had appointed a great
fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights
in the belly of the fish.
Jonah 2:1 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to
the LORD his God,
Jonah 2:2 saying: “In my distress I called to
the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for
help, and You heard my voice.
Jonah 2:3 For You cast me into the deep, into
the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your
breakers and waves swept over me.
Jonah 2:4 At this, I said, ‘I have been banished
from Your sight; yet I will look once more toward Your holy
temple.’
Jonah 2:5 The waters engulfed me to take my
life; the watery depths closed around me; the seaweed wrapped
around my head.
Jonah 2:6 To the roots of the mountains I
descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You
raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God!
Jonah 2:7 As my life was fading away, I
remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy
temple.
Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols
forsake His loving devotion.
Jonah 2:9 But I, with the voice of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation
is from the LORD!”
Jonah 2:10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and
it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Jonah 3:1 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jonah a second time:
Jonah 3:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of
Nineveh and proclaim to it the message that I give you.”
Jonah 3:3 This time Jonah got up and went to
Nineveh, in accordance with the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was
an exceedingly great city, requiring a three-day journey.
Jonah 3:4 On the first day of his journey, Jonah
set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh
will be overturned!”
Jonah 3:5 And the Ninevites believed God. They
proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of
them to the least.
Jonah 3:6 When word reached the king of Nineveh,
he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered
himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Jonah 3:7 Then he issued a proclamation in
Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let no man or
beast, herd or flock, taste anything at all. They must not eat or
drink.
Jonah 3:8 Furthermore, let both man and beast be
covered with sackcloth, and have everyone call out earnestly to
God. Let each one turn from his evil ways and from the violence in
his hands.
Jonah 3:9 Who knows? God may turn and relent; He
may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”
Jonah 3:10 When God saw their actions—that they
had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He
had threatened to bring upon them.
Jonah 4:1 Jonah, however, was greatly
displeased, and he became angry.
Jonah 4:2 So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O
LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that
You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding
in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster.
Jonah 4:3 And now, O LORD, please take my life
from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Jonah 4:4 But the LORD replied, “Have you any
right to be angry?”
Jonah 4:5 Then Jonah left the city and sat down
east of it, where he made himself a shelter and sat in its shade
to see what would happen to the city.
Jonah 4:6 So the LORD God appointed a vine, and
it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his
discomfort, and Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant.
Jonah 4:7 When dawn came the next day, God
appointed a worm that attacked the plant so that it withered.
Jonah 4:8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a
scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that
he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me to
die than to live.”
Jonah 4:9 Then God asked Jonah, “Have you any
right to be angry about the plant?” “I do,” he replied. “I am
angry enough to die!”
Jonah 4:10 But the LORD said, “You cared about
the plant, which you neither tended nor made grow. It sprang up in
a night and perished in a night.
Jonah 4:11 So should I not care about the great
city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot
tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well?”
MICAH
Micah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came
to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,
kings of Judah—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:
Micah 1:2 Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O
earth, and everyone in it! May the Lord GOD bear witness against
you, the Lord from His holy temple.
Micah 1:3 For behold, the LORD comes forth from
His dwelling place; He will come down and tread on the high places
of the earth.
Micah 1:4 The mountains will melt beneath Him,
and the valleys will split apart, like wax before the fire, like
water rushing down a slope.
Micah 1:5 All this is for the transgression of
Jacob and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the
transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high
place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?
Micah 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria a heap
of rubble in the open field, a planting area for a vineyard. I
will pour her stones into the valley and expose her foundations.
Micah 1:7 All her carved images will be smashed
to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will
destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a
prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute.
Micah 1:8 Because of this I will lament and
wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal
and mourn like an ostrich.
Micah 1:9 For her wound is incurable; it has
reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as
far as Jerusalem itself.
Micah 1:10 Do not tell it in Gath; do not weep
at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
Micah 1:11 Depart in shameful nakedness, O
dwellers of Shaphir. The dwellers of Zaanan will not come out.
Beth-ezel is in mourning; its support is taken from you.
Micah 1:12 For the dwellers of Maroth pined for
good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of
Jerusalem.
Micah 1:13 Harness your chariot horses, O
dweller of Lachish. You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter
of Zion, for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
Micah 1:14 Therefore, send farewell gifts to
Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the
kings of Israel.
Micah 1:15 I will again bring a conqueror
against you, O dweller of Mareshah. The glory of Israel will come
to Adullam.
Micah 1:16 Shave yourselves bald and cut off
your hair in mourning for your precious children; make yourselves
as bald as an eagle, for they will go from you into exile.
Micah 2:1 Woe to those who devise iniquity and
plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it
because the power is in their hands.
Micah 2:2 They covet fields and seize them; they
take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of
his inheritance.
Micah 2:3 Therefore this is what the LORD says:
“I am planning against this nation a disaster from which you
cannot free your necks. Then you will not walk so proudly, for it
will be a time of calamity.
Micah 2:4 In that day they will take up a
proverb against you and taunt you with this bitter lamentation:
‘We are utterly ruined! He has changed the portion of my people.
How He has removed it from me! He has allotted our fields to
traitors.’”
Micah 2:5 Therefore, you will have no one in the
assembly of the LORD to divide the land by lot.
Micah 2:6 “Do not preach,” they preach. “Do not
preach these things; disgrace will not overtake us.”
Micah 2:7 Should it be said, O house of Jacob,
“Is the Spirit of the LORD impatient? Are these the things He
does?” Do not My words bring good to him who walks uprightly?
Micah 2:8 But of late My people have risen up
like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from unsuspecting
passersby like men returning from battle.
Micah 2:9 You drive the women of My people from
their pleasant homes. You take away My blessing from their
children forever.
Micah 2:10 Arise and depart, for this is not
your place of rest, because its defilement brings destruction—a
grievous destruction!
Micah 2:11 If a man of wind were to come and say
falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would
be just the preacher for this people!
Micah 2:12 I will surely gather all of you, O
Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them
together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the midst of its
pasture—a noisy throng.
Micah 2:13 One who breaks open the way will go
up before them; they will break through the gate, and go out by
it. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD as their
leader.
Micah 3:1 Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of
Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know
justice?
Micah 3:2 You hate good and love evil. You tear
the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones.
Micah 3:3 You eat the flesh of my people after
stripping off their skin and breaking their bones. You chop them
up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.”
Micah 3:4 Then they will cry out to the LORD,
but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face
from them because of the evil they have done.
Micah 3:5 This is what the LORD says: “As for
the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while
they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts
nothing in their mouths:
Micah 3:6 Therefore night will come over you
without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set
on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them.
Micah 3:7 Then the seers will be ashamed and the
diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths
because there is no answer from God.”
Micah 3:8 As for me, however, I am filled with
power by the Spirit of the LORD, with justice and courage, to
declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.
Micah 3:9 Now hear this, O leaders of the house
of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice
and pervert all that is right,
Micah 3:10 who build Zion with bloodshed and
Jerusalem with iniquity.
Micah 3:11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her
priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination
for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD
among us? No disaster can come upon us.”
Micah 3:12 Therefore, because of you, Zion will
be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
and the temple mount a wooded ridge.
Micah 4:1 In the last days the mountain of the
house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the
mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will
stream to it.
Micah 4:2 And many nations will come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of
the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk
in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of
the LORD from Jerusalem.
Micah 4:3 Then He will judge between many
peoples and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide. Then they
will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against
nation, nor will they train anymore for war.
Micah 4:4 And each man will sit under his own
vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. For
the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.
Micah 4:5 Though each of the peoples may walk in
the name of his god, yet we will walk in the name of the LORD our
God forever and ever.
Micah 4:6 “On that day,” declares the LORD, “I
will gather the lame; I will assemble the outcast, even those whom
I have afflicted.
Micah 4:7 And I will make the lame into a
remnant, and the outcast into a strong nation. Then the LORD will
rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever.
Micah 4:8 And you, O watchtower of the flock, O
stronghold of the Daughter of Zion—the former dominion will be
restored to you; sovereignty will come to the Daughter of
Jerusalem.”
Micah 4:9 Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no
king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips
you like a woman in labor?
Micah 4:10 Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion,
like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in
the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be
rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your
enemies!
Micah 4:11 But now many nations have assembled
against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let us feast our
eyes on Zion.”
Micah 4:12 But they do not know the thoughts of
the LORD or understand His plan, for He has gathered them like
sheaves to the threshing floor.
Micah 4:13 Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to
pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Micah 5:1 Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize
your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will
strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.
Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are
small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me
One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the
days of eternity.
Micah 5:3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His
brothers will return to the children of Israel.
Micah 5:4 He will stand and shepherd His flock
in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His
God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will
extend to the ends of the earth.
Micah 5:5 And He will be our peace when Assyria
invades our land and tramples our citadels. We will raise against
it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.
Micah 5:6 And they will rule the land of Assyria
with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the blade drawn. So He
will deliver us when Assyria invades our land and marches into our
borders.
Micah 5:7 Then the remnant of Jacob will be in
the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on
the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind.
Micah 5:8 Then the remnant of Jacob will be
among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among
the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples and tears as it passes through, with no one to
rescue them.
Micah 5:9 Your hand will be lifted over your
foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.
Micah 5:10 “In that day,” declares the LORD, “I
will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
Micah 5:11 I will remove the cities of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.
Micah 5:12 I will cut the sorceries from your
hand, and you will have no fortune-tellers.
Micah 5:13 I will also cut off the carved images
and sacred pillars from among you, so that you will no longer bow
down to the work of your own hands.
Micah 5:14 I will root out the Asherah poles
from your midst and demolish your cities.
Micah 5:15 I will take vengeance in anger and
wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”
Micah 6:1 Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise,
plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your
voice.
Micah 6:2 Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s
indictment, you enduring foundations of the earth. For the LORD
has a case against His people, and He will argue it against
Israel:
Micah 6:3 ‘My people, what have I done to you?
Testify against Me how I have wearied you!
Micah 6:4 For I brought you up from the land of
Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery. I sent Moses
before you, as well as Aaron and Miriam.
Micah 6:5 My people, remember what Balak king of
Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your
journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the
righteousness of the LORD.’”
Micah 6:6 With what shall I come before the LORD
when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt
offerings, with year-old calves?
Micah 6:7 Would the LORD be pleased with
thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I
present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul?
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love
mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:9 The voice of the LORD calls out to the
city (and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name): “Heed the rod and
the One who ordained it.
Micah 6:10 Can I forget any longer, O house of
the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which
is accursed?
Micah 6:11 Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags
of false weights?
Micah 6:12 For the wealthy of the city are full
of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are
deceitful in their mouths.
Micah 6:13 Therefore I am striking you severely,
to ruin you because of your sins.
Micah 6:14 You will eat but not be satisfied,
and your hunger will remain with you. What you acquire, you will
not preserve; and what you save, I will give to the sword.
Micah 6:15 You will sow but not reap; you will
press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread
grapes but not drink the wine.
Micah 6:16 You have kept the statutes of Omri
and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their
counsel. Therefore I will make you a desolation, and your
inhabitants an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of the
nations.”
Micah 7:1 Woe is me! For I am like one gathering
summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster
to eat, no early fig that I crave.
Micah 7:2 The godly man has perished from the
earth; there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for
blood; they hunt one another with a net.
Micah 7:3 Both hands are skilled at evil; the
prince and the judge demand a bribe. When the powerful utters his
evil desire, they all conspire together.
Micah 7:4 The best of them is like a brier; the
most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your
watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time of
their confusion.
Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust
in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in
your arms.
Micah 7:6 For a son dishonors his father, a
daughter rises against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies are the members of his own
household.
Micah 7:7 But as for me, I will look to the
LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear
me.
Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though
I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD
will be my light.
Micah 7:9 Because I have sinned against Him, I
must endure the rage of the LORD, until He argues my case and
executes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will
see His righteousness.
Micah 7:10 Then my enemy will see and will be
covered with shame—she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your
God?” My eyes will see her; at that time she will be trampled like
mud in the streets.
Micah 7:11 The day for rebuilding your walls
will come—the day for extending your boundary.
Micah 7:12 On that day they will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the
Euphrates, from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
Micah 7:13 Then the earth will become desolate
because of its inhabitants, as the fruit of their deeds.
Micah 7:14 Shepherd with Your staff Your people,
the flock of Your inheritance. They live alone in a woodland,
surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in
the days of old.
Micah 7:15 As in the days when you came out of
Egypt, I will show My wonders.
Micah 7:16 Nations will see and be ashamed,
deprived of all their might. They will put their hands over their
mouths, and their ears will become deaf.
Micah 7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will crawl from their
holes in the presence of the LORD our God; they will tremble in
fear of You.
Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons
iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His
inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He
delights in loving devotion?
Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us;
He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob
and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from
the days of old.
NAHUM
Nahum 1:1 This is the burden against Nineveh,
the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
Nahum 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging
God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes
vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in
power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His
path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust
beneath His feet.
Nahum 1:4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He
makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the
flower of Lebanon wilts.
Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake before Him, and
the hills melt away; the earth trembles at His presence—the world
and all its dwellers.
Nahum 1:6 Who can withstand His indignation? Who
can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire;
even rocks are shattered before Him.
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the
day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
Nahum 1:8 But with an overwhelming flood He will
make an end of Nineveh and pursue His enemies into darkness.
Nahum 1:9 Whatever you plot against the LORD, He
will bring to an end. Affliction will not rise up a second time.
Nahum 1:10 For they will be entangled as with
thorns and consumed like the drink of a drunkard—like stubble that
is fully dry.
Nahum 1:11 From you, O Nineveh, comes forth a
plotter of evil against the LORD, a counselor of wickedness.
Nahum 1:12 This is what the LORD says: “Though
they are allied and numerous, yet they will be cut down and pass
away. Though I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no
longer.
Nahum 1:13 For I will now break their yoke from
your neck and tear away your shackles.”
Nahum 1:14 The LORD has issued a command
concerning you, O Nineveh: “There will be no descendants to carry
on your name. I will cut off the carved image and cast idol from
the house of your gods; I will prepare your grave, for you are
contemptible.”
Nahum 1:15 Look to the mountains—the feet of one
who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts,
O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march
through you; they will be utterly cut off.
Nahum 2:1 One who scatters advances against you,
O Nineveh. Guard the fortress! Watch the road! Brace yourselves!
Summon all your strength!
Nahum 2:2 For the LORD will restore the splendor
of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid
them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.
Nahum 2:3 The shields of his mighty men are red;
the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the
chariots flash like fire on the day they are prepared, and the
spears of cypress have been brandished.
Nahum 2:4 The chariots dash through the streets;
they rush around the plazas, appearing like torches, darting about
like lightning.
Nahum 2:5 He summons his nobles; they stumble as
they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set
in place.
Nahum 2:6 The river gates are thrown open and
the palace collapses.
Nahum 2:7 It is decreed that the city be exiled
and carried away; her maidservants moan like doves, and beat upon
their breasts.
Nahum 2:8 Nineveh has been like a pool of water
throughout her days, but now it is draining away. “Stop! Stop!”
they cry, but no one turns back.
Nahum 2:9 “Plunder the silver! Plunder the
gold!” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every
precious thing.
Nahum 2:10 She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate
and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and
every face grows pale!
Nahum 2:11 Where is the lions’ lair or the
feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness
prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?
Nahum 2:12 The lion mauled enough for its cubs
and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the
kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.
Nahum 2:13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares
the LORD of Hosts. “I will send your chariots up in smoke, and the
sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from
the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be
heard.”
Nahum 3:1 Woe to the city of blood, full of
lies, full of plunder, never without prey.
Nahum 3:2 The crack of the whip, the rumble of
the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!
Nahum 3:3 Charging horseman, flashing sword,
shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies
without end—they stumble over their dead—
Nahum 3:4 because of the many harlotries of the
harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by
her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.
Nahum 3:5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares
the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will
show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms.
Nahum 3:6 I will pelt you with filth and treat
you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you.
Nahum 3:7 Then all who see you will recoil from
you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’
Where can I find comforters for you?”
Nahum 3:8 Are you better than Thebes, stationed
by the Nile with water around her, whose rampart was the sea,
whose wall was the water?
Nahum 3:9 Cush and Egypt were her boundless
strength; Put and Libya were her allies.
Nahum 3:10 Yet she became an exile; she went
into captivity. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of
every street. They cast lots for her dignitaries, and all her
nobles were bound in chains.
Nahum 3:11 You too will become drunk; you will
go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy.
Nahum 3:12 All your fortresses are fig trees
with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of
the eater!
Nahum 3:13 Look at your troops—they are like
your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies;
fire consumes their bars.
Nahum 3:14 Draw your water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar;
repair the brick kiln!
Nahum 3:15 There the fire will devour you; the
sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make
yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the
swarming locust!
Nahum 3:16 You have multiplied your merchants
more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land
and flies away.
Nahum 3:17 Your guards are like the swarming
locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts that settle on the
walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, and no one
knows where.
Nahum 3:18 O king of Assyria, your shepherds
slumber; your officers sleep. Your people are scattered on the
mountains with no one to gather them.
Nahum 3:19 There is no healing for your injury;
your wound is severe. All who hear the news of you applaud your
downfall, for who has not experienced your constant cruelty?
HABAKKUK
Habakkuk 1:1 This is the burden that Habakkuk
the prophet received in a vision:
Habakkuk 1:2 How long, O LORD, must I call for
help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You
do not save?
Habakkuk 1:3 Why do You make me see iniquity?
Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are
before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.
Habakkuk 1:4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and
justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so
that justice is perverted.
Habakkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and observe—be
utterly astounded! For I am doing a work in your days that you
would never believe even if someone told you.
Habakkuk 1:6 For behold, I am raising up the
Chaldeans—that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through
the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own.
Habakkuk 1:7 They are dreaded and feared; from
themselves they derive justice and sovereignty.
Habakkuk 1:8 Their horses are swifter than
leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge
ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture,
swooping down to devour.
Habakkuk 1:9 All of them come bent on violence;
their hordes advance like the east wind; they gather prisoners
like sand.
Habakkuk 1:10 They scoff at kings and make
rulers an object of scorn. They laugh at every fortress and build
up siege ramps to seize it.
Habakkuk 1:11 Then they sweep by like the wind
and pass on through. They are guilty; their own strength is their
god.”
Habakkuk 1:12 Are You not from everlasting, O
LORD, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. O LORD, You have
appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, You have established
them for correction.
Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look
upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You
tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
Habakkuk 1:14 You have made men like the fish of
the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler.
Habakkuk 1:15 The foe pulls all of them up with
a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his
fishing net; so he rejoices gladly.
Habakkuk 1:16 Therefore he sacrifices to his
dragnet and burns incense to his fishing net, for by these things
his portion is sumptuous and his food is rich.
Habakkuk 1:17 Will he, therefore, empty his net
and continue to slay nations without mercy?
Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand at my guard post and
station myself on the ramparts. I will watch to see what He will
say to me, and how I should answer when corrected.
Habakkuk 2:2 Then the LORD answered me: “Write
down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a
herald may run with it.
Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision awaits an appointed
time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers,
wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:4 Look at the proud one; his soul is
not upright—but the righteous will live by faith—
Habakkuk 2:5 and wealth indeed betrays him. He
is an arrogant man never at rest. He enlarges his appetite like
Sheol, and like Death, he is never satisfied. He gathers all the
nations to himself and collects all the peoples as his own.
Habakkuk 2:6 Will not all of these take up a
taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him
who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many
loans! How long will this go on?’
Habakkuk 2:7 Will not your creditors suddenly
arise and those who disturb you awaken? Then you will become their
prey.
Habakkuk 2:8 Because you have plundered many
nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of
your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the
city, and all their dwellers.
Habakkuk 2:9 Woe to him who builds his house by
unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of
disaster!
Habakkuk 2:10 You have plotted shame for your
house by cutting off many peoples and forfeiting your life.
Habakkuk 2:11 For the stones will cry out from
the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.
Habakkuk 2:12 Woe to him who builds a city with
bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!
Habakkuk 2:13 Is it not indeed from the LORD of
Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the
nations weary themselves in vain?
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with
the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the
sea.
Habakkuk 2:15 Woe to him who gives drink to his
neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in
order to gaze at their nakedness!
Habakkuk 2:16 You will be filled with shame
instead of glory. You too must drink and expose your
uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around
to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory.
Habakkuk 2:17 For your violence against Lebanon
will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify
you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence
against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
Habakkuk 2:18 What use is an idol, that a
craftsman should carve it—or an image, a teacher of lies? For its
maker trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot
speak.
Habakkuk 2:19 Woe to him who says to wood,
‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no
breath in it at all.”
Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in His holy
temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.
Habakkuk 3:1 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the
prophet, according to Shigionoth:
Habakkuk 3:2 O LORD, I have heard the report of
You; I stand in awe, O LORD, of Your deeds. Revive them in these
years; make them known in these years. In Your wrath, remember
mercy!
Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, and the Holy
One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and His
praise filled the earth.
Habakkuk 3:4 His radiance was like the sunlight;
rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.
Habakkuk 3:5 Plague went before Him, and fever
followed in His steps.
Habakkuk 3:6 He stood and measured the earth; He
looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled;
the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.
Habakkuk 3:7 I saw the tents of Cushan in
distress; the curtains of Midian were trembling.
Habakkuk 3:8 Were You angry at the rivers, O
LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the
sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?
Habakkuk 3:9 You brandished Your bow; You called
for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers.
Habakkuk 3:10 The mountains saw You and quaked;
torrents of water swept by. The deep roared with its voice and
lifted its hands on high.
Habakkuk 3:11 Sun and moon stood still in their
places at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of
Your shining spear.
Habakkuk 3:12 You marched across the earth with
fury; You threshed the nations in wrath.
Habakkuk 3:13 You went forth for the salvation
of Your people, to save Your anointed. You crushed the head of the
house of the wicked and stripped him from head to toe. Selah
Habakkuk 3:14 With his own spear You pierced his
head, when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as
though ready to secretly devour the weak.
Habakkuk 3:15 You trampled the sea with Your
horses, churning the great waters.
Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and trembled within; my
lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled
where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress
to come upon the people who invade us.
Habakkuk 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the
fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold
and no cattle are in the stalls,
Habakkuk 3:18 yet I will exult in the LORD; I
will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
Habakkuk 3:19 GOD the Lord is my strength; He
makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the
heights! For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
ZEPHANIAH
Zephaniah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that
came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of
Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon
king of Judah:
Zephaniah 1:2 “I will completely sweep away
everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
Zephaniah 1:3 “I will sweep away man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
and the idols with their wicked worshipers. I will cut off mankind
from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
Zephaniah 1:4 “I will stretch out My hand
against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut
off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the
idolatrous and pagan priests—
Zephaniah 1:5 those who bow on the rooftops to
worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the
LORD but also swear by Milcom,
Zephaniah 1:6 and those who turn back from
following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of
Him.”
Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent in the presence of the
Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has
prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.
Zephaniah 1:8 “On the Day of the LORD’s
sacrifice I will punish the princes, the sons of the king, and all
who are dressed in foreign apparel.
Zephaniah 1:9 On that day I will punish all who
leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with
violence and deceit.
Zephaniah 1:10 On that day,” declares the LORD,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second
District, and a loud crashing from the hills.
Zephaniah 1:11 Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow,
for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver
will be cut off.
Zephaniah 1:12 And at that time I will search
Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency,
who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or
bad.’
Zephaniah 1:13 Their wealth will be plundered
and their houses laid waste. They will build houses but not
inhabit them, and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.
Zephaniah 1:14 The great Day of the LORD is
near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then
the cry of the mighty will be bitter.
Zephaniah 1:15 That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and
desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and
blackness,
Zephaniah 1:16 a day of horn blast and battle
cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner
towers.
Zephaniah 1:17 I will bring such distress on
mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have
sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their flesh like dung.
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their
gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath.
The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For
indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.
Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves, gather
together, O shameful nation,
Zephaniah 2:2 before the decree takes effect and
the day passes like chaff, before the burning anger of the LORD
comes upon you, before the Day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you.
Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of
the earth who carry out His justice. Seek righteousness; seek
humility. Perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s
anger.
Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned, and
Ashkelon left in ruins. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and
Ekron will be uprooted.
Zephaniah 2:5 Woe to the dwellers of the
seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is
against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy
you, and no one will be left.”
Zephaniah 2:6 So the seacoast will become a land
of pastures, with wells for shepherds and folds for sheep.
Zephaniah 2:7 The coast will belong to the
remnant of the house of Judah; there they will find pasture. They
will lie down in the evening among the houses of Ashkelon, for the
LORD their God will attend to them and restore their captives.
Zephaniah 2:8 “I have heard the reproach of Moab
and the insults of the Ammonites, who have taunted My people and
threatened their borders.
Zephaniah 2:9 Therefore, as surely as I live,”
declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will
be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and
salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will
plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.”
Zephaniah 2:10 This they shall have in return
for their pride, for taunting and mocking the people of the LORD
of Hosts.
Zephaniah 2:11 The LORD will be terrifying to
them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations
of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.
Zephaniah 2:12 “You too, O Cushites, will be
slain by My sword.”
Zephaniah 2:13 And He will stretch out His hand
against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a
desolation, as dry as a desert.
Zephaniah 2:14 Herds will lie down in her midst,
creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will
roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window,
but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the
beams of cedar.
Zephaniah 2:15 This carefree city that dwells
securely, that thinks to herself: “I am it, and there is none
besides me,” what a ruin she has become, a resting place for
beasts. Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.
Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
Zephaniah 3:2 She heeded no voice; she accepted
no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she has not drawn
near to her God.
Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes are roaring lions; her
judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.
Zephaniah 3:4 Her prophets are reckless,
faithless men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence
to the law.
Zephaniah 3:5 The LORD within her is righteous;
He does no wrong. He applies His justice morning by morning; He
does not fail at dawn, yet the unjust know no shame.
Zephaniah 3:6 “I have cut off the nations; their
corner towers are destroyed. I have made their streets deserted
with no one to pass through. Their cities are laid waste, with no
man, no inhabitant.
Zephaniah 3:7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me
and accept correction.’ Then her dwelling place would not be cut
off despite all for which I punished her. But they rose early to
corrupt all their deeds.
Zephaniah 3:8 Therefore wait for Me,” declares
the LORD, “until the day I rise to testify. For My decision is to
gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My
indignation—all My burning anger. For all the earth will be
consumed by the fire of My jealousy.
Zephaniah 3:9 For then I will restore pure lips
to the peoples, that all may call upon the name of the LORD and
serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
Zephaniah 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Cush My
worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.
Zephaniah 3:11 On that day you will not be put
to shame for any of the deeds by which you have transgressed
against Me. For then I will remove from among you those who
rejoice in their pride, and you will never again be haughty on My
holy mountain.
Zephaniah 3:12 But I will leave within you a
meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the
LORD.
Zephaniah 3:13 The remnant of Israel will no
longer do wrong or speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be
found in their mouths. But they will feed and lie down, with no
one to make them tremble.”
Zephaniah 3:14 Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O
Daughter of Jerusalem!
Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD has taken away your
punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the
LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.
Zephaniah 3:16 On that day they will say to
Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands fall limp.
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is among you;
He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He
will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with
singing.”
Zephaniah 3:18 “I will gather those among you
who grieve over the appointed feasts, so that you will no longer
suffer reproach.
Zephaniah 3:19 Behold, at that time, I will deal
with all who afflict you. I will save the lame and gather the
scattered; and I will appoint praise and fame for the disgraced
throughout the earth.
Zephaniah 3:20 At that time I will bring you in;
yes, at that time I will gather you. For I will give you fame and
praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your
captives before your very eyes,” says the LORD.
HAGGAI
Haggai 1:1 In the second year of the reign of
Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD
came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high
priest, stating
Haggai 1:2 that this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the
house of the LORD.’”
Haggai 1:3 Then the word of the LORD came
through Haggai the prophet, saying:
Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to
live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”
Haggai 1:5 Now this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Consider carefully your ways.
Haggai 1:6 You have planted much but harvested
little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have
your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages
to put into a bag pierced through.”
Haggai 1:7 This is what the LORD of Hosts says:
“Consider carefully your ways.
Haggai 1:8 Go up into the hills, bring down
lumber, and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and
be glorified, says the LORD.
Haggai 1:9 You expected much, but behold, it
amounted to little. And what you brought home, I blew away. Why?
declares the LORD of Hosts. Because My house still lies in ruins,
while each of you is busy with his own house.
Haggai 1:10 Therefore, on account of you the
heavens have withheld their dew and the earth has withheld its
crops.
Haggai 1:11 I have summoned a drought on the
fields and on the mountains, on the grain, new wine, and oil, and
on whatever the ground yields, on man and beast, and on all the
labor of your hands.”
Haggai 1:12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and
Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as all the
remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and
the words of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had
sent him. So the people feared the LORD.
Haggai 1:13 Haggai, the messenger of the LORD,
delivered the message of the LORD to the people: “I am with you,”
declares the LORD.
Haggai 1:14 So the LORD stirred the spirit of
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of
Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, as well as the spirit of
all the remnant of the people. And they came and began the work on
the house of the LORD of Hosts, their God,
Haggai 1:15 on the twenty-fourth day of the
sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.
Haggai 2:1 On the twenty-first day of the
seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the
prophet, saying:
Haggai 2:2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of
Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the
high priest, and also to the remnant of the people. Ask them,
Haggai 2:3 ‘Who is left among you who saw this
house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it
not appear to you like nothing in comparison?’
Haggai 2:4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,
declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high
priest. And be strong, all you people of the land, declares the
LORD. Work! For I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts.
Haggai 2:5 This is the promise I made to you
when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you; do
not be afraid.”
Haggai 2:6 For this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and
the earth, the sea and the dry land.
Haggai 2:7 I will shake all the nations, and
they will come with all their treasures, and I will fill this
house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.
Haggai 2:8 The silver is Mine, and the gold is
Mine, declares the LORD of Hosts.
Haggai 2:9 The latter glory of this house will
be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts. And in this
place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Hosts.”
Haggai 2:10 On the twenty-fourth day of the
ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD
came to Haggai the prophet, saying,
Haggai 2:11 “This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: ‘Ask the priests for a ruling.
Haggai 2:12 If a man carries consecrated meat in
the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or
any other food, does that item become holy?’” “No,” replied the
priests.
Haggai 2:13 So Haggai asked, “If one who is
defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it
become defiled?” “Yes, it becomes defiled,” the priests answered.
Haggai 2:14 Then Haggai replied, “So it is with
this people and this nation before Me, declares the LORD, and so
it is with every work of their hands; whatever they offer there is
defiled.
Haggai 2:15 Now consider carefully from this day
forward: Before one stone was placed on another in the temple of
the LORD,
Haggai 2:16 from that time, when one came
expecting a heap of twenty ephahs of grain, there were but ten.
When one came to the winepress to draw out fifty baths, there were
but twenty.
Haggai 2:17 I struck you—all the work of your
hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me,
declares the LORD.
Haggai 2:18 Consider carefully from this day
forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the
foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully:
Haggai 2:19 Is there still seed in the barn? The
vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet
yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”
Haggai 2:20 For the second time that day, the
twenty-fourth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to
Haggai, saying,
Haggai 2:21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah
that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:
Haggai 2:22 I will overturn royal thrones and
destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn
chariots and their riders; horses and their riders will fall, each
by the sword of his brother.
Haggai 2:23 On that day, declares the LORD of
Hosts, I will take you, My servant, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
declares the LORD, and I will make you like My signet ring, for I
have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts.”
ZECHARIAH
Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second
year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah
son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying:
Zechariah 1:2 “The LORD was very angry with your
fathers.
Zechariah 1:3 So tell the people that this is
what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Return to Me, declares the LORD of
Hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Hosts.’
Zechariah 1:4 Do not be like your fathers, to
whom the former prophets proclaimed that this is what the LORD of
Hosts says: ‘Turn now from your evil ways and deeds.’ But they did
not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the LORD.
Zechariah 1:5 Where are your fathers now? And
the prophets, do they live forever?
Zechariah 1:6 But did not My words and My
statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake
your fathers? They repented and said, ‘Just as the LORD of Hosts
purposed to do to us according to our ways and deeds, so He has
done to us.’”
Zechariah 1:7 On the twenty-fourth day of the
eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius,
the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of
Berechiah, the son of Iddo.
Zechariah 1:8 I looked out into the night and
saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle
trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white
horses.
Zechariah 1:9 “What are these, my lord?” I
asked. And the angel who was speaking with me replied, “I will
show you what they are.”
Zechariah 1:10 Then the man standing among the
myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to
patrol the earth.”
Zechariah 1:11 And the riders answered the angel
of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have
patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and
tranquil.”
Zechariah 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD said,
“How long, O LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem
and the cities of Judah, with which You have been angry these
seventy years?”
Zechariah 1:13 So the LORD spoke kind and
comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me.
Zechariah 1:14 Then the angel who was speaking
with me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion,
Zechariah 1:15 but I am fiercely angry with the
nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have
added to the calamity.’
Zechariah 1:16 Therefore this is what the LORD
says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house
will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line
will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’
Zechariah 1:17 Proclaim further that this is
what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘My cities will again overflow with
prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion and choose
Jerusalem.’”
Zechariah 1:18 Then I looked up and saw four
horns.
Zechariah 1:19 So I asked the angel who was
speaking with me, “What are these?” And he told me, “These are the
horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 1:20 Then the LORD showed me four
craftsmen.
Zechariah 1:21 “What are these coming to do?” I
asked. And He replied, “These are the horns that scattered Judah
so that no one could raise his head; but the craftsmen have come
to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations that
have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter
it.”
Zechariah 2:1 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a
man with a measuring line in his hand.
Zechariah 2:2 “Where are you going?” I asked.
“To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width
and length.”
Zechariah 2:3 Then the angel who was speaking
with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him
Zechariah 2:4 and said to him, “Run and tell
that young man: ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of
the multitude of men and livestock within it.
Zechariah 2:5 For I will be a wall of fire
around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”
Zechariah 2:6 “Get up! Get up! Flee from the
land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you
like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.
Zechariah 2:7 “Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who
dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”
Zechariah 2:8 For this is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “After His Glory has sent Me against the nations that have
plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of His
eye—
Zechariah 2:9 I will surely wave My hand over
them, so that they will become plunder for their own servants.
Then you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me.”
Zechariah 2:10 “Shout for joy and be glad, O
Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares
the LORD.
Zechariah 2:11 “On that day many nations will
join themselves to the LORD, and they will become My people. I
will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has
sent Me to you.
Zechariah 2:12 And the LORD will take possession
of Judah as His portion in the Holy Land, and He will once again
choose Jerusalem.
Zechariah 2:13 Be silent before the LORD, all
people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”
Zechariah 3:1 Then the angel showed me Joshua
the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan
standing at his right hand to accuse him.
Zechariah 3:2 And the LORD said to Satan: “The
LORD rebukes you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD, who has chosen
Jerusalem, rebukes you! Is not this man a firebrand snatched from
the fire?”
Zechariah 3:3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy
garments as he stood before the angel.
Zechariah 3:4 So the angel said to those
standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said
to Joshua, “See, I have removed your iniquity, and I will clothe
you with splendid robes.”
Zechariah 3:5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean
turban on his head.” So a clean turban was placed on his head, and
they clothed him, as the angel of the LORD stood by.
Zechariah 3:6 Then the angel of the LORD gave
this charge to Joshua:
Zechariah 3:7 “This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: ‘If you walk in My ways and keep My instructions, then you
will govern My house and will also have charge of My courts; and I
will give you a place among these who are standing here.
Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O high priest Joshua,
you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign.
For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch.
Zechariah 3:9 See the stone I have set before
Joshua; on that one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave
on it an inscription, declares the LORD of Hosts, and I will
remove the iniquity of this land in a single day.
Zechariah 3:10 On that day, declares the LORD of
Hosts, you will each invite your neighbor to sit under your own
vine and fig tree.’”
Zechariah 4:1 Then the angel who was speaking
with me returned and woke me, as a man is awakened from his sleep.
Zechariah 4:2 “What do you see?” he asked. “I
see a solid gold lampstand,” I replied, “with a bowl at the top
and seven lamps on it, with seven spouts to the lamps.
Zechariah 4:3 There are also two olive trees
beside it, one on the right side of the bowl and the other on its
left.”
Zechariah 4:4 “What are these, my lord?” I asked
the angel who was speaking with me.
Zechariah 4:5 “Do you not know what they are?”
replied the angel. “No, my lord,” I answered.
Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the
word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by
My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 4:7 What are you, O great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring
forth the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”
Zechariah 4:8 Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying,
Zechariah 4:9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid
the foundation of this house, and his hands will complete it. Then
you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you.
Zechariah 4:10 For who has despised the day of
small things? But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the
whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand
of Zerubbabel.”
Zechariah 4:11 Then I asked the angel, “What are
the two olive trees on the right and left of the lampstand?”
Zechariah 4:12 And I questioned him further,
“What are the two olive branches beside the two gold pipes from
which the golden oil pours?”
Zechariah 4:13 “Do you not know what these are?”
he inquired. “No, my lord,” I replied.
Zechariah 4:14 So he said, “These are the two
anointed ones who are standing beside the Lord of all the earth.”
Zechariah 5:1 Again I lifted up my eyes and saw
before me a flying scroll.
Zechariah 5:2 “What do you see?” asked the
angel. “I see a flying scroll,” I replied, “twenty cubits long and
ten cubits wide.”
Zechariah 5:3 Then he told me, “This is the
curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for
according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed;
and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed.
Zechariah 5:4 I will send it out, declares the
LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the
house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside
his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”
Zechariah 5:5 Then the angel who was speaking
with me came forward and told me, “Now lift up your eyes and see
what is approaching.”
Zechariah 5:6 “What is it?” I asked. And he
replied, “A measuring basket is going forth.” Then he continued,
“This is their iniquity in all the land.”
Zechariah 5:7 And behold, the cover of lead was
raised, and there was a woman sitting inside the basket.
Zechariah 5:8 “This is Wickedness,” he said. And
he shoved her down into the basket, pushing down the lead cover
over its opening.
Zechariah 5:9 Then I lifted up my eyes and saw
two women approaching, with the wind in their wings. Their wings
were like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between
heaven and earth.
Zechariah 5:10 “Where are they taking the
basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking with me.
Zechariah 5:11 “To build a house for it in the
land of Shinar,” he told me. “And when it is ready, the basket
will be set there on its pedestal.”
Zechariah 6:1 And again I lifted up my eyes and
saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains
of bronze.
Zechariah 6:2 The first chariot had red horses,
the second black horses,
Zechariah 6:3 the third white horses, and the
fourth dappled horses—all of them strong.
Zechariah 6:4 So I inquired of the angel who was
speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
Zechariah 6:5 And the angel told me, “These are
the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before
the Lord of all the earth.
Zechariah 6:6 The one with the black horses is
going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses
toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the
south.”
Zechariah 6:7 As the strong horses went out,
they were eager to go and patrol the earth; and the LORD said, “Go
and patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.
Zechariah 6:8 Then the LORD summoned me and
said, “Behold, those going to the land of the north have given
rest to My Spirit in the land of the north.”
Zechariah 6:9 The word of the LORD also came to
me, saying,
Zechariah 6:10 “Take an offering from the
exiles—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from
Babylon—and go that same day to the house of Josiah son of
Zephaniah.
Zechariah 6:11 Take silver and gold, make an
ornate crown, and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua
son of Jehozadak.
Zechariah 6:12 And you are to tell him that this
is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the
Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple
of the LORD.
Zechariah 6:13 Yes, He will build the temple of
the LORD; He will be clothed in splendor and will sit on His
throne and rule. And He will be a priest on His throne, and there
will be peaceful counsel between the two.’
Zechariah 6:14 The crown will reside in the
temple of the LORD as a memorial to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and
the gracious son of Zephaniah.
Zechariah 6:15 Even those far away will come and
build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD of
Hosts has sent Me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey
the voice of the LORD your God.”
Zechariah 7:1 In the fourth year of King Darius,
the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the
ninth month, the month of Chislev.
Zechariah 7:2 Now the people of Bethel had sent
Sharezer and Regem-melech, along with their men, to plead before
the LORD
Zechariah 7:3 by asking the priests of the house
of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and
fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”
Zechariah 7:4 Then the word of the LORD of Hosts
came to me, saying,
Zechariah 7:5 “Ask all the people of the land
and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and
seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that
you fasted?
Zechariah 7:6 And when you were eating and
drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves?
Zechariah 7:7 Are these not the words that the
LORD proclaimed through the earlier prophets, when Jerusalem and
its surrounding towns were populous and prosperous, and the Negev
and the foothills were inhabited?’”
Zechariah 7:8 Then the word of the LORD came to
Zechariah, saying,
Zechariah 7:9 “This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and
compassion to one another.
Zechariah 7:10 Do not oppress the widow or the
fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in
your hearts against one another.’
Zechariah 7:11 But they refused to pay attention
and turned a stubborn shoulder; they stopped up their ears from
hearing.
Zechariah 7:12 They made their hearts like flint
and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD of
Hosts had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets.
Therefore great anger came from the LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 7:13 And just as I had called and they
would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the
LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 7:14 But I scattered them with a
whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known, and the
land was left desolate behind them so that no one could come or
go. Thus they turned the pleasant land into a desolation.”
Zechariah 8:1 Again the word of the LORD of
Hosts came to me, saying:
Zechariah 8:2 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “I am jealous for Zion with great zeal; I am jealous for her
with great fervor.”
Zechariah 8:3 This is what the LORD says: “I
will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be
called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts
will be called the Holy Mountain.”
Zechariah 8:4 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Old men and old women will again sit along the streets of
Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of great age.
Zechariah 8:5 And the streets of the city will
be filled with boys and girls playing there.”
Zechariah 8:6 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “If this is impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this
people in these days, should it also be impossible in My eyes?”
declares the LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 8:7 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “I will save My people from the land of the east and from
the land of the west.
Zechariah 8:8 I will bring them back to dwell in
Jerusalem, where they will be My people, and I will be their
faithful and righteous God.”
Zechariah 8:9 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words
spoken by the prophets who were present when the foundations were
laid to rebuild the temple, the house of the LORD of Hosts.
Zechariah 8:10 For before those days neither man
nor beast received wages, nor was there safety from the enemy for
anyone who came or went, for I had turned every man against his
neighbor.
Zechariah 8:11 But now I will not treat the
remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of
Hosts.
Zechariah 8:12 “For the seed will be prosperous,
the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will yield its produce,
and the skies will give their dew. To the remnant of this people I
will give all these things as an inheritance.
Zechariah 8:13 As you have been a curse among
the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save
you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid; let your hands
be strong.”
Zechariah 8:14 For this is what the LORD of
Hosts says: “Just as I resolved to bring disaster upon you when
your fathers provoked Me to anger, and I did not relent,” says the
LORD of Hosts,
Zechariah 8:15 “so now I have resolved to do
good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid.
Zechariah 8:16 These are the things you must do:
Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in
your gates,
Zechariah 8:17 do not plot evil in your hearts
against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely, for I
hate all these things,” declares the LORD.
Zechariah 8:18 Then the word of the LORD of
Hosts came to me, saying,
Zechariah 8:19 “This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: The fasts of the fourth, the fifth, the seventh, and the
tenth months will become times of joy and gladness, cheerful
feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore you are to love both
truth and peace.”
Zechariah 8:20 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “Peoples will yet come—the residents of many cities—
Zechariah 8:21 and the residents of one city
will go to another, saying: ‘Let us go at once to plead before the
LORD and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I myself am going.’
Zechariah 8:22 And many peoples and strong
nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to
plead before the LORD.”
Zechariah 8:23 This is what the LORD of Hosts
says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will
tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for
we have heard that God is with you.’”
Zechariah 9:1 This is the burden of the word of
the LORD against the land of Hadrach and Damascus its resting
place—for the eyes of men and of all the tribes of Israel are upon
the LORD—
Zechariah 9:2 and also against Hamath, which
borders it, as well as Tyre and Sidon, though they are very
shrewd.
Zechariah 9:3 Tyre has built herself a fortress;
she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the
streets.
Zechariah 9:4 Behold, the Lord will impoverish
her and cast her wealth into the sea, and she will be consumed by
fire.
Zechariah 9:5 Ashkelon will see and fear; Gaza
will writhe in agony, as will Ekron, for her hope will wither.
There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will be
uninhabited.
Zechariah 9:6 A mixed race will occupy Ashdod,
and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.
Zechariah 9:7 I will remove the blood from their
mouths and the abominations from between their teeth. Then they
too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a
clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.
Zechariah 9:8 But I will camp around My house
because of an army, because of those who march to and fro, and
never again will an oppressor overrun My people, for now I keep
watch with My own eyes.
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of
Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King
comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:10 And I will cut off the chariot
from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will
be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His
dominion will extend from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to
the ends of the earth.
Zechariah 9:11 As for you, because of the blood
of My covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless
pit.
Zechariah 9:12 Return to your stronghold, O
prisoners of hope; even today I declare that I will restore to you
double.
Zechariah 9:13 For I will bend Judah as My bow
and fit it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against
the sons of Greece. I will make you like the sword of a mighty
man.
Zechariah 9:14 Then the LORD will appear over
them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD
will sound the ram’s horn and advance in the whirlwinds of the
south.
Zechariah 9:15 The LORD of Hosts will shield
them. They will destroy and conquer with slingstones; they will
drink and roar as with wine. And they will be filled like
sprinkling bowls, drenched like the corners of the altar.
Zechariah 9:16 On that day the LORD their God
will save them as the flock of His people; for like jewels in a
crown they will sparkle over His land.
Zechariah 9:17 How lovely they will be, and how
beautiful! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine,
the young women.
Zechariah 10:1 Ask the LORD for rain in
springtime; the LORD makes the storm clouds, and He will give
everyone showers of rain and crops in the field.
Zechariah 10:2 For idols speak deceit and
diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty
comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for
lack of a shepherd.
Zechariah 10:3 “My anger burns against the
shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. For the LORD of Hosts
attends to His flock, the house of Judah; He will make them like
His royal steed in battle.
Zechariah 10:4 The cornerstone will come from
Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every
ruler together.
Zechariah 10:5 They will be like mighty men in
battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will
fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the
horsemen to shame.
Zechariah 10:6 I will strengthen the house of
Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I
have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not
rejected them. For I am the LORD their God, and I will answer
them.
Zechariah 10:7 Ephraim will be like a mighty
man, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children
will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD.
Zechariah 10:8 I will whistle for them to
gather, for I have redeemed them; and they will be as numerous as
they once were.
Zechariah 10:9 Though I sow them among the
nations, they will remember Me in distant lands; they and their
children will live and return.
Zechariah 10:10 I will bring them back from
Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will bring them to Gilead
and Lebanon until no more room is found for them.
Zechariah 10:11 They will pass through the sea
of distress and strike the waves of the sea; all the depths of the
Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought down, and
the scepter of Egypt will depart.
Zechariah 10:12 I will strengthen them in the
LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
Zechariah 11:1 Open your doors, O Lebanon, that
the fire may consume your cedars!
Zechariah 11:2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar
has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
for the dense forest has been cut down!
Zechariah 11:3 Listen to the wailing of the
shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the roaring of
the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.
Zechariah 11:4 This is what the LORD my God
says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,
Zechariah 11:5 whose buyers slaughter them
without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the LORD,
for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion on
them.
Zechariah 11:6 For I will no longer have
compassion on the people of the land, declares the LORD, but
behold, I will cause each man to fall into the hands of his
neighbor and his king, who will devastate the land, and I will not
deliver it from their hands.”
Zechariah 11:7 So I pastured the flock marked
for slaughter, especially the afflicted of the flock. Then I took
for myself two staffs, calling one Favor and the other Union, and
I pastured the flock.
Zechariah 11:8 And in one month I dismissed
three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their
souls also detested me.
Zechariah 11:9 Then I said, “I will no longer
shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; and let
those who remain devour one another’s flesh.”
Zechariah 11:10 Next I took my staff called
Favor and cut it in two, revoking the covenant I had made with all
the nations.
Zechariah 11:11 It was revoked on that day, and
so the afflicted of the flock who were watching me knew that it
was the word of the LORD.
Zechariah 11:12 Then I told them, “If it seems
right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they
weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver.
Zechariah 11:13 And the LORD said to me, “Throw
it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me.
So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter
in the house of the LORD.
Zechariah 11:14 Then I cut in two my second
staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and
Israel.
Zechariah 11:15 And the LORD said to me: “Take
up once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd.
Zechariah 11:16 For behold, I will raise up a
shepherd in the land who will neither care for the lost, nor seek
the young, nor heal the broken, nor sustain the healthy, but he
will devour the flesh of the choice sheep and tear off their
hooves.
Zechariah 11:17 Woe to the worthless shepherd,
who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right
eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly
blinded!”
Zechariah 12:1 This is the burden of the word of
the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches
out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms
the spirit of man within him:
Zechariah 12:2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a
cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be
besieged, as well as Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:3 On that day, when all the nations
of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy
stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be
severely injured.
Zechariah 12:4 On that day, declares the LORD, I
will strike every horse with panic, and every rider with madness.
I will keep a watchful eye on the house of Judah, but I will
strike with blindness all the horses of the nations.
Zechariah 12:5 Then the leaders of Judah will
say in their hearts: ‘The people of Jerusalem are my strength, for
the LORD of Hosts is their God.’
Zechariah 12:6 On that day I will make the clans
of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among
the sheaves; they will consume all the peoples around them on the
right and on the left, while the people of Jerusalem remain secure
there.
Zechariah 12:7 The LORD will save the tents of
Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and of the
people of Jerusalem may not be greater than that of Judah.
Zechariah 12:8 On that day the LORD will defend
the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be
like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the
angel of the LORD going before them.
Zechariah 12:9 So on that day I will set out to
destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:10 Then I will pour out on the
house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace
and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced.
They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and
grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Zechariah 12:11 On that day the wailing in
Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the
plain of Megiddo.
Zechariah 12:12 The land will mourn, each clan
on its own: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the
clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,
Zechariah 12:13 the clan of the house of Levi
and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,
Zechariah 12:14 and all the remaining clans and
their wives.
Zechariah 13:1 “On that day a fountain will be
opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to
cleanse them from sin and impurity.
Zechariah 13:2 And on that day, declares the
LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land,
and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the
prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
Zechariah 13:3 And if anyone still prophesies,
his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not
remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the
LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will
pierce him through.
Zechariah 13:4 And on that day every prophet who
prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a
hairy cloak in order to deceive.
Zechariah 13:5 He will say, ‘I am not a prophet;
I work the land, for I was purchased as a servant in my youth.’
Zechariah 13:6 If someone asks him, ‘What are
these wounds on your chest?’ he will answer, ‘These are the wounds
I received in the house of my friends.’
Zechariah 13:7 Awake, O sword, against My
Shepherd, against the man who is My Companion, declares the LORD
of Hosts. Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,
and I will turn My hand against the little ones.
Zechariah 13:8 And in all the land, declares the
LORD, two-thirds will be cut off and perish, but a third will be
left in it.
Zechariah 13:9 This third I will bring through
the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.
They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say,
‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”
Zechariah 14:1 Behold, a day of the LORD is
coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence.
Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations
for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the
houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go
into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from
the city.
Zechariah 14:3 Then the LORD will go out to
fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle.
Zechariah 14:4 On that day His feet will stand
on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives
will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley,
with half the mountain moving to the north and half to the south.
Zechariah 14:5 You will flee by My mountain
valley, for it will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from
the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD
my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
Zechariah 14:6 On that day there will be no
light, no cold or frost.
Zechariah 14:7 It will be a day known only to
the LORD, without day or night; but when evening comes, there will
be light.
Zechariah 14:8 And on that day living water will
flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the
other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.
Zechariah 14:9 On that day the LORD will become
King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.
Zechariah 14:10 All the land from Geba to Rimmon
south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will
be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate
to the site of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the
Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.
Zechariah 14:11 People will live there, and
never again will there be an utter destruction. So Jerusalem will
dwell securely.
Zechariah 14:12 And this will be the plague with
which the LORD strikes all the peoples who have warred against
Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet,
their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot
in their mouths.
Zechariah 14:13 On that day a great panic from
the LORD will come upon them, so that each will seize the hand of
another, and the hand of one will rise against the other.
Zechariah 14:14 Judah will also fight at
Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be
collected—gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
Zechariah 14:15 And a similar plague will strike
the horses and mules, camels and donkeys, and all the animals in
those camps.
Zechariah 14:16 Then all the survivors from the
nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to
worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of
Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:17 And should any of the families
of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD
of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.
Zechariah 14:18 And if the people of Egypt will
not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this
will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do
not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:19 This will be the punishment of
Egypt and of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the
Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:20 On that day, HOLY TO THE LORD
will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots
in the house of the LORD will be like the sprinkling bowls before
the altar.
Zechariah 14:21 Indeed, every pot in Jerusalem
and Judah will be holy to the LORD of Hosts, and all who sacrifice
will come and take some pots and cook in them. And on that day
there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of
Hosts.
MALACHI
Malachi 1:1 This is the burden of the word of
the LORD to Israel through Malachi:
Malachi 1:2 “I have loved you,” says the LORD.
But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s
brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved,
Malachi 1:3 but Esau I have hated, and I have
made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the
desert jackals.”
Malachi 1:4 Though Edom may say, “We have been
devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD
of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be
called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is
indignant forever.
Malachi 1:5 You will see this with your own
eyes, and you yourselves will say, ‘The LORD is great—even beyond
the borders of Israel.’”
Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a
servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And
if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of
Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have
we despised Your name?’
Malachi 1:7 By presenting defiled food on My
altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the
table of the LORD is contemptible.
Malachi 1:8 When you offer blind animals for
sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick
ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would
he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 1:9 “But ask now for God’s favor. Will
He be gracious? Since this has come from your hands, will He show
you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 1:10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the
temple doors, so that you would no longer kindle useless fires on
My altar! I take no pleasure in you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and
I will accept no offering from your hands.
Malachi 1:11 For My name will be great among the
nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every
place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name,
because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of
Hosts.
Malachi 1:12 “But you profane it when you say,
‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food
is contemptible.’
Malachi 1:13 You also say: ‘Oh, what a
nuisance!’ And you turn up your nose at it,” says the LORD of
Hosts. “You bring offerings that are stolen, lame, or sick! Should
I accept these from your hands?” asks the LORD.
Malachi 1:14 “But cursed is the deceiver who has
an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but
sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,”
says the LORD of Hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the
nations.
Malachi 2:1 “And now this decree is for you, O
priests:
Malachi 2:2 If you do not listen, and if you do
not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I
will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes,
I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it
to heart.
Malachi 2:3 Behold, I will rebuke your
descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from
your feasts, and you will be carried off with it.
Malachi 2:4 Then you will know that I have sent
you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,”
says the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 2:5 “My covenant with him was one of
life and peace, which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and
he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.
Malachi 2:6 True instruction was in his mouth,
and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me in
peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.
Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should
preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his
mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 2:8 But you have departed from the way,
and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated
the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 2:9 “So I in turn have made you despised
and humiliated before all the people, because you have not kept My
ways, but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”
Malachi 2:10 Do we not all have one Father? Did
not one God create us? Why then do we break faith with one another
so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?
Malachi 2:11 Judah has broken faith; an
abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For
Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the
daughter of a foreign god.
Malachi 2:12 As for the man who does this, may
the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and
aware—even if he brings an offering to the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 2:13 And this is another thing you do:
You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and
groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives
them gladly from your hands.
Malachi 2:14 Yet you ask, “Why?” It is because
the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your
youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your
companion and your wife by covenant.
Malachi 2:15 Has not the LORD made them one,
having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks
godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not
break faith with the wife of your youth.
Malachi 2:16 “For I hate divorce,” says the
LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his
garment with violence,” says the LORD of Hosts. So guard
yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.
Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your
words; yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?” By saying, “All who
do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He
delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send My messenger,
who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek
will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in
whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 3:2 But who can endure the day of His
coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a
refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
Malachi 3:3 And He will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine
them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the
LORD in righteousness.
Malachi 3:4 Then the offerings of Judah and
Jerusalem will please the LORD, as in days of old and years gone
by.
Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for
judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and
adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and
fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages
and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the
LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 3:6 “Because I, the LORD, do not change,
you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
Malachi 3:7 Yet from the days of your fathers,
you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Hosts.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’
Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are
robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and
offerings.
Malachi 3:9 You are cursed with a curse, yet
you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.
Malachi 3:10 Bring the full tithe into the
storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in
this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows
of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.
Malachi 3:11 I will rebuke the devourer for you,
so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine
in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of
Hosts.
Malachi 3:12 “Then all the nations will call you
blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the LORD of
Hosts.
Malachi 3:13 “Your words against Me have been
harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against
You?’
Malachi 3:14 You have said, ‘It is futile to
serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and
walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?
Malachi 3:15 So now we call the arrogant
blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and
escape.’”
Malachi 3:16 At that time those who feared the
LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them.
So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those
who feared the LORD and honored His name.
Malachi 3:17 “They will be Mine,” says the LORD
of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And
I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.
Malachi 3:18 So you will again distinguish
between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God
and those who do not.”
Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming,
burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer
will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,”
says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to
them.”
Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the
sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you
will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
Malachi 4:3 Then you will trample the wicked,
for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I
am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of My servant
Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel
at Horeb.
Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the
LORD.
Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of the
fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their
fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
THE OLD TESTAMENT
MATTHEW
Matthew 1:1 This is the
record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son
of Abraham:
Matthew 1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his
brothers.
Matthew 1:3 Judah was the father of Perez and
Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father
of Ram.
Matthew 1:4 Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
Matthew 1:5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by
Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
Matthew 1:6 and Jesse the father of David the
king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
Matthew 1:7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.
Matthew 1:8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.
Matthew 1:9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Matthew 1:10 Hezekiah was the father of
Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,
Matthew 1:11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah
and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
Matthew 1:12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of
Zerubbabel,
Matthew 1:13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.
Matthew 1:14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok
the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.
Matthew 1:15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,
Matthew 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the
husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Matthew 1:17 In all, then, there were fourteen
generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the
exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus
Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to
Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with
child through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:19 Because Joseph her husband was a
righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he
resolved to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:20 But after he had pondered these
things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your
wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a Son, and
you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His
people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what
the Lord had said through the prophet:
Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him
Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the
angel of the Lord had commanded him, and embraced Mary as his
wife.
Matthew 1:25 But he had no union with her until
she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.
Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived
in Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:2 asking, “Where is the One who has
been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have
come to worship Him.”
Matthew 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was
disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Matthew 2:4 And when he had assembled all the
chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the
Christ was to be born.
Matthew 2:5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they
replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
Matthew 2:6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of
you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people
Israel.’”
Matthew 2:7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly
and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.
Matthew 2:8 And sending them to Bethlehem, he
said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find
Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”
Matthew 2:9 After they had heard the king, they
went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went
ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was.
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with great delight.
Matthew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw
the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped
Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts
of gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:12 And having been warned in a dream
not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another
route.
Matthew 2:13 When the Magi had gone, an angel of
the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take
the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I
tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
Matthew 2:14 So he got up, took the Child and
His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt,
Matthew 2:15 where he stayed until the death of
Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the
prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Matthew 2:16 When Herod saw that he had been
outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he
put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were
two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from
the Magi.
Matthew 2:17 Then what was spoken through the
prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
Matthew 2:18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping
and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing
to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:19 After Herod died, an angel of the
Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
Matthew 2:20 “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child
and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the
Child’s life are now dead.”
Matthew 2:21 So Joseph got up, took the Child
and His mother, and went to the land of Israel.
Matthew 2:22 But when he learned that Archelaus
was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the
district of Galilee,
Matthew 2:23 and he went and lived in a town
called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the
prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came,
preaching in the wilderness of Judea
Matthew 3:2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is near.”
Matthew 3:3 This is he who was spoken of through
the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
Matthew 3:4 John wore a garment of camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and
wild honey.
Matthew 3:5 People went out to him from
Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan.
Matthew 3:6 Confessing their sins, they were
baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Matthew 3:7 But when John saw many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to
them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming
wrath?
Matthew 3:8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with
repentance.
Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to
yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that
out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Matthew 3:10 The axe lies ready at the root of
the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be
cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 3:11 I baptize you with water for
repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and with fire.
Matthew 3:12 His winnowing fork is in His hand
to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the
barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 3:13 At that time Jesus came from
Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
Matthew 3:14 But John tried to prevent Him,
saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
Matthew 3:15 “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied.
“It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.”
Then John permitted Him.
Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He
went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He
saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, “This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:2 After fasting forty days and forty
nights, He was hungry.
Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to Him and said,
“If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Matthew 4:4 But Jesus answered, “It is written:
‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil took Him to the holy
city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
Matthew 4:6 “If You are the Son of God,” he
said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command
His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their
hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 4:7 Jesus replied, “It is also written:
‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took Him to a very
high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and
their glory.
Matthew 4:9 “All this I will give You,” he said,
“if You will fall down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:10 “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus
declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve
Him only.’”
Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and angels
came and ministered to Him.
Matthew 4:12 When Jesus heard that John had been
imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
Matthew 4:13 Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived
in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and
Naphtali,
Matthew 4:14 to fulfill what was spoken through
the prophet Isaiah:
Matthew 4:15 “Land of Zebulun and land of
Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the
Gentiles—
Matthew 4:16 the people living in darkness have
seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of
death, a light has dawned.”
Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to
preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea
of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his
brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they
were fishermen.
Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and
I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:20 And at once they left their nets
and followed Him.
Matthew 4:21 Going on from there, He saw two
other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They
were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
Jesus called them,
Matthew 4:22 and immediately they left the boat
and their father and followed Him.
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 4:24 News about Him spread all over
Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various
diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those
having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them.
Matthew 4:25 The large crowds that followed Him
came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the
Jordan.
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went
up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
Matthew 5:2 and He began to teach them, saying:
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for
they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they
will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they will see God.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Matthew 5:11 Blessed are you when people insult
you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you
because of Me.
Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great
is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets before you.
Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But
if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is
no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled
by men.
Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A
city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and
put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house.
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify
your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them,
but to fulfill them.
Matthew 5:18 For I tell you truly, until heaven
and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will
disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Matthew 5:19 So then, whoever breaks one of the
least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will
be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices
and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 For I tell you that unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:21 You have heard that it was said to
the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be
subject to judgment.’
Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is
angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone
who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin.
But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of
hell.
Matthew 5:23 So if you are offering your gift at
the altar and there remember that your brother has something
against you,
Matthew 5:24 leave your gift there before the
altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and
offer your gift.
Matthew 5:25 Reconcile quickly with your
adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he
may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to
the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Matthew 5:26 Truly I tell you, you will not get
out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:27 You have heard that it was said,
‘Do not commit adultery.’
Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery
with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to
sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into
hell.
Matthew 5:30 And if your right hand causes you
to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into
hell.
Matthew 5:31 It has also been said, ‘Whoever
divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’
Matthew 5:32 But I tell you that anyone who
divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery
upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 5:33 Again, you have heard that it was
said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your
vows to the Lord.’
Matthew 5:34 But I tell you not to swear at all:
either by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
Matthew 5:35 or by the earth, for it is His
footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Matthew 5:36 Nor should you swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Matthew 5:37 Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and
your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:38 You have heard that it was said,
‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’
Matthew 5:39 But I tell you not to resist an
evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him
the other also;
Matthew 5:40 if someone wants to sue you and
take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well;
Matthew 5:41 and if someone forces you to go one
mile, go with him two miles.
Matthew 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and
do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:43 You have heard that it was said,
‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’
Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father
in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you,
what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?
Matthew 5:47 And if you greet only your
brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even
Gentiles do the same?
Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your
heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to perform your
righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will
have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Matthew 6:2 So when you give to the needy, do
not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell
you, they already have their full reward.
Matthew 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do
not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Matthew 6:4 so that your giving may be in
secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you.
Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like
the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you,
they already have their full reward.
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your
inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is
unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will
reward you.
Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not babble on
like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be
heard.
Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father
knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:9 So then, this is how you should
pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, Your will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.
Matthew 6:16 When you fast, do not be somber
like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men
they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full
reward.
Matthew 6:17 But when you fast, anoint your head
and wash your face,
Matthew 6:18 so that your fasting will not be
obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves
break in and steal.
Matthew 6:20 But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If
your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
Matthew 6:23 But if your eyes are bad, your
whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you
is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters:
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and money.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more
than clothes?
Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: They
do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a
single hour to his life?
Matthew 6:28 And why do you worry about clothes?
Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or
spin.
Matthew 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
Matthew 6:30 If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown
into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith?
Matthew 6:31 Therefore do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we
wear?’
Matthew 6:32 For the Gentiles strive after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto
you.
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough
trouble of its own.
Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you will be
judged.
Matthew 7:2 For with the same judgment you
pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you.
Matthew 7:3 Why do you look at the speck in your
brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
Matthew 7:4 How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a
beam in your own eye?
Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite! First take the beam
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the
speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:6 Do not give dogs what is holy; do
not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample
them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to
you.
Matthew 7:8 For everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:9 Which of you, if his son asks for
bread, will give him a stone?
Matthew 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a snake?
Matthew 7:11 So if you who are evil know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7:12 In everything, then, do to others
as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the
Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:13 Enter through the narrow gate. For
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it.
Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow
the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come
to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize
them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Matthew 7:17 Likewise, every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:20 So then, by their fruit you will
recognize them.
Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the
will of My Father in heaven.
Matthew 7:22 Many will say to Me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I
never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these
words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his
house on the rock.
Matthew 7:25 The rain fell, the torrents raged,
and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not
fall, because its foundation was on the rock.
Matthew 7:26 But everyone who hears these words
of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built
his house on sand.
Matthew 7:27 The rain fell, the torrents raged,
and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and
great was its collapse!”
Matthew 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying
these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
Matthew 7:29 because He taught as one who had
authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 8:1 When Jesus came down from the
mountain, large crowds followed Him.
Matthew 8:2 Suddenly a leper came and knelt
before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me
clean.”
Matthew 8:3 Jesus reached out His hand and
touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And
immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Matthew 8:4 Then Jesus instructed him, “See that
you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and
offer the gift prescribed by Moses, as a testimony to them.”
Matthew 8:5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a
centurion came and pleaded with Him,
Matthew 8:6 “Lord, my servant lies at home,
paralyzed and in terrible agony.”
Matthew 8:7 “I will go and heal him,” Jesus
replied.
Matthew 8:8 The centurion answered, “Lord, I am
not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word,
and my servant will be healed.
Matthew 8:9 For I myself am a man under
authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes;
and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do
something, and he does it.”
Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, He marveled
and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not
found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
Matthew 8:11 I say to you that many will come
from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 8:12 But the sons of the kingdom will be
thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion,
“Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.” And his
servant was healed at that very hour.
Matthew 8:14 When Jesus arrived at Peter’s
house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever.
Matthew 8:15 So He touched her hand, and the
fever left her, and she got up and began to serve them.
Matthew 8:16 When evening came, many who were
demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, and He drove out the
spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
Matthew 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken
through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and
carried our diseases.”
Matthew 8:18 When Jesus saw a large crowd around
Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.
Matthew 8:19 And one of the scribes came to Him
and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
Matthew 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to
lay His head.”
Matthew 8:21 Another of His disciples requested,
“Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Matthew 8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and
let the dead bury their own dead.”
Matthew 8:23 When He got into the boat, His
disciples followed Him.
Matthew 8:24 Suddenly a violent storm came up on
the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves; but Jesus was
sleeping.
Matthew 8:25 The disciples went and woke Him,
saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
Matthew 8:26 “You of little faith,” Jesus
replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the
winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
Matthew 8:27 The men were amazed and asked,
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
Matthew 8:28 When Jesus arrived on the other
side in the region of the Gadarenes, He was met by two
demon-possessed men coming from the tombs. They were so violent
that no one could pass that way.
Matthew 8:29 “What do You want with us, Son of
God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the
appointed time?”
Matthew 8:30 In the distance a large herd of
pigs was feeding.
Matthew 8:31 So the demons begged Jesus, “If You
drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
Matthew 8:32 “Go!” He told them. So they came
out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the
steep bank into the sea and died in the waters.
Matthew 8:33 Those tending the pigs ran off into
the town and reported all this, including the account of the
demon-possessed men.
Matthew 8:34 Then the whole town went out to
meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their
region.
Matthew 9:1 Jesus got into a boat, crossed over,
and came to His own town.
Matthew 9:2 Just then some men brought to Him a
paralytic lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to
the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:3 On seeing this, some of the scribes
said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”
Matthew 9:4 But Jesus knew what they were
thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
Matthew 9:5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins
are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’
Matthew 9:6 But so that you may know that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said
to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
Matthew 9:7 And the man got up and went home.
Matthew 9:8 When the crowds saw this, they were
filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to
men.
Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw
a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told
him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.
Matthew 9:10 Later, as Jesus was dining at
Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with
Him and His disciples.
Matthew 9:11 When the Pharisees saw this, they
asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax
collectors and sinners?”
Matthew 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is
not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means:
‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:14 At that time John’s disciples came
to Jesus and asked, “Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast so
often, but Your disciples do not fast?”
Matthew 9:15 Jesus replied, “How can the guests
of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? But the time will
come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will
fast.
Matthew 9:16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk
cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the
garment, and a worse tear will result.
Matthew 9:17 Neither do men pour new wine into
old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will
spill, and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, they pour new
wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Matthew 9:18 While Jesus was saying these
things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter
has just died,” he said. “But come and place Your hand on her, and
she will live.”
Matthew 9:19 So Jesus got up and went with him,
along with His disciples.
Matthew 9:20 Suddenly a woman who had suffered
from bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the
fringe of His cloak.
Matthew 9:21 She said to herself, “If only I
touch His cloak, I will be healed.”
Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take
courage, daughter,” He said, “your faith has healed you.” And the
woman was cured from that very hour.
Matthew 9:23 When Jesus entered the house of the
synagogue leader, He saw the flute players and the noisy crowd.
Matthew 9:24 “Go away,” He told them. “The girl
is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.
Matthew 9:25 After the crowd had been put
outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got
up.
Matthew 9:26 And the news about this spread
throughout that region.
Matthew 9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two
blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of
David!”
Matthew 9:28 After Jesus had entered the house,
the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do
this?” He asked. “Yes, Lord,” they answered.
Matthew 9:29 Then He touched their eyes and
said, “According to your faith will it be done to you.”
Matthew 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Jesus
warned them sternly, “See that no one finds out about this!”
Matthew 9:31 But they went out and spread the
news about Him throughout the land.
Matthew 9:32 As they were leaving, a
demon-possessed man who was mute was brought to Jesus.
Matthew 9:33 And when the demon had been driven
out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by
the prince of demons that He drives out demons.”
Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.
Matthew 9:36 When He saw the crowds, He was
moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, “The
harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Matthew 9:38 Ask the Lord of the harvest,
therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.”
Matthew 10:1 And calling His twelve disciples to
Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they
could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.
Matthew 10:2 These are the names of the twelve
apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James
son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Matthew 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and
Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Matthew 10:4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas
Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with
the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the
Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Matthew 10:6 Go rather to the lost sheep of
Israel.
Matthew 10:7 As you go, preach this message:
‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received;
freely give.
Matthew 10:9 Do not carry any gold or silver or
copper in your belts.
Matthew 10:10 Take no bag for the road, or
second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of
his provisions.
Matthew 10:11 Whatever town or village you
enter, find out who is worthy there and stay at his house until
you move on.
Matthew 10:12 As you enter the home, greet its
occupants.
Matthew 10:13 If the home is worthy, let your
peace rest on it; but if it is not, let your peace return to you.
Matthew 10:14 And if anyone will not welcome you
or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave
that home or town.
Matthew 10:15 Truly I tell you, it will be more
bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for
that town.
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out like
sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as
innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:17 But beware of men; for they will
hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.
Matthew 10:18 On My account, you will be brought
before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the
Gentiles.
Matthew 10:19 But when they hand you over, do
not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you
will be given what to say.
Matthew 10:20 For it will not be you speaking,
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Matthew 10:21 Brother will betray brother to
death, and a father his child; children will rise against their
parents and have them put to death.
Matthew 10:22 You will be hated by everyone
because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be
saved.
Matthew 10:23 When they persecute you in one
town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all
the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 10:24 A disciple is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master.
Matthew 10:25 It is enough for a disciple to be
like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of
the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of
his household!
Matthew 10:26 So do not be afraid of them. For
there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing
hidden that will not be made known.
Matthew 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, speak
in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the
housetops.
Matthew 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill
the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can
destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a
penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the
will of your Father.
Matthew 10:30 And even the very hairs of your
head are all numbered.
Matthew 10:31 So do not be afraid; you are worth
more than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:32 Therefore everyone who confesses
Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.
Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men,
I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
Matthew 10:34 Do not assume that I have come to
bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a
sword.
Matthew 10:35 For I have come to turn ‘a man
against his father, a daughter against her mother, a
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Matthew 10:36 A man’s enemies will be the
members of his own household.’
Matthew 10:37 Anyone who loves his father or
mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son
or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
Matthew 10:38 and anyone who does not take up
his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose
it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 10:40 He who receives you receives Me,
and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
Matthew 10:41 Whoever receives a prophet because
he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever
receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will
receive a righteous man’s reward.
Matthew 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of
cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple,
truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
Matthew 11:1 After Jesus had finished
instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach
and preach in their cities.
Matthew 11:2 Meanwhile John heard in prison
about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples
Matthew 11:3 to ask Him, “Are You the One who
was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
Matthew 11:4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report
to John what you hear and see:
Matthew 11:5 The blind receive sight, the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
and the good news is preached to the poor.
Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the one who does not
fall away on account of Me.”
Matthew 11:7 As John’s disciples were leaving,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go
out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?
Matthew 11:8 Otherwise, what did you go out to
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine
clothing are found in kings’ palaces.
Matthew 11:9 What then did you go out to see? A
prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
Matthew 11:10 This is the one about whom it is
written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will
prepare Your way before You.’
Matthew 11:11 Truly I tell you, among those born
of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet
even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist
until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and
the violent lay claim to it.
Matthew 11:13 For all the Prophets and the Law
prophesied until John.
Matthew 11:14 And if you are willing to accept
it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
Matthew 11:15 He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 11:16 To what can I compare this
generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and
calling out to others:
Matthew 11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, and
you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
Matthew 11:18 For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a
friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by
her actions.”
Matthew 11:20 Then Jesus began to denounce the
cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because
they did not repent.
Matthew 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been
performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in
sackcloth and ashes.
Matthew 11:22 But I tell you, it will be more
bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
Matthew 11:23 And you, Capernaum, will you be
lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if
the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in
Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
Matthew 11:24 But I tell you that it will be
more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I
praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have
hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them
to little children.
Matthew 11:26 Yes, Father, for this was
well-pleasing in Your sight.
Matthew 11:27 All things have been entrusted to
Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no
one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son
chooses to reveal Him.
Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:30 For My yoke is easy and My burden
is light.”
Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the
grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to
pick the heads of grain and eat them.
Matthew 12:2 When the Pharisees saw this, they
said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on
the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:3 Jesus replied, “Have you not read
what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
Matthew 12:4 He entered the house of God, and he
and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful
for them to eat, but only for the priests.
Matthew 12:5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that
on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet
are innocent?
Matthew 12:6 But I tell you that something
greater than the temple is here.
Matthew 12:7 If only you had known the meaning
of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned
the innocent.
Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:9 Moving on from there, Jesus entered
their synagogue,
Matthew 12:10 and a man with a withered hand was
there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to
heal on the Sabbath?”
Matthew 12:11 He replied, “If one of you has a
sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take
hold of it and lift it out?
Matthew 12:12 How much more valuable is a man
than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:13 Then Jesus said to the man,
“Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was
restored to full use, just like the other.
Matthew 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and
plotted how they might kill Jesus.
Matthew 12:15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from
that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,
Matthew 12:16 warning them not to make Him
known.
Matthew 12:17 This was to fulfill what was
spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
Matthew 12:18 “Here is My Servant, whom I have
chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit
on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
Matthew 12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out; no
one will hear His voice in the streets.
Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed He will not break,
and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads
justice to victory.
Matthew 12:21 In His name the nations will put
their hope.”
Matthew 12:22 Then a demon-possessed man who was
blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that
he could speak and see.
Matthew 12:23 The crowds were astounded and
asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this,
they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man
drive out demons.”
Matthew 12:25 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said
to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste,
and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
Matthew 12:26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is
divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
Matthew 12:27 And if I drive out demons by
Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will
be your judges.
Matthew 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the
Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Matthew 12:29 Or again, how can anyone enter a
strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties
up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against
Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Matthew 12:31 Therefore I tell you, every sin
and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven.
Matthew 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the
Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy
Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to
come.
Matthew 12:33 Make a tree good and its fruit
will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a
tree is known by its fruit.
Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers, how can you
who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the
heart, the mouth speaks.
Matthew 12:35 The good man brings good things
out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil
things out of his evil store of treasure.
Matthew 12:36 But I tell you that men will give
an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they
have spoken.
Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be
acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:38 Then some of the scribes and
Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
Matthew 12:39 Jesus replied, “A wicked and
adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it
except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and
three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man
will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh will stand at
the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they
repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah
is here.
Matthew 12:42 The Queen of the South will rise
at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came
from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now
One greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 12:43 When an unclean spirit comes out
of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not
find it.
Matthew 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to
the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept
clean, and put in order.
Matthew 12:45 Then it goes and brings with it
seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and
dwell there; and the final plight of that man is worse than the
first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”
Matthew 12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to
the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to
speak to Him.
Matthew 12:47 Someone told Him, “Look, Your
mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to
You.”
Matthew 12:48 But Jesus replied, “Who is My
mother, and who are My brothers?”
Matthew 12:49 Pointing to His disciples, He
said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.
Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of My
Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the
house and sat by the sea.
Matthew 13:2 Such large crowds gathered around
Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people
stood on the shore.
Matthew 13:3 And He told them many things in
parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
Matthew 13:4 And as he was sowing, some seed
fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Matthew 13:5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it
did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was
shallow.
Matthew 13:6 But when the sun rose, the
seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no
root.
Matthew 13:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up and choked the seedlings.
Matthew 13:8 Still other seed fell on good soil
and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
Matthew 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:10 Then the disciples came to Jesus
and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”
Matthew 13:11 He replied, “The knowledge of the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not
to them.
Matthew 13:12 Whoever has will be given more,
and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he
has will be taken away from him.
Matthew 13:13 This is why I speak to them in
parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do
not hear or understand.’
Matthew 13:14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is
fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you
will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Matthew 13:15 For this people’s heart has grown
callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed
their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with
their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would
heal them.’
Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes because
they see, and your ears because they hear.
Matthew 13:17 For truly I tell you, many
prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not
see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
Matthew 13:18 Consider, then, the parable of the
sower:
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the message of
the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and
snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown
along the path.
Matthew 13:20 The seed sown on rocky ground is
the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
Matthew 13:21 But since he has no root, he
remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes
because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Matthew 13:22 The seed sown among the thorns is
the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the
deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Matthew 13:23 But the seed sown on good soil is
the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears
fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or
thirtyfold.”
Matthew 13:24 Jesus put before them another
parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed
in his field.
Matthew 13:25 But while everyone was asleep, his
enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
Matthew 13:26 When the wheat sprouted and bore
grain, then the weeds also appeared.
Matthew 13:27 The owner’s servants came to him
and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then
did the weeds come from?’
Matthew 13:28 ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them
up?’
Matthew 13:29 ‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the
weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the
harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect
the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the
wheat into my barn.’”
Matthew 13:31 He put before them another
parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man
planted in his field.
Matthew 13:32 Although it is the smallest of all
seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes
a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its
branches.”
Matthew 13:33 He told them still another
parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took
and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was
leavened.”
Matthew 13:34 Jesus spoke all these things to
the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without
using a parable.
Matthew 13:35 So was fulfilled what was spoken
through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will
utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus dismissed the crowds
and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
Matthew 13:37 He replied, “The One who sows the
good seed is the Son of Man.
Matthew 13:38 The field is the world, and the
good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the
sons of the evil one,
Matthew 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the
devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are
angels.
Matthew 13:40 As the weeds are collected and
burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His
angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin
and all who practice lawlessness.
Matthew 13:42 And they will throw them into the
fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like
the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him
hear.
Matthew 13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again,
and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
Matthew 13:46 When he found one very precious
pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:47 Once again, the kingdom of heaven
is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of
fish.
Matthew 13:48 When it was full, the men pulled
it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into
containers, but threw the bad away.
Matthew 13:49 So will it be at the end of the
age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the
righteous,
Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the fiery
furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:51 Have you understood all these
things?” “Yes,” they answered.
Matthew 13:52 Then He told them, “For this
reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of
heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new
treasures as well as old.”
Matthew 13:53 When Jesus had finished these
parables, He withdrew from that place.
Matthew 13:54 Coming to His hometown, He taught
the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where
did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
Matthew 13:55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?
Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James,
Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Matthew 13:56 Aren’t all His sisters with us as
well? Where then did this man get all these things?”
Matthew 13:57 And they took offense at Him. But
Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household
is a prophet without honor.”
Matthew 13:58 And He did not do many miracles
there, because of their unbelief.
Matthew 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch
heard the reports about Jesus
Matthew 14:2 and said to his servants, “This is
John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why
miraculous powers are at work in him.”
Matthew 14:3 Now Herod had arrested John and
bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his
brother Philip’s wife,
Matthew 14:4 because John had been telling him,
“It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Matthew 14:5 Although Herod wanted to kill John,
he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a
prophet.
Matthew 14:6 On Herod’s birthday, however, the
daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
Matthew 14:7 so much that he promised with an
oath to give to her whatever she asked.
Matthew 14:8 Prompted by her mother, she said,
“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
Matthew 14:9 The king was grieved, but because
of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted
Matthew 14:10 and sent to have John beheaded in
the prison.
Matthew 14:11 John’s head was brought in on a
platter and presented to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
Matthew 14:12 Then John’s disciples came and
took his body and buried it. And they went and informed Jesus.
Matthew 14:13 When Jesus heard about John, He
withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But the crowds
found out about it and followed Him on foot from the towns.
Matthew 14:14 When He stepped ashore and saw a
large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Matthew 14:15 When evening came, the disciples
came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is
already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages
and buy themselves some food.”
Matthew 14:16 “They do not need to go away,”
Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.”
Matthew 14:17 “We have here only five loaves of
bread and two fish,” they answered.
Matthew 14:18 “Bring them here to Me,” Jesus
said.
Matthew 14:19 And He directed the crowds to sit
down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and
looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the
loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them
to the people.
Matthew 14:20 They all ate and were satisfied,
and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces
that were left over.
Matthew 14:21 About five thousand men were fed,
in addition to women and children.
Matthew 14:22 Immediately Jesus made the
disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other
side, while He dismissed the crowds.
Matthew 14:23 After He had sent them away, He
went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He
was there alone,
Matthew 14:24 but the boat was already far from
land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Matthew 14:25 During the fourth watch of the
night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.
Matthew 14:26 When the disciples saw Him walking
on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and
cried out in fear.
Matthew 14:27 But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take
courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:28 “Lord, if it is You,” Peter
replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”
Matthew 14:29 “Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got
down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
Matthew 14:30 But when he saw the strength of
the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord,
save me!”
Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out His
hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why
did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:32 And when they had climbed back
into the boat, the wind died down.
Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat
worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
Matthew 14:34 When they had crossed over, they
landed at Gennesaret.
Matthew 14:35 And when the men of that place
recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region.
People brought all the sick to Him
Matthew 14:36 and begged Him just to let them
touch the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were
healed.
Matthew 15:1 Then some Pharisees and scribes
came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
Matthew 15:2 “Why do Your disciples break the
tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands before they
eat.”
Matthew 15:3 Jesus replied, “And why do you
break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
Matthew 15:4 For God said, ‘Honor your father
and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be
put to death.’
Matthew 15:5 But you say that if anyone says to
his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is
a gift devoted to God,’
Matthew 15:6 he need not honor his father or
mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of
your tradition.
Matthew 15:7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied
correctly about you:
Matthew 15:8 ‘These people honor Me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Matthew 15:9 They worship Me in vain; they teach
as doctrine the precepts of men.’”
Matthew 15:10 Jesus called the crowd to Him and
said, “Listen and understand.
Matthew 15:11 A man is not defiled by what
enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
Matthew 15:12 Then the disciples came to Him and
said, “Are You aware that the Pharisees were offended when they
heard this?”
Matthew 15:13 But Jesus replied, “Every plant
that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its
roots.
Matthew 15:14 Disregard them! They are blind
guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a
pit.”
Matthew 15:15 Peter said to Him, “Explain this
parable to us.”
Matthew 15:16 “Do you still not understand?”
Jesus asked.
Matthew 15:17 “Do you not yet realize that
whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then is
eliminated?
Matthew 15:18 But the things that come out of
the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false
testimony, and slander.
Matthew 15:20 These are what defile a man, but
eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.”
Matthew 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew
to the district of Tyre and Sidon.
Matthew 15:22 And a Canaanite woman from that
region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on
me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.”
Matthew 15:23 But Jesus did not answer a word.
So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps
crying out after us.”
Matthew 15:24 He answered, “I was sent only to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 15:25 The woman came and knelt before
Him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
Matthew 15:26 But Jesus replied, “It is not
right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
Matthew 15:27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the
dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Matthew 15:28 “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your
faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her
daughter was healed from that very hour.
Matthew 15:29 Moving on from there, Jesus went
along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat
down.
Matthew 15:30 Large crowds came to Him, bringing
the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and
laid them at His feet, and He healed them.
Matthew 15:31 The crowd was amazed when they saw
the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and
the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
Matthew 15:32 Then Jesus called His disciples to
Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have
already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not
want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”
Matthew 15:33 The disciples replied, “Where in
this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a
large crowd?”
Matthew 15:34 “How many loaves do you have?”
Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
Matthew 15:35 And He instructed the crowd to sit
down on the ground.
Matthew 15:36 Taking the seven loaves and the
fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the
disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
Matthew 15:37 They all ate and were satisfied,
and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that
were left over.
Matthew 15:38 A total of four thousand men were
fed, in addition to women and children.
Matthew 15:39 After Jesus had dismissed the
crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
Matthew 16:1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees
came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from
heaven.
Matthew 16:2 But He replied, “When evening
comes, you say, ‘The weather will be fair, for the sky is red,’
Matthew 16:3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will
be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to
interpret the appearance of the sky, but not the signs of the
times.
Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation
demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of
Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.
Matthew 16:5 When they crossed to the other
side, the disciples forgot to take bread.
Matthew 16:6 “Watch out!” Jesus told them.
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:7 They discussed this among
themselves and concluded, “It is because we did not bring any
bread.”
Matthew 16:8 Aware of their conversation, Jesus
said, “You of little faith, why are you debating among yourselves
about having no bread?
Matthew 16:9 Do you still not understand? Do you
not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many
basketfuls you gathered?
Matthew 16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four
thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
Matthew 16:11 How do you not understand that I
was not telling you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:12 Then they understood that He was
not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the
teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of
Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say
the Son of Man is?”
Matthew 16:14 They replied, “Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of
the prophets.”
Matthew 16:15 “But what about you?” Jesus asked.
“Who do you say I am?”
Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you,
Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and
blood, but by My Father in heaven.
Matthew 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades
will not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:20 Then He admonished the disciples
not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.
Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to
show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many
things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and
that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 16:22 Peter took Him aside and began to
rebuke Him. “Far be it from You, Lord!” he said. “This shall never
happen to You!”
Matthew 16:23 But Jesus turned and said to
Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For
you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If
anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up
his cross and follow Me.
Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:26 What will it profit a man if he
gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man
give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in
His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each
one according to what he has done.
Matthew 16:28 Truly I tell you, some who are
standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man
coming in His kingdom.”
Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with Him
Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a
high mountain by themselves.
Matthew 17:2 There He was transfigured before
them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white
as the light.
Matthew 17:3 Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared
before them, talking with Jesus.
Matthew 17:4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is
good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three
shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Matthew 17:5 While Peter was still speaking, a
bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said,
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to
Him!”
Matthew 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they
fell facedown in terror.
Matthew 17:7 Then Jesus came over and touched
them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.”
Matthew 17:8 And when they looked up, they saw
no one except Jesus.
Matthew 17:9 As they were coming down the
mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about this
vision until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17:10 The disciples asked Him, “Why then
do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Matthew 17:11 Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed
come, and he will restore all things.
Matthew 17:12 But I tell you that Elijah has
already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him
whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer
at their hands.”
Matthew 17:13 Then the disciples understood that
He was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
Matthew 17:14 When they came to the crowd, a man
came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.
Matthew 17:15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he
said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls
into the fire or into the water.
Matthew 17:16 I brought him to Your disciples,
but they could not heal him.”
Matthew 17:17 “O unbelieving and perverse
generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How
long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.”
Matthew 17:18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and
it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Matthew 17:19 Afterward the disciples came to
Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
Matthew 17:20 “Because you have so little
faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the
size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from
here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for
you.”
Matthew 17:21
Matthew 17:22 When they gathered together in
Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered
into the hands of men.
Matthew 17:23 They will kill Him, and on the
third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were
deeply grieved.
Matthew 17:24 After they had arrived in
Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and
asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”
Matthew 17:25 “Yes,” he answered. When Peter
entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think,
Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect
customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”
Matthew 17:26 “From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared.
Matthew 17:27 “But so that we may not offend
them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you
catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin.
Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”
Matthew 18:1 At that time the disciples came to
Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?”
Matthew 18:2 Jesus invited a little child to
stand among them.
Matthew 18:3 “Truly I tell you,” He said,
“unless you change and become like little children, you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself
like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:5 And whoever welcomes a little child
like this in My name welcomes Me.
Matthew 18:6 But if anyone causes one of these
little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for
him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be
drowned in the depths of the sea.
Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world for the causes of
sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through
whom they come!
Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes
you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to
enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet
and be thrown into the eternal fire.
Matthew 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin,
gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life
with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of
hell.
Matthew 18:10 See that you do not look down on
any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in
heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:11
Matthew 18:12 What do you think? If a man has a
hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the
ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is
lost?
Matthew 18:13 And if he finds it, truly I tell
you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the
ninety-nine that did not go astray.
Matthew 18:14 In the same way, your Father in
heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you,
go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won
your brother over.
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not listen, take
one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established
by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
Matthew 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them,
tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the
church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Matthew 18:18 Truly I tell you, whatever you
bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth will be loosed in heaven.
Matthew 18:19 Again, I tell you truly that if
two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will
be done for you by My Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather
together in My name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and
asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins
against me? Up to seven times?”
Matthew 18:22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not
just seven times, but seventy-seven times!
Matthew 18:23 Because of this, the kingdom of
heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his
servants.
Matthew 18:24 As he began the settlements, a
debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.
Matthew 18:25 Since the man was unable to pay,
the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his
wife and children and everything he owned.
Matthew 18:26 Then the servant fell on his knees
before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay
back everything.’
Matthew 18:27 His master had compassion on him,
forgave his debt, and released him.
Matthew 18:28 But when that servant went out, he
found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.
He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you
owe me!’
Matthew 18:29 So his fellow servant fell down
and begged him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you back.’
Matthew 18:30 But he refused. Instead, he went
and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay his debt.
Matthew 18:31 When his fellow servants saw what
had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and
recounted all of this to their master.
Matthew 18:32 Then the master summoned him and
declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you
begged me.
Matthew 18:33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on
your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’
Matthew 18:34 In anger his master turned him
over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that
he owed.
Matthew 18:35 That is how My heavenly Father
will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your
heart.”
Matthew 19:1 When Jesus had finished saying
these things, He left Galilee and went into the region of Judea
beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 19:2 Large crowds followed Him, and He
healed them there.
Matthew 19:3 Then some Pharisees came and tested
Him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any
reason?”
Matthew 19:4 Jesus answered, “Have you not read
that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
Matthew 19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man
will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and
the two will become one flesh’?
Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one
flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not
separate.”
Matthew 19:7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses
order a man to give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her
away?”
Matthew 19:8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you
to divorce your wives because of your hardness of heart; but it
was not this way from the beginning.
Matthew 19:9 Now I tell you that whoever
divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries
another woman, commits adultery.”
Matthew 19:10 His disciples said to Him, “If
this is the case between a man and his wife, it is better not to
marry.”
Matthew 19:11 “Not everyone can accept this
word,” He replied, “but only those to whom it has been given.
Matthew 19:12 For there are eunuchs who were
born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others
live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one
who can accept this should accept it.”
Matthew 19:13 Then the little children were
brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for
them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little
children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:15 And after He had placed His hands
on them, He went on from there.
Matthew 19:16 Just then a man came up to Jesus
and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain
eternal life?”
Matthew 19:17 “Why do you ask Me about what is
good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want
to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:18 “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus
answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal,
do not bear false witness,
Matthew 19:19 honor your father and mother, and
love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 19:20 “All these I have kept,” said the
young man. “What do I still lack?”
Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be
perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
Matthew 19:22 When the young man heard this, he
went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
Matthew 19:23 Then Jesus said to His disciples,
“Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven.
Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for
a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:25 When the disciples heard this,
they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible.”
Matthew 19:27 “Look,” Peter replied, “we have
left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”
Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell
you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His
glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses
or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or
fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will
inherit eternal life.
Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be
last, and the last will be first.
Matthew 20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like
a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for
his vineyard.
Matthew 20:2 He agreed to pay them a denarius
for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
Matthew 20:3 About the third hour he went out
and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
Matthew 20:4 ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he
said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’
Matthew 20:5 So they went. He went out again
about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
Matthew 20:6 About the eleventh hour he went out
and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been
standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.
Matthew 20:7 ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they
answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’
Matthew 20:8 When evening came, the owner of the
vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their
wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the
first.’
Matthew 20:9 The workers who were hired about
the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.
Matthew 20:10 So when the original workers came,
they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also
received a denarius.
Matthew 20:11 On receiving their pay, they began
to grumble against the landowner.
Matthew 20:12 ‘These men who were hired last
worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to
us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
Matthew 20:13 But he answered one of them,
‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me
on one denarius?
Matthew 20:14 Take your pay and go. I want to
give this last man the same as I gave you.
Matthew 20:15 Do I not have the right to do as I
please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am
generous?’
Matthew 20:16 So the last will be first, and the
first will be last.”
Matthew 20:17 As Jesus was going up to
Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said,
Matthew 20:18 “Look, we are going up to
Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief
priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death
Matthew 20:19 and will deliver Him over to the
Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third
day He will be raised to life.”
Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons
came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of
Him.
Matthew 20:21 “What do you want?” He inquired.
She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons
of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.”
Matthew 20:22 “You do not know what you are
asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to
drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered.
Matthew 20:23 “You will indeed drink My cup,”
Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant.
These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”
Matthew 20:24 When the ten heard about this,
they were indignant with the two brothers.
Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them aside and
said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and their superiors exercise authority over them.
Matthew 20:26 It shall not be this way among
you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant,
Matthew 20:27 and whoever wants to be first
among you must be your slave—
Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom
for many.”
Matthew 20:29 As they were leaving Jericho, a
large crowd followed Him.
Matthew 20:30 And there were two blind men
sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing
by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
Matthew 20:31 The crowd admonished them to be
silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David,
have mercy on us!”
Matthew 20:32 Jesus stopped and called them.
“What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked.
Matthew 20:33 “Lord,” they answered, “let our
eyes be opened.”
Matthew 20:34 Moved with compassion, Jesus
touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and
followed Him.
Matthew 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and
came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two
disciples,
Matthew 21:2 saying to them, “Go into the
village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied
there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.
Matthew 21:3 If anyone questions you, tell him
that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
Matthew 21:4 This took place to fulfill what was
spoken through the prophet:
Matthew 21:5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See,
your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt,
the foal of a donkey.’”
Matthew 21:6 So the disciples went and did as
Jesus had directed them.
Matthew 21:7 They brought the donkey and the
colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.
Matthew 21:8 A massive crowd spread their cloaks
on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread
them on the road.
Matthew 21:9 The crowds that went ahead of Him
and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of
David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:10 When Jesus had entered Jerusalem,
the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
Matthew 21:11 The crowds replied, “This is
Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:12 Then Jesus entered the temple
courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He
overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those
selling doves.
Matthew 21:13 And He declared to them, “It is
written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are
making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Matthew 21:14 The blind and the lame came to Him
at the temple, and He healed them.
Matthew 21:15 But the chief priests and scribes
were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the
children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of
David!”
Matthew 21:16 “Do you hear what these children
are saying?” they asked. “Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never
read: ‘From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained
praise’?”
Matthew 21:17 Then He left them and went out of
the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.
Matthew 21:18 In the morning, as Jesus was
returning to the city, He was hungry.
Matthew 21:19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, He
went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you
never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree
withered.
Matthew 21:20 When the disciples saw this, they
marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
Matthew 21:21 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied,
“if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was
done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be
lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Matthew 21:23 When Jesus returned to the temple
courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the
people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these
things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”
Matthew 21:24 “I will also ask you one
question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you
by what authority I am doing these things.
Matthew 21:25 What was the source of John’s
baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among
themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why
then did you not believe him?’
Matthew 21:26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are
afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”
Matthew 21:27 So they answered, “We do not
know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what
authority I am doing these things.
Matthew 21:28 But what do you think? There was a
man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go
and work today in the vineyard.’
Matthew 21:29 ‘I will not,’ he replied. But
later he changed his mind and went.
Matthew 21:30 Then the man went to the second
son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he
did not go.
Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of
his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them,
“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering
the kingdom of God before you.
Matthew 21:32 For John came to you in a
righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors
and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not
repent and believe him.
Matthew 21:33 Listen to another parable: There
was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it,
dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to
some tenants and went away on a journey.
Matthew 21:34 When the harvest time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the
fruit.
Matthew 21:35 But the tenants seized his
servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
Matthew 21:36 Again, he sent other servants,
more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.
Matthew 21:37 Finally, he sent his son to them.
‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
Matthew 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son,
they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him
and take his inheritance.’
Matthew 21:39 So they seized him and threw him
out of the vineyard and killed him.
Matthew 21:40 Therefore, when the owner of the
vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”
Matthew 21:41 “He will bring those wretches to a
wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to
other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest
time.”
Matthew 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you
never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has
become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous
in our eyes’?
Matthew 21:43 Therefore I tell you that the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people
who will produce its fruit.
Matthew 21:44 He who falls on this stone will be
broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Matthew 21:45 When the chief priests and
Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking
about them.
Matthew 21:46 Although they wanted to arrest
Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded
Him as a prophet.
Matthew 22:1 Once again, Jesus spoke to them in
parables:
Matthew 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a
king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Matthew 22:3 He sent his servants to call those
he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.
Matthew 22:4 Again, he sent other servants and
said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my
dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and
everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
Matthew 22:5 But they paid no attention and went
away, one to his field, another to his business.
Matthew 22:6 The rest seized his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
Matthew 22:7 The king was enraged, and he sent
his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.
Matthew 22:8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The
wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy.
Matthew 22:9 Go therefore to the crossroads and
invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’
Matthew 22:10 So the servants went out into the
streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good,
and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Matthew 22:11 But when the king came in to see
the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding
clothes.
Matthew 22:12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you
get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless.
Matthew 22:13 Then the king told the servants,
‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are
chosen.”
Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and
conspired to trap Jesus in His words.
Matthew 22:16 They sent their disciples to Him
along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You
are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with
the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no
attention to external appearance.
Matthew 22:17 So tell us what You think: Is it
lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Matthew 22:18 But Jesus knew their evil intent
and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
Matthew 22:19 Show Me the coin used for the
tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.
Matthew 22:20 “Whose image is this,” He asked,
“and whose inscription?”
Matthew 22:21 “Caesar’s,” they answered. So
Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what
is God’s.”
Matthew 22:22 And when they heard this, they
were amazed. So they left Him and went away.
Matthew 22:23 That same day the Sadducees, who
say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
Matthew 22:24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses
declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother
is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
Matthew 22:25 Now there were seven brothers
among us. The first one married and died without having children.
So he left his wife to his brother.
Matthew 22:26 The same thing happened to the
second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
Matthew 22:27 And last of all, the woman died.
Matthew 22:28 In the resurrection, then, whose
wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to
her.”
Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered, “You are mistaken
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
Matthew 22:30 In the resurrection, people will
neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like
the angels in heaven.
Matthew 22:31 But concerning the resurrection of
the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead,
but of the living.”
Matthew 22:33 When the crowds heard this, they
were astonished at His teaching.
Matthew 22:34 And when the Pharisees heard that
Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered
together.
Matthew 22:35 One of them, an expert in the law,
tested Him with a question:
Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which commandment is the
greatest in the Law?”
Matthew 22:37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind.’
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and greatest
commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love
your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:40 All the Law and the Prophets hang
on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:41 While the Pharisees were
assembled, Jesus questioned them:
Matthew 22:42 “What do you think about the
Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered.
Matthew 22:43 Jesus said to them, “How then does
David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says:
Matthew 22:44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at
My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’
Matthew 22:45 So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how
can He be David’s son?”
Matthew 22:46 No one was able to answer a word,
and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.
Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and
to His disciples:
Matthew 23:2 “The scribes and Pharisees sit in
Moses’ seat.
Matthew 23:3 So practice and observe everything
they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not
practice what they preach.
Matthew 23:4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads
and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not
willing to lift a finger to move them.
Matthew 23:5 All their deeds are done for men to
see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
Matthew 23:6 They love the places of honor at
banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,
Matthew 23:7 the greetings in the marketplaces,
and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.
Matthew 23:8 But you are not to be called
‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
Matthew 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth
your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Matthew 23:10 Nor are you to be called
instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.
Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you shall be
your servant.
Matthew 23:12 For whoever exalts himself will be
humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:13 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You
yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to
enter.
Matthew 23:14
Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert,
and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell
as you are.
Matthew 23:16 Woe to you, blind guides! You say,
‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone
swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
Matthew 23:17 You blind fools! Which is greater:
the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
Matthew 23:18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by
the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on
it, he is bound by his oath.’
Matthew 23:19 You blind men! Which is greater:
the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
Matthew 23:20 So then, he who swears by the
altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Matthew 23:21 And he who swears by the temple
swears by it and by the One who dwells in it.
Matthew 23:22 And he who swears by heaven swears
by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.
Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you
have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy,
and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without
neglecting the former.
Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a
gnat but swallow a camel.
Matthew 23:25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but
inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Matthew 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the
inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean
as well.
Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look
beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s
bones and every kind of impurity.
Matthew 23:28 In the same way, on the outside
you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of
hypocrisy and wickedness.
Matthew 23:29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the
monuments of the righteous.
Matthew 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in
the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them
in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
Matthew 23:31 So you testify against yourselves
that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
Matthew 23:32 Fill up, then, the measure of the
sin of your fathers.
Matthew 23:33 You snakes! You brood of vipers!
How will you escape the sentence of hell?
Matthew 23:34 Because of this, I am sending you
prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and
crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute
in town after town.
Matthew 23:35 And so upon you will come all the
righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to
the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between
the temple and the altar.
Matthew 23:36 Truly I tell you, all these things
will come upon this generation.
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills
the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed
to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks
under her wings, but you were unwilling!
Matthew 23:38 Look, your house is left to you
desolate.
Matthew 23:39 For I tell you that you will not
see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name
of the Lord.’”
Matthew 24:1 As Jesus left the temple and was
walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its
buildings.
Matthew 24:2 “Do you see all these things?” He
replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on
another; every one will be thrown down.”
Matthew 24:3 While Jesus was sitting on the
Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,”
they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the
sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 24:4 Jesus answered, “See to it that no
one deceives you.
Matthew 24:5 For many will come in My name,
claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
Matthew 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of
wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must
happen, but the end is still to come.
Matthew 24:7 Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes
in various places.
Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of
birth pains.
Matthew 24:9 Then they will deliver you over to
be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations
because of My name.
Matthew 24:10 At that time many will fall away
and will betray and hate one another,
Matthew 24:11 and many false prophets will arise
and mislead many.
Matthew 24:12 Because of the multiplication of
wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
Matthew 24:13 But the one who perseveres to the
end will be saved.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom
will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations,
and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:15 So when you see standing in the
holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the
prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),
Matthew 24:16 then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains.
Matthew 24:17 Let no one on the housetop come
down to retrieve anything from his house.
Matthew 24:18 And let no one in the field return
for his cloak.
Matthew 24:19 How miserable those days will be
for pregnant and nursing mothers!
Matthew 24:20 Pray that your flight will not
occur in the winter or on the Sabbath.
Matthew 24:21 For at that time there will be
great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until
now, and never to be seen again.
Matthew 24:22 If those days had not been cut
short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those
days will be cut short.
Matthew 24:23 At that time, if anyone says to
you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe
it.
Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false
prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that
would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
Matthew 24:25 See, I have told you in advance.
Matthew 24:26 So if they tell you, ‘There He is
in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner
rooms,’ do not believe it.
Matthew 24:27 For just as the lightning comes
from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:28 Wherever there is a carcass, there
the vultures will gather.
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation
of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers
of the heavens will be shaken.’
Matthew 24:30 At that time the sign of the Son
of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will
mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven, with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:31 And He will send out His angels
with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the
four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Matthew 24:32 Now learn this lesson from the fig
tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you
know that summer is near.
Matthew 24:33 So also, when you see all these
things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.
Matthew 24:34 Truly I tell you, this generation
will not pass away until all these things have happened.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away,
but My words will never pass away.
Matthew 24:36 No one knows about that day or
hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father.
Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so
will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:38 For in the days before the flood,
people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day Noah entered the ark.
Matthew 24:39 And they were oblivious, until the
flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of
the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:40 Two men will be in the field: one
will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:41 Two women will be grinding at the
mill: one will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:42 Therefore keep watch, because you
do not know the day on which your Lord will come.
Matthew 24:43 But understand this: If the
homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house
be broken into.
Matthew 24:44 For this reason, you also must be
ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not
expect.
Matthew 24:45 Who then is the faithful and wise
servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to
give the others their food at the proper time?
Matthew 24:46 Blessed is that servant whose
master finds him doing so when he returns.
Matthew 24:47 Truly I tell you, he will put him
in charge of all his possessions.
Matthew 24:48 But suppose that servant is wicked
and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’
Matthew 24:49 And he begins to beat his fellow
servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
Matthew 24:50 The master of that servant will
come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not
anticipate.
Matthew 24:51 Then he will cut him to pieces and
assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven
will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet
the bridegroom.
Matthew 25:2 Five of them were foolish, and five
were wise.
Matthew 25:3 The foolish ones took their lamps
but did not take along any extra oil.
Matthew 25:4 But the wise ones took oil in
flasks along with their lamps.
Matthew 25:5 When the bridegroom was delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
Matthew 25:6 At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here
is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Matthew 25:7 Then all the virgins woke up and
trimmed their lamps.
Matthew 25:8 The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
Matthew 25:9 ‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there
may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who
sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
Matthew 25:10 But while they were on their way
to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in
with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
Matthew 25:11 Later the other virgins arrived
and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’
Matthew 25:12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you,
I do not know you.’
Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you
do not know the day or the hour.
Matthew 25:14 For it is just like a man going on
a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his
possessions.
Matthew 25:15 To one he gave five talents, to
another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to
his own ability. And he went on his journey.
Matthew 25:16 The servant who had received the
five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five
more.
Matthew 25:17 Likewise, the one with the two
talents gained two more.
Matthew 25:18 But the servant who had received
the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his
master’s money.
Matthew 25:19 After a long time the master of
those servants returned to settle accounts with them.
Matthew 25:20 The servant who had received the
five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you
entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
Matthew 25:21 His master replied, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the
joy of your master!’
Matthew 25:22 The servant who had received the
two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two
talents. See, I have gained two more.’
Matthew 25:23 His master replied, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the
joy of your master!’
Matthew 25:24 Finally, the servant who had
received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you
are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering
where you have not scattered seed.
Matthew 25:25 So I was afraid and went out and
hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’
Matthew 25:26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’
replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown
and gather where I have not scattered seed.
Matthew 25:27 Then you should have deposited my
money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it
back with interest.
Matthew 25:28 Therefore take the talent from him
and give it to the one who has ten talents.
Matthew 25:29 For everyone who has will be given
more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not
have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Matthew 25:30 And throw that worthless servant
into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.’
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of Man comes in His
glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious
throne.
Matthew 25:32 All the nations will be gathered
before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Matthew 25:33 He will place the sheep on His
right and the goats on His left.
Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on
His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave Me
something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
Matthew 25:36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I
was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited
Me.’
Matthew 25:37 Then the righteous will answer
Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty
and give You something to drink?
Matthew 25:38 When did we see You a stranger and
take You in, or naked and clothe You?
Matthew 25:39 When did we see You sick or in
prison and visit You?’
Matthew 25:40 And the King will reply, ‘Truly I
tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
of Mine, you did for Me.’
Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His
left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave Me
nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not
take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and
in prison and you did not visit Me.’
Matthew 25:44 And they too will reply, ‘Lord,
when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or
sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
Matthew 25:45 Then the King will answer, ‘Truly
I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these,
you did not do for Me.’
Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all
these things, He told His disciples,
Matthew 26:2 “You know that the Passover is two
days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be
crucified.”
Matthew 26:3 At that time the chief priests and
elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high
priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
Matthew 26:4 and they conspired to arrest Jesus
covertly and kill Him.
Matthew 26:5 “But not during the feast,” they
said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
Matthew 26:6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the
home of Simon the Leper,
Matthew 26:7 a woman came to Him with an
alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head
as He reclined at the table.
Matthew 26:8 When the disciples saw this, they
were indignant and asked, “Why this waste?
Matthew 26:9 This perfume could have been sold
at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”
Matthew 26:10 Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why
are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
Matthew 26:11 The poor you will always have with
you, but you will not always have Me.
Matthew 26:12 By pouring this perfume on Me, she
has prepared My body for burial.
Matthew 26:13 Truly I tell you, wherever this
gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also
be told in memory of her.”
Matthew 26:14 Then one of the Twelve, the one
called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
Matthew 26:15 and asked, “What are you willing
to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him
thirty pieces of silver.
Matthew 26:16 So from then on Judas looked for
an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Matthew 26:17 On the first day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do
You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
Matthew 26:18 He answered, “Go into the city to
a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is
near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’”
Matthew 26:19 So the disciples did as Jesus had
directed them and prepared the Passover.
Matthew 26:20 When evening came, Jesus was
reclining with the twelve disciples.
Matthew 26:21 And while they were eating, He
said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”
Matthew 26:22 They were deeply grieved and began
to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
Matthew 26:23 Jesus answered, “The one who has
dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.
Matthew 26:24 The Son of Man will go just as it
is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed.
It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Matthew 26:25 Then Judas, who would betray Him,
said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said it
yourself.”
Matthew 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the
disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”
Matthew 26:27 Then He took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
Matthew 26:28 This is My blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 26:29 I tell you, I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it
anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Matthew 26:30 And when they had sung a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “This
very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is
written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
will be scattered.’
Matthew 26:32 But after I have risen, I will go
ahead of you into Galilee.”
Matthew 26:33 Peter said to Him, “Even if all
fall away on account of You, I never will.”
Matthew 26:34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus
declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will
deny Me three times.”
Matthew 26:35 Peter replied, “Even if I have to
die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples
said the same thing.
Matthew 26:36 At that time Jesus went with His
disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit
here while I go over there and pray.”
Matthew 26:37 He took with Him Peter and the two
sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
Matthew 26:38 Then He said to them, “My soul is
consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep
watch with Me.”
Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, He fell
facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup
pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:40 Then Jesus returned to the
disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep
watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will
not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body
is weak.”
Matthew 26:42 A second time He went away and
prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may
Your will be done.”
Matthew 26:43 And again Jesus returned and found
them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy.
Matthew 26:44 So He left them and went away once
more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.
Matthew 26:45 Then He returned to the disciples
and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is
near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Matthew 26:46 Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer
is approaching!”
Matthew 26:47 While Jesus was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd
armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and
elders of the people.
Matthew 26:48 Now the betrayer had arranged a
signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.”
Matthew 26:49 Going directly to Jesus, he said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Matthew 26:50 “Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what
you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and
arrested Him.
Matthew 26:51 At this, one of Jesus’ companions
drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting
off his ear.
Matthew 26:52 “Put your sword back in its
place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by
the sword.
Matthew 26:53 Are you not aware that I can call
on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than
twelve legions of angels?
Matthew 26:54 But how then would the Scriptures
be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
Matthew 26:55 At that time Jesus said to the
crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as
you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple
courts, and you did not arrest Me.
Matthew 26:56 But this has all happened so that
the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the
disciples deserted Him and fled.
Matthew 26:57 Those who had arrested Jesus led
Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the
scribes and elders had gathered.
Matthew 26:58 But Peter followed Him at a
distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he
went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.
Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the
whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in
order to put Him to death.
Matthew 26:60 But they did not find any, though
many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward
Matthew 26:61 and declared, “This man said, ‘I
am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three
days.’”
Matthew 26:62 So the high priest stood up and
asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying
against You?”
Matthew 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. Then
the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the
living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Matthew 26:64 “You have said it yourself,” Jesus
answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the
Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the
clouds of heaven.”
Matthew 26:65 At this, the high priest tore his
clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more
witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
Matthew 26:66 What do you think?” “He deserves
to die,” they answered.
Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in His face and
struck Him. Others slapped Him
Matthew 26:68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ!
Who hit You?”
Matthew 26:69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out
in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also
were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
Matthew 26:70 But he denied it before them all:
“I do not know what you are talking about.”
Matthew 26:71 When Peter had gone out to the
gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people
there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
Matthew 26:72 And again he denied it with an
oath: “I do not know the man!”
Matthew 26:73 After a little while, those
standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,”
they said, “for your accent gives you away.”
Matthew 26:74 At that he began to curse and
swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster
crowed.
Matthew 26:75 Then Peter remembered the word
that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me
three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Matthew 27:1 When morning came, all the chief
priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put
Him to death.
Matthew 27:2 They bound Him, led Him away, and
handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
Matthew 27:3 When Judas, who had betrayed Him,
saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and
returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and
elders.
Matthew 27:4 “I have sinned by betraying
innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You
bear the responsibility.”
Matthew 27:5 So Judas threw the silver into the
temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:6 The chief priests picked up the
pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the
treasury, since it is blood money.”
Matthew 27:7 After conferring together, they
used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for
foreigners.
Matthew 27:8 That is why it has been called the
Field of Blood to this day.
Matthew 27:9 Then what was spoken through
Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces
of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel,
Matthew 27:10 and they gave them for the
potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.”
Matthew 27:11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the
governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You
have said so,” Jesus replied.
Matthew 27:12 And when He was accused by the
chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.
Matthew 27:13 Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not
hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”
Matthew 27:14 But Jesus gave no answer, not even
to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
Matthew 27:15 Now it was the governor’s custom
at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing.
Matthew 27:16 At that time they were holding a
notorious prisoner named Barabbas.
Matthew 27:17 So when the crowd had assembled,
Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you:
Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
Matthew 27:18 For he knew it was out of envy
that they had handed Jesus over to him.
Matthew 27:19 While Pilate was sitting on the
judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do
with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream
today because of Him.”
Matthew 27:20 But the chief priests and elders
persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to
death.
Matthew 27:21 “Which of the two do you want me
to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they replied.
Matthew 27:22 “What then should I do with Jesus
who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify
Him!”
Matthew 27:23 “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil
has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he was
accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out,
he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am
innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the
responsibility.”
Matthew 27:25 All the people answered, “His
blood be on us and on our children!”
Matthew 27:26 So Pilate released Barabbas to
them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be
crucified.
Matthew 27:27 Then the governor’s soldiers took
Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around
Him.
Matthew 27:28 They stripped Him and put a
scarlet robe on Him.
Matthew 27:29 And they twisted together a crown
of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right
hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of
the Jews!”
Matthew 27:30 Then they spit on Him and took the
staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.
Matthew 27:31 After they had mocked Him, they
removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they
led Him away to crucify Him.
Matthew 27:32 Along the way they found a man
from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross
of Jesus.
Matthew 27:33 And when they came to a place
called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,
Matthew 27:34 they offered Him wine to drink,
mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
Matthew 27:35 When they had crucified Him, they
divided up His garments by casting lots.
Matthew 27:36 And sitting down, they kept watch
over Him there.
Matthew 27:37 Above His head they posted the
written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Matthew 27:38 Two robbers were crucified with
Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.
Matthew 27:39 And those who passed by heaped
abuse on Him, shaking their heads
Matthew 27:40 and saying, “You who are going to
destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If
You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
Matthew 27:41 In the same way, the chief
priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
Matthew 27:42 “He saved others, but He cannot
save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from
the cross, and we will believe in Him.
Matthew 27:43 He trusts in God. Let God deliver
Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Matthew 27:44 In the same way, even the robbers
who were crucified with Him berated Him.
Matthew 27:45 From the sixth hour until the
ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried
out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:47 When some of those standing there
heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”
Matthew 27:48 One of them quickly ran and
brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed,
and held it up for Jesus to drink.
Matthew 27:49 But the others said, “Leave Him
alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”
Matthew 27:50 When Jesus had cried out again in
a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.
Matthew 27:51 At that moment the veil of the
temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and
the rocks were split.
Matthew 27:52 The tombs broke open, and the
bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
Matthew 27:53 After Jesus’ resurrection, when
they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and
appeared to many people.
Matthew 27:54 When the centurion and those with
him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had
happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of
God.”
Matthew 27:55 And many women were there,
watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to
minister to Him.
Matthew 27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s
sons.
Matthew 27:57 When it was evening, there came a
rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple
of Jesus.
Matthew 27:58 He went to Pilate to ask for the
body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
Matthew 27:59 So Joseph took the body, wrapped
it in a clean linen cloth,
Matthew 27:60 and placed it in his own new tomb
that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across
the entrance to the tomb and went away.
Matthew 27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Matthew 27:62 The next day, the one after
Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before
Pilate.
Matthew 27:63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember
that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I
will rise again.’
Matthew 27:64 So give the order that the tomb be
secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and
steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And
this last deception would be worse than the first.”
Matthew 27:65 “You have a guard,” Pilate said.
“Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
Matthew 27:66 So they went and secured the tomb
by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
Matthew 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the
first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to
see the tomb.
Matthew 28:2 Suddenly there was a great
earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled
away the stone, and sat on it.
Matthew 28:3 His appearance was like lightning,
and his clothes were white as snow.
Matthew 28:4 The guards trembled in fear of him
and became like dead men.
Matthew 28:5 But the angel said to the women,
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who
was crucified.
Matthew 28:6 He is not here; He has risen, just
as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.
Matthew 28:7 Then go quickly and tell His
disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you
into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:8 So they hurried away from the tomb
in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.
Matthew 28:9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said,
“Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped
Him.
Matthew 28:10 “Do not be afraid,” said Jesus.
“Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see
Me.”
Matthew 28:11 While the women were on their way,
some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief
priests all that had happened.
Matthew 28:12 And after the chief priests had
met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a
large sum of money
Matthew 28:13 and instructed them: “You are to
say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were
asleep.’
Matthew 28:14 If this report reaches the
governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
Matthew 28:15 So the guards took the money and
did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated
among the Jews to this very day.
Matthew 28:16 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples
went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated.
Matthew 28:17 When they saw Him, they worshiped
Him, but some doubted.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said,
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey all that
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.”
MARK
Mark 1:1 This is the beginning of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Mark 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare
Your way.”
Mark 1:3 “A voice of one calling in the
wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for
Him.’”
Mark 1:4 John the Baptist appeared in the
wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness
of sins.
Mark 1:5 People went out to him from all of
Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins,
they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Mark 1:6 John was clothed in camel’s hair, with
a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild
honey.
Mark 1:7 And he began to proclaim: “After me
will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I
am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
Mark 1:8 I baptize you with water, but He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Mark 1:9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth
in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Mark 1:10 As soon as Jesus came up out of the
water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending
on Him like a dove.
Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are
My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Mark 1:12 At once the Spirit drove Jesus into
the wilderness,
Mark 1:13 and He was there for forty days, being
tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels
ministered to Him.
Mark 1:14 After the arrest of John, Jesus went
into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.
Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and
the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”
Mark 1:16 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of
Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting a
net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
Mark 1:17 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I
will make you fishers of men.”
Mark 1:18 And at once they left their nets and
followed Him.
Mark 1:19 Going on a little farther, He saw
James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat,
mending their nets.
Mark 1:20 Immediately Jesus called them, and
they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and
followed Him.
Mark 1:21 Then Jesus and His companions went to
Capernaum, and right away Jesus entered the synagogue on the
Sabbath and began to teach.
Mark 1:22 The people were astonished at His
teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as
the scribes.
Mark 1:23 Suddenly a man with an unclean spirit
cried out in the synagogue:
Mark 1:24 “What do You want with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy
One of God!”
Mark 1:25 But Jesus rebuked the spirit. “Be
silent!” He said. “Come out of him!”
Mark 1:26 At this, the unclean spirit threw the
man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.
Mark 1:27 All the people were amazed and began
to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority!
He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”
Mark 1:28 And the news about Jesus spread
quickly through the whole region of Galilee.
Mark 1:29 As soon as Jesus and His companions
had left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home
of Simon and Andrew.
Mark 1:30 Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed
with a fever, and they promptly told Jesus about her.
Mark 1:31 So He went to her, took her by the
hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to
serve them.
Mark 1:32 That evening, after sunset, people
brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed,
Mark 1:33 and the whole town gathered at the
door.
Mark 1:34 And He healed many who were ill with
various diseases and drove out many demons. But He would not allow
the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
Mark 1:35 Early in the morning, while it was
still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to
pray.
Mark 1:36 Simon and his companions went to look
for Him,
Mark 1:37 and when they found Him, they said,
“Everyone is looking for You!”
Mark 1:38 But Jesus answered, “Let us go on to
the neighboring towns so I can preach there as well, for that is
why I have come.”
Mark 1:39 So He went throughout Galilee,
preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Mark 1:40 Then a leper came to Jesus, begging on
his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Mark 1:41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached
out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be
clean!”
Mark 1:42 And immediately the leprosy left him,
and the man was cleansed.
Mark 1:43 Jesus promptly sent him away with a
stern warning:
Mark 1:44 “See that you don’t tell anyone. But
go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering Moses
prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Mark 1:45 But the man went out and openly began
to proclaim and spread the news. Consequently, Jesus could no
longer enter a town in plain view, but He stayed out in solitary
places. Yet people came to Him from every quarter.
Mark 2:1 A few days later Jesus went back to
Capernaum. And when the people heard that He was home,
Mark 2:2 they gathered in such large numbers
that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus
spoke the word to them.
Mark 2:3 Then a paralytic was brought to Him,
carried by four men.
Mark 2:4 Since they were unable to get to Jesus
through the crowd, they uncovered the roof above Him, made an
opening, and lowered the paralytic on his mat.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to
the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:6 But some of the scribes were sitting
there and thinking in their hearts,
Mark 2:7 “Why does this man speak like this? He
is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Mark 2:8 At once Jesus knew in His spirit that
they were thinking this way within themselves. “Why are you
thinking these things in your hearts?” He asked.
Mark 2:9 “Which is easier: to say to a
paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up
your mat, and walk’?
Mark 2:10 But so that you may know that the Son
of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the
paralytic,
Mark 2:11 “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat,
and go home.”
Mark 2:12 And immediately the man got up, picked
up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they
were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen
anything like this!”
Mark 2:13 Once again Jesus went out beside the
sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.
Mark 2:14 As He was walking along, He saw Levi
son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told
him, and Levi got up and followed Him.
Mark 2:15 While Jesus was dining at Levi’s
house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and
His disciples—for there were many who followed Him.
Mark 2:16 When the scribes who were Pharisees
saw Jesus eating with these people, they asked His disciples, “Why
does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It
is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Mark 2:18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees
were often fasting. So people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t
Your disciples fast like John’s disciples and those of the
Pharisees?”
Mark 2:19 Jesus replied, “How can the guests of
the bridegroom fast while He is with them? As long as He is with
them, they cannot fast.
Mark 2:20 But the time will come when the
bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
Mark 2:21 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth
on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from
the old, and a worse tear will result.
Mark 2:22 And no one pours new wine into old
wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the
wine and the wineskins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured
into new wineskins.”
Mark 2:23 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through
the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of
grain as they walked along.
Mark 2:24 So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look,
why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Mark 2:25 Jesus replied, “Have you never read
what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?
Mark 2:26 During the high priesthood of
Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated
bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to
his companions as well.”
Mark 2:27 Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was
made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:28 Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even
of the Sabbath.”
Mark 3:1 Once again Jesus entered the synagogue,
and a man with a withered hand was there.
Mark 3:2 In order to accuse Jesus, they were
watching to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.
Mark 3:3 Then Jesus said to the man with the
withered hand, “Stand up among us.”
Mark 3:4 And He asked them, “Which is lawful on
the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy
it?” But they were silent.
Mark 3:5 Jesus looked around at them with anger
and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man,
“Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was
restored.
Mark 3:6 At this, the Pharisees went out and
began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Mark 3:7 So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to
the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,
Mark 3:8 Jerusalem, Idumea, the region beyond
the Jordan, and the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd
came to Him when they heard what great things He was doing.
Mark 3:9 Jesus asked His disciples to have a
boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.
Mark 3:10 For He had healed so many that all who
had diseases were pressing forward to touch Him.
Mark 3:11 And when the unclean spirits saw Him,
they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”
Mark 3:12 But He warned them sternly not to make
Him known.
Mark 3:13 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and
called for those He wanted, and they came to Him.
Mark 3:14 He appointed twelve of them, whom He
designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to
preach,
Mark 3:15 and to have authority to drive out
demons.
Mark 3:16 These are the twelve He appointed:
Simon (whom He named Peter),
Mark 3:17 James son of Zebedee and his brother
John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
Mark 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
Mark 3:19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed
Jesus.
Mark 3:20 Then Jesus went home, and once again a
crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.
Mark 3:21 When His family heard about this, they
went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”
Mark 3:22 And the scribes who had come down from
Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By
the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
Mark 3:23 So Jesus called them together and
began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out
Satan?
Mark 3:24 If a kingdom is divided against
itself, it cannot stand.
Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself,
it cannot stand.
Mark 3:26 And if Satan is divided and rises
against himself, he cannot stand; his end has come.
Mark 3:27 Indeed, no one can enter a strong
man’s house to steal his possessions unless he first ties up the
strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
Mark 3:28 Truly I tell you, the sons of men will
be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
Mark 3:29 But whoever blasphemes against the
Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin.”
Mark 3:30 Jesus made this statement because they
were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Mark 3:31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came
and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him,
Mark 3:32 and a crowd was sitting around Him.
“Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking
for You.”
Mark 3:33 But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother
and My brothers?”
Mark 3:34 Looking at those seated in a circle
around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God is My
brother and sister and mother.”
Mark 4:1 Once again Jesus began to teach beside
the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got
into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the
shore.
Mark 4:2 And He taught them many things in
parables, and in His teaching He said,
Mark 4:3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his
seed.
Mark 4:4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell
along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Mark 4:5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did
not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was
shallow.
Mark 4:6 But when the sun rose, the seedlings
were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Mark 4:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.
Mark 4:8 Still other seed fell on good soil,
where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing
thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to
hear, let him hear.”
Mark 4:10 As soon as Jesus was alone with the
Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.
Mark 4:11 He replied, “The mystery of the
kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside
everything is expressed in parables,
Mark 4:12 so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but
never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
Mark 4:13 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not
understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the
parables?
Mark 4:14 The farmer sows the word.
Mark 4:15 Some are like the seeds along the
path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes
and takes away the word that was sown in them.
Mark 4:16 Some are like the seeds sown on rocky
ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
Mark 4:17 But they themselves have no root, and
they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes
because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Mark 4:18 Others are like the seeds sown among
the thorns. They hear the word,
Mark 4:19 but the worries of this life, the
deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in
and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 4:20 Still others are like the seeds sown
on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a
crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:21 Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone
bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t
he set it on a stand?
Mark 4:22 For there is nothing hidden that will
not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought
to light.
Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him
hear.”
Mark 4:24 He went on to say, “Pay attention to
what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to
you, and even more will be added to you.
Mark 4:25 For whoever has will be given more.
But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away
from him.”
Mark 4:26 Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God
is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
Mark 4:27 Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and
the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.
Mark 4:28 All by itself the earth produces a
crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens
within.
Mark 4:29 And as soon as the grain is ripe, he
swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:30 Then He asked, “To what can we compare
the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?
Mark 4:31 It is like a mustard seed, which is
the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
Mark 4:32 But after it is planted, it grows to
be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches,
so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”
Mark 4:33 With many such parables Jesus spoke
the word to them, to the extent that they could understand.
Mark 4:34 He did not tell them anything without
using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own
disciples.
Mark 4:35 When that evening came, He said to His
disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”
Mark 4:36 After they had dismissed the crowd,
they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And
there were other boats with Him.
Mark 4:37 Soon a violent windstorm came up, and
the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being
swamped.
Mark 4:38 But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping
on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You
care that we are perishing?”
Mark 4:39 Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind
and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind
died down, and it was perfectly calm.
Mark 4:40 “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do
you still have no faith?”
Mark 4:41 Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one
another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Mark 5:1 On the other side of the sea, they
arrived in the region of the Gerasenes.
Mark 5:2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat,
He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from
the tombs.
Mark 5:3 This man had been living in the tombs
and could no longer be restrained, even with chains.
Mark 5:4 Though he was often bound with chains
and shackles, he had broken the chains and shattered the shackles.
Now there was no one with the strength to subdue him.
Mark 5:5 Night and day in the tombs and in the
mountains he kept crying out and cutting himself with stones.
Mark 5:6 When the man saw Jesus from a distance,
he ran and fell on his knees before Him.
Mark 5:7 And he shouted in a loud voice, “What
do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You
before God not to torture me!”
Mark 5:8 For Jesus had already declared, “Come
out of this man, you unclean spirit!”
Mark 5:9 “What is your name?” Jesus asked. “My
name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”
Mark 5:10 And he begged Jesus repeatedly not to
send them out of that region.
Mark 5:11 There on the nearby hillside a large
herd of pigs was feeding.
Mark 5:12 So the demons begged Jesus, “Send us
to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”
Mark 5:13 He gave them permission, and the
unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of
about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and
drowned in the water.
Mark 5:14 Those tending the pigs ran off and
reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out
to see what had happened.
Mark 5:15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the
man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there,
clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
Mark 5:16 Those who had seen it described what
had happened to the demon-possessed man and also to the pigs.
Mark 5:17 And the people began to beg Jesus to
leave their region.
Mark 5:18 As He was getting into the boat, the
man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him.
Mark 5:19 But Jesus would not allow him. “Go
home to your own people,” He said, “and tell them how much the
Lord has done for you, and what mercy He has shown you.”
Mark 5:20 So the man went away and began to
proclaim throughout the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him.
And everyone was amazed.
Mark 5:21 When Jesus had again crossed by boat
to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the
sea.
Mark 5:22 A synagogue leader named Jairus
arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet
Mark 5:23 and pleaded with Him urgently, “My
little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on
her, so that she will be healed and live.”
Mark 5:24 So Jesus went with him, and a large
crowd followed and pressed around Him.
Mark 5:25 And a woman was there who had suffered
from bleeding for twelve years.
Mark 5:26 She had borne much agony under the
care of many physicians and had spent all she had, but to no
avail. Instead, her condition had only grown worse.
Mark 5:27 When the woman heard about Jesus, she
came up through the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak.
Mark 5:28 For she kept saying, “If only I touch
His garments, I will be healed.”
Mark 5:29 Immediately her bleeding stopped, and
she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Mark 5:30 At once Jesus was aware that power had
gone out from Him. Turning to the crowd, He asked, “Who touched My
garments?”
Mark 5:31 His disciples answered, “You can see
the crowd pressing in on You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”
Mark 5:32 But He kept looking around to see who
had done this.
Mark 5:33 Then the woman, knowing what had
happened to her, came and fell down before Him trembling in fear,
and she told Him the whole truth.
Mark 5:34 “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith
has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.”
Mark 5:35 While He was still speaking,
messengers from the house of Jairus arrived and said, “Your
daughter is dead; why bother the Teacher anymore?”
Mark 5:36 But Jesus overheard their conversation
and said to Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe.”
Mark 5:37 And He did not allow anyone to
accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
Mark 5:38 When they arrived at the house of the
synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the people weeping
and wailing loudly.
Mark 5:39 He went inside and asked, “Why all
this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead, but asleep.”
Mark 5:40 And they laughed at Him. After He had
put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and
His own companions, and went in to see the child.
Mark 5:41 Taking her by the hand, Jesus said,
“Talitha koum!” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”
Mark 5:42 Immediately the girl got up and began
to walk around. She was twelve years old, and at once they were
utterly astounded.
Mark 5:43 Then Jesus gave strict orders that no
one should know about this, and He told them to give her something
to eat.
Mark 6:1 Jesus went on from there and came to
His hometown, accompanied by His disciples.
Mark 6:2 When the Sabbath came, He began to
teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished.
“Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this
wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such miracles?
Mark 6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of
Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His
sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
Mark 6:4 Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his
hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a
prophet without honor.”
Mark 6:5 So He could not perform any miracles
there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them.
Mark 6:6 And He was amazed at their unbelief.
And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.
Mark 6:7 Then Jesus called the Twelve to Him and
began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over
unclean spirits.
Mark 6:8 He instructed them to take nothing but
a staff for the journey—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—
Mark 6:9 and to wear sandals, but not a second
tunic.
Mark 6:10 And He told them, “When you enter a
house, stay there until you leave that area.
Mark 6:11 If anyone will not welcome you or
listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that
place, as a testimony against them.”
Mark 6:12 So they set out and preached that the
people should repent.
Mark 6:13 They also drove out many demons and
healed many of the sick, anointing them with oil.
Mark 6:14 Now King Herod heard about this, for
Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John
the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers
are at work in him.”
Mark 6:15 Others were saying, “He is Elijah,”
and still others, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of
old.”
Mark 6:16 But when Herod heard this, he said,
“John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!”
Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had ordered that
John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his
brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.
Mark 6:18 For John had been telling Herod, “It
is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”
Mark 6:19 So Herodias held a grudge against John
and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,
Mark 6:20 because Herod feared John and
protected him, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man. When
he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed; yet he listened
to him gladly.
Mark 6:21 On Herod’s birthday, her opportunity
arose. Herod held a banquet for his nobles and military commanders
and the leading men of Galilee.
Mark 6:22 When the daughter of Herodias came and
danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the
girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
Mark 6:23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask
of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
Mark 6:24 Then she went out and asked her
mother, “What should I request?” And her mother answered, “The
head of John the Baptist.”
Mark 6:25 At once the girl hurried back to the
king with her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the
Baptist on a platter immediately.”
Mark 6:26 The king was consumed with sorrow, but
because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to refuse
her.
Mark 6:27 So without delay, the king commanded
that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went
and beheaded him in the prison.
Mark 6:28 The man brought John’s head on a
platter and presented it to the girl, who gave it to her mother.
Mark 6:29 When John’s disciples heard about
this, they came and took his body and placed it in a tomb.
Mark 6:30 Meanwhile, the apostles gathered
around Jesus and brought Him news of all they had done and taught.
Mark 6:31 And He said to them, “Come with Me
privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while.” For
many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time
to eat.
Mark 6:32 So they went away in a boat by
themselves to a solitary place.
Mark 6:33 But many people saw them leaving and
recognized them. They ran together on foot from all the towns and
arrived before them.
Mark 6:34 When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a
large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like
sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:35 By now the hour was already late. So
the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a desolate place,
and the hour is already late.
Mark 6:36 Dismiss the crowd so they can go to
the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves
something to eat.”
Mark 6:37 But Jesus told them, “You give them
something to eat.” They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two
hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”
Mark 6:38 “Go and see how many loaves you have,”
He told them. And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
Mark 6:39 Then Jesus directed them to have the
people sit in groups on the green grass.
Mark 6:40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds
and fifties.
Mark 6:41 Taking the five loaves and the two
fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke
the loaves. Then He gave them to His disciples to set before the
people. And He divided the two fish among them all.
Mark 6:42 They all ate and were satisfied,
Mark 6:43 and the disciples picked up twelve
basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.
Mark 6:44 And there were five thousand men who
had eaten the loaves.
Mark 6:45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples
get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He
dismissed the crowd.
Mark 6:46 After bidding them farewell, He went
up on the mountain to pray.
Mark 6:47 When evening came, the boat was in the
middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land.
Mark 6:48 He could see that the disciples were
straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the
fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the
sea. He intended to pass by them,
Mark 6:49 but when they saw Him walking on the
sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost—
Mark 6:50 for they all saw Him and were
terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do
not be afraid.”
Mark 6:51 Then He climbed into the boat with
them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly
astounded,
Mark 6:52 for they had not understood about the
loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.
Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they
landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat.
Mark 6:54 As soon as they got out of the boat,
the people recognized Jesus
Mark 6:55 and ran through that whole region,
carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was.
Mark 6:56 And wherever He went—villages and
towns and countrysides—they laid the sick in the marketplaces and
begged Him just to let them touch the fringe of His cloak. And all
who touched Him were healed.
Mark 7:1 Then the Pharisees and some of the
scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,
Mark 7:2 and they saw some of His disciples
eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed.
Mark 7:3 Now in holding to the tradition of the
elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash
their hands ceremonially.
Mark 7:4 And on returning from the market, they
do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions
for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers,
kettles, and couches for dining.
Mark 7:5 So the Pharisees and scribes questioned
Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition
of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”
Mark 7:6 Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied
correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people
honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Mark 7:7 They worship Me in vain; they teach as
doctrine the precepts of men.’
Mark 7:8 You have disregarded the commandment of
God to keep the tradition of men.”
Mark 7:9 He went on to say, “You neatly set
aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition.
Mark 7:10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and
your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be
put to death.’
Mark 7:11 But you say that if a man says to his
father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is
Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God),
Mark 7:12 he is no longer permitted to do
anything for his father or mother.
Mark 7:13 Thus you nullify the word of God by
the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such
matters.”
Mark 7:14 Once again Jesus called the crowd to
Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand:
Mark 7:15 Nothing that enters a man from the
outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man,
these are what defile him.”
Mark 7:16
Mark 7:17 After Jesus had left the crowd and
gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.
Mark 7:18 “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do
you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can
defile him,
Mark 7:19 because it does not enter his heart,
but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all
foods are clean.)
Mark 7:20 He continued: “What comes out of a
man, that is what defiles him.
Mark 7:21 For from within the hearts of men come
evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
Mark 7:22 greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery,
envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.
Mark 7:23 All these evils come from within, and
these are what defile a man.”
Mark 7:24 Jesus left that place and went to the
region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He
entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.
Mark 7:25 Instead, a woman whose little daughter
had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and
fell at His feet.
Mark 7:26 Now she was a Greek woman of
Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the
demon out of her daughter.
Mark 7:27 “First let the children have their
fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread
and toss it to the dogs.”
Mark 7:28 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the
dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
Mark 7:29 Then Jesus told her, “Because of this
answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
Mark 7:30 And she went home and found her child
lying on the bed, and the demon was gone.
Mark 7:31 Then Jesus left the region of Tyre and
went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of
the Decapolis.
Mark 7:32 Some people brought to Him a man who
was deaf and hardly able to speak, and they begged Jesus to place
His hand on him.
Mark 7:33 So Jesus took him aside privately,
away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then
He spit and touched the man’s tongue.
Mark 7:34 And looking up to heaven, He sighed
deeply and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”).
Mark 7:35 Immediately the man’s ears were opened
and his tongue was released, and he began to speak plainly.
Mark 7:36 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more He ordered them, the more widely they proclaimed it.
Mark 7:37 The people were utterly astonished and
said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear
and the mute speak!”
Mark 8:1 In those days the crowd once again
became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the
disciples to Him and said,
Mark 8:2 “I have compassion for this crowd,
because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing
to eat.
Mark 8:3 If I send them home hungry, they will
faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”
Mark 8:4 His disciples replied, “Where in this
desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these
people?”
Mark 8:5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus
asked. “Seven,” they replied.
Mark 8:6 And He instructed the crowd to sit down
on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and
broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the
people. And they distributed them to the crowd.
Mark 8:7 They also had a few small fish, and
Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as
well.
Mark 8:8 The people ate and were satisfied, and
the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that
were left over.
Mark 8:9 And about four thousand men were
present. As soon as Jesus had dismissed the crowd,
Mark 8:10 He got into the boat with His
disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
Mark 8:11 Then the Pharisees came and began to
argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from
heaven.
Mark 8:12 Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and
said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you,
no sign will be given to this generation.”
Mark 8:13 And He left them, got back into the
boat, and crossed to the other side.
Mark 8:14 Now the disciples had forgotten to
take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.
Mark 8:15 “Watch out!” He cautioned them.
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
Mark 8:16 So they began to discuss with one
another the fact that they had no bread.
Mark 8:17 Aware of their conversation, Jesus
asked them, “Why are you debating about having no bread? Do you
still not see or understand? Do you have such hard hearts?
Mark 8:18 ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And
having ears, do you not hear?’ And do you not remember?
Mark 8:19 When I broke the five loaves for the
five thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you
collect?” “Twelve,” they answered.
Mark 8:20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for
the four thousand, how many basketfuls of broken pieces did you
collect?” “Seven,” they said.
Mark 8:21 Then He asked them, “Do you still not
understand?”
Mark 8:22 When they arrived at Bethsaida, some
people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
Mark 8:23 So He took the blind man by the hand
and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and
placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.
Mark 8:24 The man looked up and said, “I can see
the people, but they look like trees walking around.”
Mark 8:25 Once again Jesus placed His hands on
the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored,
and he could see everything clearly.
Mark 8:26 Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not
go back into the village.”
Mark 8:27 Then Jesus and His disciples went on
to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way, He
questioned His disciples: “Who do people say I am?”
Mark 8:28 They replied, “Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the
prophets.”
Mark 8:29 “But what about you?” Jesus asked.
“Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 8:30 And Jesus warned them not to tell
anyone about Him.
Mark 8:31 Then He began to teach them that the
Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders,
chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after
three days rise again.
Mark 8:32 He spoke this message quite frankly,
and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
Mark 8:33 But Jesus, turning and looking at His
disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you
do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8:34 Then Jesus called the crowd to Him
along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to
come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and
follow Me.
Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the
gospel will save it.
Mark 8:36 What does it profit a man to gain the
whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:37 Or what can a man give in exchange for
his soul?
Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My
words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man
will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory
with the holy angels.”
Mark 9:1 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell
you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before
they see the kingdom of God arrive with power.”
Mark 9:2 After six days Jesus took with Him
Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
Mark 9:3 His clothes became radiantly white,
brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them.
Mark 9:4 And Elijah and Moses appeared before
them, talking with Jesus.
Mark 9:5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good
for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for You, one
for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Mark 9:6 For they were all so terrified that
Peter did not know what else to say.
Mark 9:7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped
them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son.
Listen to Him!”
Mark 9:8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they
saw no one with them except Jesus.
Mark 9:9 As they were coming down the mountain,
Jesus admonished them not to tell anyone what they had seen until
the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Mark 9:10 So they kept this matter to
themselves, discussing what it meant to rise from the dead.
Mark 9:11 And they asked Jesus, “Why do the
scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
Mark 9:12 He replied, “Elijah does indeed come
first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the
Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?
Mark 9:13 But I tell you that Elijah has indeed
come, and they have done to him whatever they wished, just as it
is written about him.”
Mark 9:14 When they returned to the other
disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing
with them.
Mark 9:15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus,
they were filled with awe and ran to greet Him.
Mark 9:16 “What are you disputing with them?” He
asked.
Mark 9:17 Someone in the crowd replied,
“Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a spirit that makes him
mute.
Mark 9:18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him
to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and
becomes rigid. I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they
were unable.”
Mark 9:19 “O unbelieving generation!” Jesus
replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up
with you? Bring the boy to Me.”
Mark 9:20 So they brought him, and seeing Jesus,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to
the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Mark 9:21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How
long has this been with him?” “From childhood,” he said.
Mark 9:22 “It often throws him into the fire or
into the water, trying to kill him. But if You can do anything,
have compassion on us and help us.”
Mark 9:23 “If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All
things are possible to him who believes!”
Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father cried
out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd had come
running, He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute
spirit,” He said, “I command you to come out and never enter him
again.”
Mark 9:26 After shrieking and convulsing him
violently, the spirit came out. The boy became like a corpse, so
that many said, “He is dead.”
Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and
helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
Mark 9:28 After Jesus had gone into the house,
His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
Mark 9:29 Jesus answered, “This kind cannot come
out, except by prayer.”
Mark 9:30 Going on from there, they passed
through Galilee. But Jesus did not want anyone to know,
Mark 9:31 because He was teaching His disciples.
He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of
men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.”
Mark 9:32 But they did not understand this
statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Mark 9:33 Then they came to Capernaum. While
Jesus was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing
on the way?”
Mark 9:34 But they were silent, for on the way
they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve
and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all
and the servant of all.”
Mark 9:36 Then He had a little child stand among
them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them,
Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little
children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes
not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”
Mark 9:38 John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw
someone else driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop
him, because he does not accompany us.”
Mark 9:39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied. “For
no one who performs a miracle in My name can turn around and speak
evil of Me.
Mark 9:40 For whoever is not against us is for
us.
Mark 9:41 Indeed, if anyone gives you even a cup
of water because you bear the name of Christ, truly I tell you, he
will never lose his reward.
Mark 9:42 But if anyone causes one of these
little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for
him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be
thrown into the sea.
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it
off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two
hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
Mark 9:44
Mark 9:45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it
off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet
and be thrown into hell.
Mark 9:46
Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God
with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
Mark 9:48 where ‘their worm never dies, and the
fire is never quenched.’
Mark 9:49 For everyone will be salted with fire.
Mark 9:50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses
its saltiness, with what will you season it? Have salt among
yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Mark 10:1 Then Jesus left that place and went
into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came
to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.
Mark 10:2 Some Pharisees came to test Him. “Is
it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” they inquired.
Mark 10:3 “What did Moses command you?” He
replied.
Mark 10:4 They answered, “Moses permitted a man
to write his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away.”
Mark 10:5 But Jesus told them, “Moses wrote this
commandment for you because of your hardness of heart.
Mark 10:6 However, from the beginning of
creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
Mark 10:7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be united to his wife,
Mark 10:8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So
they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined
together, let man not separate.”
Mark 10:10 When they were back inside the house,
the disciples asked Jesus about this matter.
Mark 10:11 So He told them, “Whoever divorces
his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
Mark 10:12 And if a woman divorces her husband
and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Mark 10:13 Now people were bringing the little
children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, and the
disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw this, He was
indignant and told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and
do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as
these.
Mark 10:15 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter
it.”
Mark 10:16 And He took the children in His arms,
placed His hands on them, and blessed them.
Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on His way, a man
ran up and knelt before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must
I do to inherit eternal life?”
Mark 10:18 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus
replied. “No one is good except God alone.
Mark 10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not
murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false
witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’”
Mark 10:20 “Teacher,” he replied, “all these I
have kept from my youth.”
Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and
said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you
own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow Me.”
Mark 10:22 But the man was saddened by these
words and went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:23 Then Jesus looked around and said to
His disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom
of God!”
Mark 10:24 And the disciples were amazed at His
words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to
enter the kingdom of God!
Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to pass
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.”
Mark 10:26 They were even more astonished and
said to one another, “Who then can be saved?”
Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With
man this is impossible, but not with God. For all things are
possible with God.”
Mark 10:28 Peter began to say to Him, “Look, we
have left everything and followed You.”
Mark 10:29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied,
“no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or
father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel
Mark 10:30 will fail to receive a hundredfold in
the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and
children and fields, along with persecutions—and in the age to
come, eternal life.
Mark 10:31 But many who are first will be last,
and the last will be first.”
Mark 10:32 As they were going up the road to
Jerusalem, Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were
amazed, but those who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took the
Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to
Him:
Mark 10:33 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and
scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over
to the Gentiles,
Mark 10:34 who will mock Him and spit on Him and
flog Him and kill Him. And after three days He will rise again.”
Mark 10:35 Then James and John, the sons of
Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do
for us whatever we ask.”
Mark 10:36 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
He inquired.
Mark 10:37 They answered, “Grant that one of us
may sit at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your
glory.”
Mark 10:38 “You do not know what you are
asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be
baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”
Mark 10:39 “We can,” the brothers answered. “You
will drink the cup that I drink,” Jesus said, “and you will be
baptized with the baptism that I undergo.
Mark 10:40 But to sit at My right or left is not
Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom they have been
prepared.”
Mark 10:41 When the ten heard about this, they
became indignant with James and John.
Mark 10:42 So Jesus called them together and
said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.
Mark 10:43 But it shall not be this way among
you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant,
Mark 10:44 and whoever wants to be first must be
the slave of all.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for
many.”
Mark 10:46 Next, they came to Jericho. And as
Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho with a large crowd, a
blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting
beside the road.
Mark 10:47 When he heard that it was Jesus of
Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on
me!”
Mark 10:48 Many people admonished him to be
silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy
on me!”
Mark 10:49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called the blind man. “Take courage!” they said. “Get up!
He is calling for you.”
Mark 10:50 Throwing off his cloak, Bartimaeus
jumped up and came to Jesus.
Mark 10:51 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
Jesus asked. “Rabboni,” said the blind man, “let me see again.”
Mark 10:52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has
healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed
Jesus along the road.
Mark 11:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came
to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out
two of His disciples
Mark 11:2 and said to them, “Go into the village
ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt
tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it
here.
Mark 11:3 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you doing
this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it shortly.’”
Mark 11:4 So they went and found the colt
outside in the street, tied at a doorway. They untied it,
Mark 11:5 and some who were standing there
asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”
Mark 11:6 The disciples answered as Jesus had
instructed them, and the people gave them permission.
Mark 11:7 Then they led the colt to Jesus and
threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it.
Mark 11:8 Many in the crowd spread their cloaks
on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the
fields.
Mark 11:9 The ones who went ahead and those who
followed were shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the
name of the Lord!”
Mark 11:10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our
father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
Mark 11:11 Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went
into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since
it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Mark 11:12 The next day, when they had left
Bethany, Jesus was hungry.
Mark 11:13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in
leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He
reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not
the season for figs.
Mark 11:14 Then He said to the tree, “May no one
ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this
statement.
Mark 11:15 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus
entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were
buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money
changers and the seats of those selling doves.
Mark 11:16 And He would not allow anyone to
carry merchandise through the temple courts.
Mark 11:17 Then Jesus began to teach them, and
He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house
of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of
robbers.’”
Mark 11:18 When the chief priests and scribes
heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were
afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His
teaching.
Mark 11:19 And when evening came, Jesus and His
disciples went out of the city.
Mark 11:20 As they were walking back in the
morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots.
Mark 11:21 Peter remembered it and said, “Look,
Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.”
Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said to
them.
Mark 11:23 “Truly I tell you that if anyone says
to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has
no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be
done for him.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you
ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours.
Mark 11:25 And when you stand to pray, if you
hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in
heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”
Mark 11:26
Mark 11:27 After their return to Jerusalem,
Jesus was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests,
scribes, and elders came up to Him.
Mark 11:28 “By what authority are You doing
these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do
them?”
Mark 11:29 “I will ask you one question,” Jesus
replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority
I am doing these things.
Mark 11:30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven or
from men? Answer Me!”
Mark 11:31 They deliberated among themselves
what they should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask,
‘Why then did you not believe him?’
Mark 11:32 But if we say, ‘From men’...” they
were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a
prophet.
Mark 11:33 So they answered, “We do not know.”
And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am
doing these things.”
Mark 12:1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in
parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug
a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some
tenants and went away on a journey.
Mark 12:2 At harvest time, he sent a servant to
the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.
Mark 12:3 But they seized the servant, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Mark 12:4 Then he sent them another servant, and
they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.
Mark 12:5 He sent still another, and this one
they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they
killed.
Mark 12:6 Finally, having one beloved son, he
sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
Mark 12:7 But the tenants said to one another,
‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will
be ours.’
Mark 12:8 So they seized the son, killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
Mark 12:9 What then will the owner of the
vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give
the vineyard to others.
Mark 12:10 Have you never read this Scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Mark 12:11 This is from the Lord, and it is
marvelous in our eyes’?”
Mark 12:12 At this, the leaders sought to arrest
Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them.
But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
Mark 12:13 Later, they sent some of the
Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words.
Mark 12:14 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that
You are honest and seek favor from no one. Indeed, You are
impartial and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or
not?”
Mark 12:15 But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy
and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to
inspect.”
Mark 12:16 So they brought it, and He asked
them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,”
they answered.
Mark 12:17 Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar
what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they marveled at
Him.
Mark 12:18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is
no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him:
Mark 12:19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if
a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is
to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
Mark 12:20 Now there were seven brothers. The
first one married and died, leaving no children.
Mark 12:21 Then the second one married the
widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did
likewise.
Mark 12:22 In this way, none of the seven left
any children. And last of all, the woman died.
Mark 12:23 In the resurrection, then, whose wife
will she be? For all seven were married to her.”
Mark 12:24 Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you
mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of
God?
Mark 12:25 When the dead rise, they will neither
marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the
angels in heaven.
Mark 12:26 But concerning the dead rising, have
you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God
told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob’?
Mark 12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but of
the living. You are badly mistaken!”
Mark 12:28 Now one of the scribes had come up
and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them,
he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
Mark 12:29 Jesus replied, “This is the most
important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength.’
Mark 12:31 The second is this: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than
these.”
Mark 12:32 “Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied.
“You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other
but Him,
Mark 12:33 and to love Him with all your heart
and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to
love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all
burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Mark 12:34 When Jesus saw that the man had
answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of
God.” And no one dared to question Him any further.
Mark 12:35 While Jesus was teaching in the
temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ
is the Son of David?
Mark 12:36 Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David
himself declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’
Mark 12:37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So
how can He be David’s son?” And the large crowd listened to Him
with delight.
Mark 12:38 In His teaching Jesus also said,
“Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long
robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
Mark 12:39 and to have the chief seats in the
synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
Mark 12:40 They defraud widows of their houses,
and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive
greater condemnation.”
Mark 12:41 As Jesus was sitting opposite the
treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many
rich people put in large amounts.
Mark 12:42 Then one poor widow came and put in
two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a
denarius.
Mark 12:43 Jesus called His disciples to Him and
said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the
others into the treasury.
Mark 12:44 For they all contributed out of their
surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live
on.”
Mark 13:1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one
of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look at the magnificent
stones and buildings!”
Mark 13:2 “Do you see all these great
buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on
another; every one will be thrown down.”
Mark 13:3 While Jesus was sitting on the Mount
of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew
asked Him privately,
Mark 13:4 “Tell us, when will these things
happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to be
fulfilled?”
Mark 13:5 Jesus began by telling them, “See to
it that no one deceives you.
Mark 13:6 Many will come in My name, claiming,
‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.
Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of
wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is
still to come.
Mark 13:8 Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various
places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth
pains.
Mark 13:9 So be on your guard. You will be
delivered over to the councils and beaten in the synagogues. On My
account you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to
them.
Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be
proclaimed to all the nations.
Mark 13:11 But when they arrest you and hand you
over, do not worry beforehand what to say. Instead, speak whatever
you are given at that time, for it will not be you speaking, but
the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13:12 Brother will betray brother to death,
and a father his child. Children will rise against their parents
and have them put to death.
Mark 13:13 You will be hated by everyone because
of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
Mark 13:14 So when you see the abomination of
desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader
understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains.
Mark 13:15 Let no one on the housetop go back
inside to retrieve anything from his house.
Mark 13:16 And let no one in the field return
for his cloak.
Mark 13:17 How miserable those days will be for
pregnant and nursing mothers!
Mark 13:18 Pray that this will not occur in the
winter.
Mark 13:19 For those will be days of tribulation
unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and
never to be seen again.
Mark 13:20 If the Lord had not cut short those
days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom
He has chosen, He has cut them short.
Mark 13:21 At that time if anyone says to you,
‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets
will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even
the elect, if that were possible.
Mark 13:23 So be on your guard; I have told you
everything in advance.
Mark 13:24 But in those days, after that
tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light;
Mark 13:25 the stars will fall from the sky, and
the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’
Mark 13:26 At that time they will see the Son of
Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Mark 13:27 And He will send out the angels to
gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth
to the ends of heaven.
Mark 13:28 Now learn this lesson from the fig
tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you
know that summer is near.
Mark 13:29 So also, when you see these things
happening, know that He is near, right at the door.
Mark 13:30 Truly I tell you, this generation
will not pass away until all these things have happened.
Mark 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but
My words will never pass away.
Mark 13:32 No one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Mark 13:33 Be on your guard and stay alert! For
you do not know when the appointed time will come.
Mark 13:34 It is like a man going on a journey
who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task,
and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch.
Mark 13:35 Therefore keep watch, because you do
not know when the master of the house will return—whether in the
evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning.
Mark 13:36 Otherwise, he may arrive without
notice and find you sleeping.
Mark 13:37 And what I say to you, I say to
everyone: Keep watch!”
Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and
scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill
Him.
Mark 14:2 “But not during the feast,” they said,
“or there may be a riot among the people.”
Mark 14:3 While Jesus was in Bethany reclining
at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an
alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke
open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head.
Mark 14:4 Some of those present, however,
expressed their indignation to one another: “Why this waste of
perfume?
Mark 14:5 It could have been sold for over three
hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded
her.
Mark 14:6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why
are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
Mark 14:7 The poor you will always have with
you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not
always have Me.
Mark 14:8 She has done what she could to anoint
My body in advance of My burial.
Mark 14:9 And truly I tell you, wherever the
gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also
be told in memory of her.”
Mark 14:10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the
Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them.
Mark 14:11 They were delighted to hear this, and
they promised to give him money. So Judas began to look for an
opportunity to betray Jesus.
Mark 14:12 On the first day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed,
Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for
You to eat the Passover?”
Mark 14:13 So He sent two of His disciples and
told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water
will meet you. Follow him,
Mark 14:14 and whichever house he enters, say to
the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I may
eat the Passover with My disciples?’
Mark 14:15 And he will show you a large upper
room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
Mark 14:16 So the disciples left and went into
the city, where they found everything as Jesus had described. And
they prepared the Passover.
Mark 14:17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with
the Twelve.
Mark 14:18 And while they were reclining and
eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you who is eating
with Me will betray Me.”
Mark 14:19 They began to be grieved and to ask
Him one after another, “Surely not I?”
Mark 14:20 He answered, “It is one of the
Twelve—the one who is dipping his hand into the bowl with Me.
Mark 14:21 The Son of Man will go just as it is
written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It
would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Mark 14:22 While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the
disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.”
Mark 14:23 Then He took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
Mark 14:24 He said to them, “This is My blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Mark 14:25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer
drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew
in the kingdom of God.”
Mark 14:26 And when they had sung a hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives.
Mark 14:27 Then Jesus said to them, “You will
all fall away, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and
the sheep will be scattered.’
Mark 14:28 But after I have risen, I will go
ahead of you into Galilee.”
Mark 14:29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall
away, I never will.”
Mark 14:30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied,
“this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me
three times.”
Mark 14:31 But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I
have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the others
said the same thing.
Mark 14:32 Then they came to a place called
Gethsemane, and Jesus told His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
Mark 14:33 He took with Him Peter, James, and
John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.
Mark 14:34 Then He said to them, “My soul is
consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep
watch.”
Mark 14:35 Going a little farther, He fell to
the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would
pass from Him.
Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father,” He said, “all things
are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will,
but what You will.”
Mark 14:37 Then Jesus returned and found them
sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to
keep watch for one hour?
Mark 14:38 Watch and pray so that you will not
enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is
weak.”
Mark 14:39 Again He went away and prayed, saying
the same thing.
Mark 14:40 And again Jesus returned and found
them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy. And they did not know
what to answer Him.
Mark 14:41 When Jesus returned the third time,
He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough! The
hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of
sinners.
Mark 14:42 Rise, let us go. See, My betrayer is
approaching!”
Mark 14:43 While Jesus was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed
with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and
elders.
Mark 14:44 Now the betrayer had arranged a
signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead
Him away securely.”
Mark 14:45 Going directly to Jesus, he said,
“Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Mark 14:46 Then the men seized Jesus and
arrested Him.
Mark 14:47 And one of the bystanders drew his
sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his
ear.
Mark 14:48 Jesus asked the crowd, “Have you come
out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw?
Mark 14:49 Every day I was with you, teaching in
the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me. But this has
happened that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.”
Mark 14:50 Then everyone deserted Him and fled.
Mark 14:51 One young man who had been following
Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold
of him,
Mark 14:52 but he pulled free of the linen cloth
and ran away naked.
Mark 14:53 They led Jesus away to the high
priest, and all the chief priests, elders, and scribes assembled.
Mark 14:54 Peter followed Him at a distance,
right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the
officers and warmed himself by the fire.
Mark 14:55 Now the chief priests and the whole
Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to
death, but they did not find any.
Mark 14:56 For many bore false witness against
Jesus, but their testimony was inconsistent.
Mark 14:57 Then some men stood up and testified
falsely against Him:
Mark 14:58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy
this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that
is made without hands.’”
Mark 14:59 But even their testimony was
inconsistent.
Mark 14:60 So the high priest stood up before
them and questioned Jesus, “Have You no answer? What are these men
testifying against You?”
Mark 14:61 But Jesus remained silent and made no
reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ,
the Son of the Blessed One?”
Mark 14:62 “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see
the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with
the clouds of heaven.”
Mark 14:63 At this, the high priest tore his
clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses?
Mark 14:64 You have heard the blasphemy. What is
your verdict?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death.
Mark 14:65 Then some of them began to spit on
Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said
to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in
His face.
Mark 14:66 While Peter was in the courtyard
below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down
Mark 14:67 and saw him warming himself there.
She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the
Nazarene.”
Mark 14:68 But he denied it. “I do not know or
even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went
out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed.
Mark 14:69 There the servant girl saw him and
again said to those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”
Mark 14:70 But he denied it again. After a
little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter,
“Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.”
Mark 14:71 But he began to curse and swear, “I
do not know this man of whom you speak!”
Mark 14:72 And immediately the rooster crowed a
second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken
to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three
times.” And he broke down and wept.
Mark 15:1 Early in the morning, the chief
priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan.
They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate.
Mark 15:2 So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the
King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
Mark 15:3 And the chief priests began to accuse
Him of many things.
Mark 15:4 Then Pilate questioned Him again,
“Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing
against You!”
Mark 15:5 But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made
no further reply.
Mark 15:6 Now it was Pilate’s custom at the
feast to release to the people a prisoner of their choosing.
Mark 15:7 And a man named Barabbas was
imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the
insurrection.
Mark 15:8 So the crowd went up and began asking
Pilate to keep his custom.
Mark 15:9 “Do you want me to release to you the
King of the Jews?” Pilate asked.
Mark 15:10 For he knew it was out of envy that
the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
Mark 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the
crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
Mark 15:12 So Pilate asked them again, “What
then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the
Jews?”
Mark 15:13 And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”
Mark 15:14 “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has
He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
Mark 15:15 And wishing to satisfy the crowd,
Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and
handed Him over to be crucified.
Mark 15:16 Then the soldiers led Jesus away into
the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company
together.
Mark 15:17 They dressed Him in a purple robe,
twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head.
Mark 15:18 And they began to salute Him: “Hail,
King of the Jews!”
Mark 15:19 They kept striking His head with a
staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before
Him.
Mark 15:20 After they had mocked Him, they
removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then
they led Him out to crucify Him.
Mark 15:21 Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of
Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the
country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
Mark 15:22 They brought Jesus to a place called
Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull.
Mark 15:23 There they offered Him wine mixed
with myrrh, but He did not take it.
Mark 15:24 And they crucified Him. They also
divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them
would take.
Mark 15:25 It was the third hour when they
crucified Him.
Mark 15:26 And the charge inscribed against Him
read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mark 15:27 Along with Jesus, they crucified two
robbers, one on His right and one on His left.
Mark 15:28
Mark 15:29 And those who passed by heaped abuse
on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to
destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
Mark 15:30 come down from the cross and save
Yourself!”
Mark 15:31 In the same way, the chief priests
and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others,
but He cannot save Himself!
Mark 15:32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And
even those who were crucified with Him berated Him.
Mark 15:33 From the sixth hour until the ninth
hour darkness came over all the land.
Mark 15:34 At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in
a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My
God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Mark 15:35 When some of those standing nearby
heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
Mark 15:36 And someone ran and filled a sponge
with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to
drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to
take Him down.”
Mark 15:37 But Jesus let out a loud cry and
breathed His last.
Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was torn
in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:39 When the centurion standing there in
front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly
this man was the Son of God!”
Mark 15:40 And there were also women watching
from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
Mark 15:41 These women had followed Jesus and
ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many
other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
Mark 15:42 Now it was already evening. Since it
was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent
Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God,
boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
Mark 15:44 Pilate was surprised to hear that
Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if
this was so.
Mark 15:45 When Pilate had confirmed it with the
centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
Mark 15:46 So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took
down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in
a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone
against the entrance to the tomb.
Mark 15:47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
Joseph saw where His body was placed.
Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so
they could go and anoint the body of Jesus.
Mark 16:2 Very early on the first day of the
week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb.
Mark 16:3 They were asking one another, “Who
will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?”
Mark 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that
the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely
large.
Mark 16:5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a
young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and
they were alarmed.
Mark 16:6 But he said to them, “Do not be
alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was
crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they
put Him.
Mark 16:7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter,
‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him,
just as He told you.’”
Mark 16:8 So the women left the tomb and ran
away, trembling and bewildered. And in their fear they did not say
a word to anyone.
Mark 16:9 Early on the first day of the week,
after Jesus had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from
whom He had driven out seven demons.
Mark 16:10 She went and told those who had been
with Him, who were mourning and weeping.
Mark 16:11 And when they heard that Jesus was
alive and she had seen Him, they did not believe it.
Mark 16:12 After this, Jesus appeared in a
different form to two of them as they walked along in the country.
Mark 16:13 And they went back and reported it to
the rest, but they did not believe them either.
Mark 16:14 Later, as they were eating, Jesus
appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and
hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen
Him after He had risen.
Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will
be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those
who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will
speak in new tongues;
Mark 16:18 they will pick up snakes with their
hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them;
they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made
well.”
Mark 16:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to
them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand
of God.
Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached
everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word
by the signs that accompanied it.
LUKE
Luke 1:1 Many have undertaken to compose an
account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
Luke 1:2 just as they were handed down to us by
the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
Luke 1:3 Therefore, having carefully
investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to
me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke 1:4 so that you may know the certainty of
the things you have been taught.
Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea
there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly
division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of
Aaron.
Luke 1:6 Both of them were righteous in the
sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and
decrees of the Lord.
Luke 1:7 But they had no children, because
Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
Luke 1:8 One day while Zechariah’s division was
on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
Luke 1:9 he was chosen by lot, according to the
custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn
incense.
Luke 1:10 And at the hour of the incense
offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
Luke 1:11 Just then an angel of the Lord
appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of
incense.
Luke 1:12 When Zechariah saw him, he was
startled and gripped with fear.
Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be
afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name
John.
Luke 1:14 He will be a joy and delight to you,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
Luke 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of
the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be
filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
Luke 1:16 Many of the sons of Israel he will
turn back to the Lord their God.
Luke 1:17 And he will go on before the Lord in
the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers
to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Luke 1:18 “How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah
asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in
years.”
Luke 1:19 “I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I
stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you
and to bring you this good news.
Luke 1:20 And now you will be silent and unable
to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not
believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Luke 1:21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for
Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple.
Luke 1:22 When he came out and was unable to
speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple.
He kept making signs to them but remained speechless.
Luke 1:23 And when the days of his service were
complete, he returned home.
Luke 1:24 After these days, his wife Elizabeth
became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She
declared,
Luke 1:25 “The Lord has done this for me. In
these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among
the people.”
Luke 1:26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel
Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
Luke 1:27 to a virgin pledged in marriage to a
man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s
name was Mary.
Luke 1:28 The angel appeared to her and said,
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words
and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Luke 1:30 So the angel told her, “Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:31 Behold, you will conceive and give
birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of
His father David,
Luke 1:33 and He will reign over the house of
Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!”
Luke 1:34 “How can this be,” Mary asked the
angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Luke 1:35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:36 Look, even Elizabeth your relative has
conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is
in her sixth month.
Luke 1:37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary
answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the
angel left her.
Luke 1:39 In those days Mary got ready and
hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah,
Luke 1:40 where she entered the home of
Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
Luke 1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:42 In a loud voice she exclaimed,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your
womb!
Luke 1:43 And why am I so honored, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me?
Luke 1:44 For as soon as the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that
the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
Luke 1:46 Then Mary said: “My soul magnifies the
Lord,
Luke 1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior!
Luke 1:48 For He has looked with favor on the
humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call
me blessed.
Luke 1:49 For the Mighty One has done great
things for me. Holy is His name.
Luke 1:50 His mercy extends to those who fear
Him, from generation to generation.
Luke 1:51 He has performed mighty deeds with His
arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their
hearts.
Luke 1:52 He has brought down rulers from their
thrones, but has exalted the humble.
Luke 1:53 He has filled the hungry with good
things, but has sent the rich away empty.
Luke 1:54 He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
Luke 1:55 as He promised to our fathers, to
Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Luke 1:56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about
three months and then returned home.
Luke 1:57 When the time came for Elizabeth to
have her child, she gave birth to a son.
Luke 1:58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that
the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
Luke 1:59 On the eighth day, when they came to
circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father
Zechariah.
Luke 1:60 But his mother replied, “No! He shall
be called John.”
Luke 1:61 They said to her, “There is no one
among your relatives who bears this name.”
Luke 1:62 So they made signs to his father to
find out what he wanted to name the child.
Luke 1:63 Zechariah asked for a tablet and
wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
Luke 1:64 Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was
opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak,
praising God.
Luke 1:65 All their neighbors were filled with
awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking
about these events.
Luke 1:66 And all who heard this wondered in
their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For
the Lord’s hand was with him.
Luke 1:67 Then his father Zechariah was filled
with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
Luke 1:68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.
Luke 1:69 He has raised up a horn of salvation
for us in the house of His servant David,
Luke 1:70 as He spoke through His holy prophets,
those of ages past,
Luke 1:71 salvation from our enemies and from
the hand of all who hate us,
Luke 1:72 to show mercy to our fathers and to
remember His holy covenant,
Luke 1:73 the oath He swore to our father
Abraham, to grant us
Luke 1:74 deliverance from hostile hands, that
we may serve Him without fear,
Luke 1:75 in holiness and righteousness before
Him all the days of our lives.
Luke 1:76 And you, child, will be called a
prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to
prepare the way for Him,
Luke 1:77 to give to His people the knowledge of
salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
Luke 1:78 because of the tender mercy of our
God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
Luke 1:79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of
peace.”
Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong
in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his
public appearance to Israel.
Luke 2:1 Now in those days a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole
empire.
Luke 2:2 This was the first census to take place
while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
Luke 2:3 And everyone went to his own town to
register.
Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in
Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he
was from the house and line of David.
Luke 2:5 He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child.
Luke 2:6 While they were there, the time came
for her Child to be born.
Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn, a
Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds residing in
the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
Luke 2:9 Just then an angel of the Lord stood
before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were terrified.
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will
be for all the people:
Luke 2:11 Today in the city of David a Savior
has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
Luke 2:12 And this will be a sign to you: You
will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a
manger.”
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there appeared with the
angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and
saying:
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone
into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to
Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has
made known to us.”
Luke 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and
Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.
Luke 2:17 After they had seen the Child, they
spread the message they had received about Him.
Luke 2:18 And all who heard it were amazed at
what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things
and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as
the angel had told them.
Luke 2:21 When the eight days until His
circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel
had given Him before He had been conceived.
Luke 2:22 And when the time of purification
according to the Law of Moses was complete, His parents brought
Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
Luke 2:23 (as it is written in the Law of the
Lord: “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord”),
Luke 2:24 and to offer the sacrifice specified
in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young
pigeons.”
Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem named
Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
Luke 2:26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to him
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Luke 2:27 Led by the Spirit, he went into the
temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to
do for Him what was customary under the Law,
Luke 2:28 Simeon took Him in his arms and
blessed God, saying:
Luke 2:29 “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised,
You now dismiss Your servant in peace.
Luke 2:30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
Luke 2:31 which You have prepared in the sight
of all people,
Luke 2:32 a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
Luke 2:33 The Child’s father and mother were
amazed at what was spoken about Him.
Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to
His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the
rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
spoken against,
Luke 2:35 so that the thoughts of many hearts
will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your soul as well.”
Luke 2:36 There was also a prophetess named
Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well
along in years. She had been married for seven years,
Luke 2:37 and then was a widow to the age of
eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and
day, fasting and praying.
Luke 2:38 Coming forward at that moment, she
gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were
waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:39 When Jesus’ parents had done
everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
Luke 2:40 And the Child grew and became strong.
He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.
Luke 2:41 Every year His parents went to
Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.
Luke 2:42 And when He was twelve years old, they
went up according to the custom of the Feast.
Luke 2:43 When those days were over and they
were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but His parents were unaware He had stayed.
Luke 2:44 Assuming He was in their company, they
traveled on for a day before they began to look for Him among
their relatives and friends.
Luke 2:45 When they could not find Him, they
returned to Jerusalem to search for Him.
Luke 2:46 Finally, after three days they found
Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to
them and asking them questions.
Luke 2:47 And all who heard Him were astounded
at His understanding and His answers.
Luke 2:48 When His parents saw Him, they were
astonished. “Child, why have You done this to us?” His mother
asked. “Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.”
Luke 2:49 “Why were you looking for Me?” He
asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
Luke 2:50 But they did not understand the
statement He was making to them.
Luke 2:51 Then He went down to Nazareth with
them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured up all
these things in her heart.
Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and man.
Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod
tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and
Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
Luke 3:2 during the high priesthood of Annas and
Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the
wilderness.
Luke 3:3 He went into all the region around the
Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins,
Luke 3:4 as it is written in the book of the
words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the
wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for
Him.
Luke 3:5 Every valley shall be filled in, and
every mountain and hill made low. The crooked ways shall be made
straight, and the rough ways smooth.
Luke 3:6 And all humanity will see God’s
salvation.’”
Luke 3:7 Then John said to the crowds coming out
to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to
flee from the coming wrath?
Luke 3:8 Produce fruit, then, in keeping with
repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones
God can raise up children for Abraham.
Luke 3:9 The axe lies ready at the root of the
trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut
down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3:10 The crowds asked him, “What then
should we do?”
Luke 3:11 John replied, “Whoever has two tunics
should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do
the same.”
Luke 3:12 Even tax collectors came to be
baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
Luke 3:13 “Collect no more than you are
authorized,” he answered.
Luke 3:14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And
what should we do?” “Do not take money by force or false
accusation,” he said. “Be content with your wages.”
Luke 3:15 The people were waiting expectantly
and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the
Christ.
Luke 3:16 John answered all of them: “I baptize
you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps
of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in His hand to
clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn;
but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Luke 3:18 With these and many other
exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.
Luke 3:19 But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch
regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had
done,
Luke 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He
locked John up in prison.
Luke 3:21 When all the people were being
baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven
was opened,
Luke 3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on Him
in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You
are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Luke 3:23 Jesus Himself was about thirty years
old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of
Joseph, the son of Heli,
Luke 3:24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
Luke 3:25 the son of Mattathias, the son of
Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
Luke 3:26 the son of Maath, the son of
Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
Luke 3:27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
Luke 3:28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi,
the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
Luke 3:29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
Luke 3:30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah,
the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
Luke 3:31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
Luke 3:32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the
son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
Luke 3:33 the son of Amminadab, the son of
Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the
son of Judah,
Luke 3:34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac,
the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
Luke 3:35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the
son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
Luke 3:36 the son of Cainan, the son of
Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
Luke 3:37 the son of Methuselah, the son of
Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
Luke 3:38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the
son of Adam, the son of God.
Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness,
Luke 4:2 where for forty days He was tempted by
the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they had
ended, He was hungry.
Luke 4:3 The devil said to Him, “If You are the
Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Luke 4:4 But Jesus answered, “It is written:
‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Luke 4:5 Then the devil led Him up to a high
place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
Luke 4:6 “I will give You authority over all
these kingdoms and all their glory,” he said. “For it has been
relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish.
Luke 4:7 So if You worship me, it will all be
Yours.”
Luke 4:8 But Jesus answered, “It is written:
‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Luke 4:9 Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and
set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of
God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.
Luke 4:10 For it is written: ‘He will command
His angels concerning You to guard You carefully;
Luke 4:11 and they will lift You up in their
hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Luke 4:12 But Jesus answered, “It also says, ‘Do
not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished every
temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power
of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the
surrounding region.
Luke 4:15 He taught in their synagogues and was
glorified by everyone.
Luke 4:16 Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He
had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue
on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
Luke 4:17 the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was
handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was
written:
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has
sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight
to the blind, to release the oppressed,
Luke 4:19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor.”
Luke 4:20 Then He rolled up the scroll, returned
it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were fixed on Him,
Luke 4:21 and He began by saying, “Today this
Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:22 All spoke well of Him and marveled at
the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of
Joseph?” they asked.
Luke 4:23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will
quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in
Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”
Luke 4:24 Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no
prophet is accepted in his hometown.
Luke 4:25 But I tell you truthfully that there
were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was
shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all
the land.
Luke 4:26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of
them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.
Luke 4:27 And there were many lepers in Israel
in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was
cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
Luke 4:28 On hearing this, all the people in the
synagogue were enraged.
Luke 4:29 They got up, drove Him out of the
town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was
built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.
Luke 4:30 But Jesus passed through the crowd and
went on His way.
Luke 4:31 Then He went down to Capernaum, a town
in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
Luke 4:32 They were astonished at His teaching,
because His message had authority.
Luke 4:33 In the synagogue there was a man
possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon. He cried out in a
loud voice,
Luke 4:34 “Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus
of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the
Holy One of God!”
Luke 4:35 But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be
silent!” He said. “Come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the
man down before them all and came out without harming him.
Luke 4:36 All the people were overcome with
amazement and asked one another, “What is this message? With
authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come
out!”
Luke 4:37 And the news about Jesus spread
throughout the surrounding region.
Luke 4:38 After Jesus had left the synagogue, He
went to the home of Simon, whose mother-in-law was suffering from
a high fever. So they appealed to Jesus on her behalf,
Luke 4:39 and He stood over her and rebuked the
fever, and it left her. And she got up at once and began to serve
them.
Luke 4:40 At sunset, all who were ill with
various diseases were brought to Jesus, and laying His hands on
each one, He healed them.
Luke 4:41 Demons also came out of many people,
shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked the demons and
would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the
Christ.
Luke 4:42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a
solitary place, and the crowds were looking for Him. They came to
Him and tried to keep Him from leaving.
Luke 4:43 But Jesus told them, “I must preach
the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well,
because that is why I was sent.”
Luke 4:44 And He continued to preach in the
synagogues of Judea.
Luke 5:1 On one occasion, while Jesus was
standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on
Him to hear the word of God,
Luke 5:2 He saw two boats at the edge of the
lake. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.
Luke 5:3 Jesus got into the boat belonging to
Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting
down, He taught the people from the boat.
Luke 5:4 When Jesus had finished speaking, He
said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for
a catch.”
Luke 5:5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we have
worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You
say so, I will let down the nets.”
Luke 5:6 When they had done so, they caught such
a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.
Luke 5:7 So they signaled to their partners in
the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled
both boats so full that they began to sink.
Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at
Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful
man.”
Luke 5:9 For he and his companions were
astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,
Luke 5:10 and so were his partners James and
John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to
Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”
Luke 5:11 And when they had brought their boats
ashore, they left everything and followed Him.
Luke 5:12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a
man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he
fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can
make me clean.”
Luke 5:13 Jesus reached out His hand and touched
the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the
leprosy left him.
Luke 5:14 “Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed
him. “But go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering
Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Luke 5:15 But the news about Jesus spread all
the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of
their sicknesses.
Luke 5:16 Yet He frequently withdrew to the
wilderness to pray.
Luke 5:17 One day Jesus was teaching, and the
Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. People had
come from Jerusalem and from every village of Galilee and Judea,
and the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick.
Luke 5:18 Just then some men came carrying a
paralyzed man on a mat. They tried to bring him inside to set him
before Jesus,
Luke 5:19 but they could not find a way through
the crowd. So they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat
through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of
Jesus.
Luke 5:20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said,
“Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 5:21 But the scribes and Pharisees began
thinking to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemy? Who
can forgive sins but God alone?”
Luke 5:22 Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus
replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
Luke 5:23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins
are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’
Luke 5:24 But so that you may know that the Son
of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins...” He said to
the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go
home.”
Luke 5:25 And immediately the man stood up
before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home
glorifying God.
Luke 5:26 Everyone was taken with amazement and
glorified God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen
remarkable things today.”
Luke 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a
tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He
told him,
Luke 5:28 and Levi got up, left everything, and
followed Him.
Luke 5:29 Then Levi hosted a great banquet for
Jesus at his house. A large crowd of tax collectors was there,
along with others who were eating with them.
Luke 5:30 But the Pharisees and their scribes
complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax
collectors and sinners?”
Luke 5:31 Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy
who need a doctor, but the sick.
Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous,
but sinners, to repentance.”
Luke 5:33 Then they said to Him, “John’s
disciples and those of the Pharisees frequently fast and pray, but
Yours keep on eating and drinking.”
Luke 5:34 Jesus replied, “Can you make the
guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?
Luke 5:35 But the time will come when the
bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
Luke 5:36 He also told them a parable: “No one
tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and sews it on an old
one. If he does, he will tear the new garment as well, and the
patch from the new will not match the old.
Luke 5:37 And no one pours new wine into old
wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine
will spill, and the wineskins will be ruined.
Luke 5:38 Instead, new wine is poured into new
wineskins.
Luke 5:39 And no one after drinking old wine
wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’”
Luke 6:1 One Sabbath Jesus was passing through
the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of
grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.
Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why
are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Luke 6:3 Jesus replied, “Have you not read what
David did when he and his companions were hungry?
Luke 6:4 He entered the house of God, took the
consecrated bread and gave it to his companions, and ate what is
lawful only for the priests to eat.”
Luke 6:5 Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is
Lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath Jesus entered the
synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand
was withered.
Luke 6:7 Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus,
the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He
would heal on the Sabbath.
Luke 6:8 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said
to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So
he got up and stood there.
Luke 6:9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you,
which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save
life or to destroy it?”
Luke 6:10 And after looking around at all of
them, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and
it was restored.
Luke 6:11 But the scribes and Pharisees were
filled with rage and began to discuss with one another what they
might do to Jesus.
Luke 6:12 In those days Jesus went out to the
mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
Luke 6:13 When daylight came, He called His
disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated
as apostles:
Luke 6:14 Simon, whom He named Peter, and his
brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
Luke 6:15 Matthew and Thomas; James son of
Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot;
Luke 6:16 Judas son of James, and Judas
Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6:17 Then Jesus came down with them and
stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there,
along with a great number of people from all over Judea,
Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon.
Luke 6:18 They had come to hear Him and to be
healed of their diseases, and those troubled by unclean spirits
were healed.
Luke 6:19 The entire crowd was trying to touch
Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.
Luke 6:20 Looking up at His disciples, Jesus
said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of
God.
Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for
you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will
laugh.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as
evil because of the Son of Man.
Luke 6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,
because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated
the prophets in the same way.
Luke 6:24 But woe to you who are rich, for you
have already received your comfort.
Luke 6:25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for
you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and
weep.
Luke 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of
you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.
Luke 6:27 But to those of you who will listen, I
say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for
those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:29 If someone strikes you on one cheek,
turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do
not withhold your tunic as well.
Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if
anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.
Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do
to you.
Luke 6:32 If you love those who love you, what
credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
Luke 6:33 If you do good to those who do good to
you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.
Luke 6:34 And if you lend to those from whom you
expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to
sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to
them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for
He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Luke 6:36 Be merciful, just as your Father is
merciful.
Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be
judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive,
and you will be forgiven.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A
good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will
be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be
measured back to you.”
Luke 6:39 Jesus also told them a parable: “Can a
blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher,
but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Luke 6:41 Why do you look at the speck in your
brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
Luke 6:42 How can you say, ‘Brother, let me take
the speck out of your eye,’ while you yourself fail to see the
beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of
your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother’s eye.
Luke 6:43 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does
a bad tree bear good fruit.
Luke 6:44 For each tree is known by its own
fruit. Indeed, figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor grapes
from brambles.
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of
the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil
things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the
overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Luke 6:46 Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but
not do what I say?
Luke 6:47 I will show you what he is like who
comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them:
Luke 6:48 He is like a man building a house, who
dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood
came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake
it, because it was well built.
Luke 6:49 But the one who hears My words and
does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground
without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and
immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!”
Luke 7:1 When Jesus had concluded His discourse
in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.
Luke 7:2 There a highly valued servant of a
centurion was sick and about to die.
Luke 7:3 When the centurion heard about Jesus,
he sent some Jewish elders to ask Him to come and heal his
servant.
Luke 7:4 They came to Jesus and pleaded with Him
earnestly, “This man is worthy to have You grant this,
Luke 7:5 for he loves our nation and has built
our synagogue.”
Luke 7:6 So Jesus went with them. But when He
was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends with the
message: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to
have You come under my roof.
Luke 7:7 That is why I did not consider myself
worthy to come to You. But just say the word, and my servant will
be healed.
Luke 7:8 For I myself am a man under authority,
with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another
to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he
does it.”
Luke 7:9 When Jesus heard this, He marveled at
the centurion. Turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I
tell you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.”
Luke 7:10 And when the messengers returned to
the house, they found the servant in good health.
Luke 7:11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town
called Nain. His disciples went with Him, accompanied by a large
crowd.
Luke 7:12 As He approached the town gate, He saw
a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she
was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
Luke 7:13 When the Lord saw her, He had
compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.”
Luke 7:14 Then He went up and touched the
coffin, and those carrying it stood still. “Young man,” He said,
“I tell you, get up!”
Luke 7:15 And the dead man sat up and began to
speak! Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Luke 7:16 A sense of awe swept over all of them,
and they glorified God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!”
they said. “God has visited His people!”
Luke 7:17 And the news about Jesus spread
throughout Judea and all the surrounding region.
Luke 7:18 Then John’s disciples informed him
about all these things.
Luke 7:19 So John called two of his disciples
and sent them to ask the Lord, “Are You the One who was to come,
or should we look for someone else?”
Luke 7:20 When the men came to Jesus, they said,
“John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who was to
come, or should we look for someone else?’”
Luke 7:21 At that very hour Jesus healed many
people of their diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and He
gave sight to many who were blind.
Luke 7:22 So He replied, “Go back and report to
John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Luke 7:23 Blessed is the one who does not fall
away on account of Me.”
Luke 7:24 After John’s messengers had left,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go
out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?
Luke 7:25 Otherwise, what did you go out to see?
A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear elegant
clothing and live in luxury are found in palaces.
Luke 7:26 What then did you go out to see? A
prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
Luke 7:27 This is the one about whom it is
written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will
prepare Your way before You.’
Luke 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women
there is no one greater than John, yet even the least in the
kingdom of God is greater than he.”
Luke 7:29 All the people who heard this, even
the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice. For they had
received the baptism of John.
Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and experts in the
law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not
been baptized by John.
Luke 7:31 “To what, then, can I compare the men
of this generation? What are they like?
Luke 7:32 They are like children sitting in the
marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute
for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not
weep.’
Luke 7:33 For John the Baptist came neither
eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
Luke 7:34 The Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and you say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a
friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
Luke 7:35 But wisdom is vindicated by all her
children.”
Luke 7:36 Then one of the Pharisees invited
Jesus to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and
reclined at the table.
Luke 7:37 When a sinful woman from that town
learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar
of perfume.
Luke 7:38 As she stood behind Him at His feet
weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them
with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the
perfume.
Luke 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited
Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,
He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching
Him—for she is a sinner!”
Luke 7:40 But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have
something to tell you.” “Tell me, Teacher,” he said.
Luke 7:41 “Two men were debtors to a certain
moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other
fifty.
Luke 7:42 When they were unable to repay him, he
forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”
Luke 7:43 “I suppose the one who was forgiven
more,” Simon replied. “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Luke 7:44 And turning toward the woman, He said
to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you
did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her
tears and wiped them with her hair.
Luke 7:45 You did not greet Me with a kiss, but
she has not stopped kissing My feet since I arrived.
Luke 7:46 You did not anoint My head with oil,
but she has anointed My feet with perfume.
Luke 7:47 Therefore I tell you, because her many
sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been
forgiven little loves little.”
Luke 7:48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are
forgiven.”
Luke 7:49 But those at the table began to say to
themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Luke 7:50 And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith
has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 8:1 Soon afterward, Jesus traveled from one
town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good
news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,
Luke 8:2 as well as some women who had been
healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary called Magdalene,
from whom seven demons had gone out,
Luke 8:3 Joanna the wife of Herod’s household
manager Chuza, Susanna, and many others. These women were
ministering to them out of their own means.
Luke 8:4 While a large crowd was gathering and
people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them
this parable:
Luke 8:5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And
as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was
trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.
Luke 8:6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it
came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.
Luke 8:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which
grew up with it and choked the seedlings.
Luke 8:8 Still other seed fell on good soil,
where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus
said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Luke 8:9 Then His disciples asked Him what this
parable meant.
Luke 8:10 He replied, “The knowledge of the
mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to
others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not
see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
Luke 8:11 Now this is the meaning of the
parable: The seed is the word of God.
Luke 8:12 The seeds along the path are those who
hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their
hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Luke 8:13 The seeds on rocky ground are those
who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root.
They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall
away.
Luke 8:14 The seeds that fell among the thorns
are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked
by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their
fruit does not mature.
Luke 8:15 But the seeds on good soil are those
with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and
by persevering produce a crop.
Luke 8:16 No one lights a lamp and covers it
with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand,
so those who enter can see the light.
Luke 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will
not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made
known and brought to light.
Luke 8:18 Pay attention, therefore, to how you
listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have,
even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
Luke 8:19 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came
to see Him, but they were unable to reach Him because of the
crowd.
Luke 8:20 He was told, “Your mother and brothers
are standing outside, wanting to see You.”
Luke 8:21 But He replied, “My mother and
brothers are those who hear the word of God and carry it out.”
Luke 8:22 One day Jesus said to His disciples,
“Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a
boat with them and set out.
Luke 8:23 As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a
windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being
swamped, and they were in great danger.
Luke 8:24 The disciples went and woke Him,
saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and
rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all
was calm.
Luke 8:25 “Where is your faith?” He asked.
Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He
commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”
Luke 8:26 Then they sailed to the region of the
Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee.
Luke 8:27 When Jesus stepped ashore, He was met
by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man
had not worn clothing or lived in a house, but he stayed in the
tombs.
Luke 8:28 When the man saw Jesus, he cried out
and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You
want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to
torture me!”
Luke 8:29 For Jesus had commanded the unclean
spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and
though he was bound with chains and shackles, he had broken the
chains and been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Luke 8:30 “What is your name?” Jesus asked.
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
Luke 8:31 And the demons kept begging Jesus not
to order them to go into the Abyss.
Luke 8:32 There on the hillside a large herd of
pigs was feeding. So the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the
pigs, and He gave them permission.
Luke 8:33 Then the demons came out of the man
and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank
into the lake and was drowned.
Luke 8:34 When those tending the pigs saw what
had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and
countryside.
Luke 8:35 So the people went out to see what had
happened. They came to Jesus and found the man whom the demons had
left, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and
they were afraid.
Luke 8:36 Meanwhile, those who had seen it
reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed.
Luke 8:37 Then all the people of the region of
the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear
had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
Luke 8:38 The man whom the demons had left
begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying,
Luke 8:39 “Return home and describe how much God
has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over
the town how much Jesus had done for him.
Luke 8:40 When Jesus returned, the crowd
welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.
Luke 8:41 Just then a synagogue leader named
Jairus came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He begged Him to come to his
house,
Luke 8:42 because his only daughter, who was
about twelve, was dying. As Jesus went with him, the crowds
pressed around Him,
Luke 8:43 including a woman who had suffered
from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on
physicians, but no one was able to heal her.
Luke 8:44 She came up behind Jesus and touched
the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Luke 8:45 “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. But
they all denied it. “Master,” said Peter, “the people are crowding
and pressing against You.”
Luke 8:46 But Jesus declared, “Someone touched
Me, for I know that power has gone out from Me.”
Luke 8:47 Then the woman, seeing that she could
not escape notice, came trembling and fell down before Him. In the
presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched Him
and how she had immediately been healed.
Luke 8:48 “Daughter,” said Jesus, “your faith
has healed you. Go in peace.”
Luke 8:49 While He was still speaking, someone
arrived from the house of the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is
dead,” he told Jairus. “Do not bother the Teacher anymore.”
Luke 8:50 But Jesus overheard them and said to
Jairus, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
Luke 8:51 When He entered the house, He did not
allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the
child’s father and mother.
Luke 8:52 Meanwhile, everyone was weeping and
mourning for her. But Jesus said, “Stop weeping; she is not dead
but asleep.”
Luke 8:53 And they laughed at Him, knowing that
she was dead.
Luke 8:54 But Jesus took her by the hand and
called out, “Child, get up!”
Luke 8:55 Her spirit returned, and at once she
got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat.
Luke 8:56 Her parents were astounded, but Jesus
ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Luke 9:1 Then Jesus called the Twelve together
and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to
cure diseases.
Luke 9:2 And He sent them out to proclaim the
kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:3 “Take nothing for the journey,” He told
them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic.
Luke 9:4 Whatever house you enter, stay there
until you leave that area.
Luke 9:5 If anyone does not welcome you, shake
the dust off your feet when you leave that town, as a testimony
against them.”
Luke 9:6 So they set out and went from village
to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Luke 9:7 When Herod the tetrarch heard about all
that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that
John had risen from the dead,
Luke 9:8 others that Elijah had appeared, and
still others that a prophet of old had arisen.
Luke 9:9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “but who
is this man I hear such things about?” And he kept trying to see
Jesus.
Luke 9:10 Then the apostles returned and
reported to Jesus all that they had done. Taking them away
privately, He withdrew to a town called Bethsaida.
Luke 9:11 But the crowds found out and followed
Him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God,
and He healed those who needed healing.
Luke 9:12 As the day neared its end, the Twelve
came to Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the
surrounding villages and countryside for lodging and provisions.
For we are in a desolate place here.”
Luke 9:13 But Jesus told them, “You give them
something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two
fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these
people.”
Luke 9:14 (There were about five thousand men.)
He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about
fifty each.”
Luke 9:15 They did so, and everyone was seated.
Luke 9:16 Taking the five loaves and the two
fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus spoke a blessing and broke
them. Then He gave them to the disciples to set before the people.
Luke 9:17 They all ate and were satisfied, and
the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that
were left over.
Luke 9:18 One day as Jesus was praying in
private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who
do the crowds say I am?”
Luke 9:19 They replied, “Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of
old has arisen.”
Luke 9:20 “But what about you?” Jesus asked.
“Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Luke 9:21 Jesus strictly warned them not to tell
this to anyone.
Luke 9:22 “The Son of Man must suffer many
things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief
priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day
be raised to life.”
Luke 9:23 Then Jesus said to all of them, “If
anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up
his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
Luke 9:25 What does it profit a man to gain the
whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?
Luke 9:26 If anyone is ashamed of Me and My
words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His
glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:27 But I tell you truthfully, some who
are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom
of God.”
Luke 9:28 About eight days after Jesus had said
these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up
on a mountain to pray.
Luke 9:29 And as He was praying, the appearance
of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
Luke 9:30 Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah,
began talking with Jesus.
Luke 9:31 They appeared in glory and spoke about
His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Luke 9:32 Meanwhile Peter and his companions
were overcome by sleep, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus’ glory
and the two men standing with Him.
Luke 9:33 As Moses and Elijah were leaving,
Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us
put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
Luke 9:34 While Peter was speaking, a cloud
appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered
the cloud.
Luke 9:35 And a voice came from the cloud,
saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!”
Luke 9:36 After the voice had spoken, only Jesus
was present with them. The disciples kept this to themselves, and
in those days they did not tell anyone what they had seen.
Luke 9:37 The next day, when they came down from
the mountain, Jesus was met by a large crowd.
Luke 9:38 Suddenly a man in the crowd cried out,
“Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only child.
Luke 9:39 A spirit keeps seizing him, and he
screams abruptly. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams
at the mouth. It keeps mauling him and rarely departs from him.
Luke 9:40 I begged Your disciples to drive it
out, but they were unable.”
Luke 9:41 “O unbelieving and perverse
generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you and
put up with you? Bring your son here.”
Luke 9:42 Even while the boy was approaching,
the demon slammed him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus
rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to
his father.
Luke 9:43 And they were all astonished at the
greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus
was doing, He said to His disciples,
Luke 9:44 “Let these words sink into your ears:
The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Luke 9:45 But they did not understand this
statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not
comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Luke 9:46 Then an argument started among the
disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
Luke 9:47 But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of
their hearts, had a little child stand beside Him.
Luke 9:48 And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes
this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me
welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all
of you, he is the greatest.”
Luke 9:49 “Master,” said John, “we saw someone
driving out demons in Your name, and we tried to stop him, because
he does not accompany us.”
Luke 9:50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus replied, “for
whoever is not against you is for you.”
Luke 9:51 As the day of His ascension
approached, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.
Luke 9:52 He sent messengers on ahead, who went
into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
Luke 9:53 But the people there refused to
welcome Him, because He was heading for Jerusalem.
Luke 9:54 When the disciples James and John saw
this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from
heaven to consume them?”
Luke 9:55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
Luke 9:56 And He and His disciples went on to
another village.
Luke 9:57 As they were walking along the road,
someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
Luke 9:58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and
birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to
lay His head.”
Luke 9:59 Then He said to another man, “Follow
Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
Luke 9:60 But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury
their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:61 Still another said, “I will follow
You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
Luke 9:62 Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts
his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of
God.”
Luke 10:1 After this, the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every
town and place He was about to visit.
Luke 10:2 And He told them, “The harvest is
plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,
therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.
Luke 10:3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs
among wolves.
Luke 10:4 Carry no purse or bag or sandals. Do
not greet anyone along the road.
Luke 10:5 Whatever house you enter, begin by
saying, ‘Peace to this house.’
Luke 10:6 If a man of peace is there, your peace
will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
Luke 10:7 Stay at the same house, eating and
drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his
wages. Do not move around from house to house.
Luke 10:8 If you enter a town and they welcome
you, eat whatever is set before you.
Luke 10:9 Heal the sick who are there and tell
them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’
Luke 10:10 But if you enter a town and they do
not welcome you, go into the streets and declare,
Luke 10:11 ‘Even the dust of your town that
clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be
sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
Luke 10:12 I tell you, it will be more bearable
on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Luke 10:13 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been
performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago,
sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre
and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
Luke 10:15 And you, Capernaum, will you be
lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!
Luke 10:16 Whoever listens to you listens to Me;
whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the
One who sent Me.”
Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and
said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
Luke 10:18 So He told them, “I saw Satan fall
like lightning from heaven.
Luke 10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to
tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy. Nothing will harm you.
Luke 10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the
spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven.”
Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus rejoiced in the
Holy Spirit and declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for
this was well-pleasing in Your sight.
Luke 10:22 All things have been entrusted to Me
by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and
no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom
the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
Luke 10:23 Then Jesus turned to the disciples
and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
Luke 10:24 For I tell you that many prophets and
kings desired to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear
what you hear but did not hear it.”
Luke 10:25 One day an expert in the law stood up
to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit
eternal life?”
Luke 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” Jesus
replied. “How do you read it?”
Luke 10:27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
Luke 10:28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus
said. “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:29 But wanting to justify himself, he
asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:30 Jesus took up this question and said,
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into
the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away,
leaving him half dead.
Luke 10:31 Now by chance a priest was going down
the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other
side.
Luke 10:32 So too, when a Levite came to that
spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side.
Luke 10:33 But when a Samaritan on a journey
came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion.
Luke 10:34 He went to him and bandaged his
wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own
animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Luke 10:35 The next day he took out two denarii
and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and
on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’
Luke 10:36 Which of these three do you think was
a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
Luke 10:37 “The one who showed him mercy,”
replied the expert in the law. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do
likewise.”
Luke 10:38 As they traveled along, Jesus entered
a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
Luke 10:39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat
at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the
preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You
not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to
help me!”
Luke 10:41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied,
“you are worried and upset about many things.
Luke 10:42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary
has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from
her.”
Luke 11:1 One day in a place where Jesus had
just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, “Lord,
teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Luke 11:2 So Jesus told them, “When you pray,
say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
Luke 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread.
Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins, for we also
forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into
temptation.’”
Luke 11:5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one
of you goes to his friend at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me
three loaves of bread,
Luke 11:6 because a friend of mine has come to
me on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’
Luke 11:7 And suppose the one inside answers,
‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut, and my children and I
are in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’
Luke 11:8 I tell you, even though he will not
get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because
of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as
he needs.
Luke 11:9 So I tell you: Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be
opened to you.
Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 11:11 What father among you, if his son
asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Luke 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give
him a scorpion?
Luke 11:13 So if you who are evil know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father
in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:14 One day Jesus was driving out a demon
that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been
mute spoke. The crowds were amazed,
Luke 11:15 but some of them said, “It is by
Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”
Luke 11:16 And others tested Him by demanding a
sign from heaven.
Luke 11:17 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to
them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste,
and a house divided against a house will fall.
Luke 11:18 If Satan is divided against himself,
how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out
demons by Beelzebul.
Luke 11:19 And if I drive out demons by
Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will
be your judges.
Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the
finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Luke 11:21 When a strong man, fully armed,
guards his house, his possessions are secure.
Luke 11:22 But when someone stronger attacks and
overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted,
and then he divides up his plunder.
Luke 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me,
and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
Luke 11:24 When an unclean spirit comes out of a
man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find
it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
Luke 11:25 On its return, it finds the house
swept clean and put in order.
Luke 11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other
spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there.
And the final plight of that man is worse than the first.”
Luke 11:27 As Jesus was saying these things, a
woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb
that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”
Luke 11:28 But He replied, “Blessed rather are
those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Luke 11:29 As the crowds were increasing, Jesus
said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none
will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
Luke 11:30 For as Jonah was a sign to the
Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation.
Luke 11:31 The Queen of the South will rise at
the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for
she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and now One greater than Solomon is here.
Luke 11:32 The men of Nineveh will stand at the
judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at
the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a
cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those
who enter can see the light.
Luke 11:34 Your eye is the lamp of your body.
When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light.
But when they are bad, your body is full of darkness.
Luke 11:35 Be careful, then, that the light
within you is not darkness.
Luke 11:36 So if your whole body is full of
light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as
though a lamp were shining on you.”
Luke 11:37 As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee
invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined at the
table.
Luke 11:38 But the Pharisee was surprised to see
that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
Luke 11:39 “Now then,” said the Lord, “you
Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you
are full of greed and wickedness.
Luke 11:40 You fools! Did not the One who made
the outside make the inside as well?
Luke 11:41 But give as alms the things that are
within you, and you will see that everything is clean for you.
Luke 11:42 Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes
of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the
love of God. You should have practiced the latter without
neglecting the former.
Luke 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the
chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the
marketplaces.
Luke 11:44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked
graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”
Luke 11:45 One of the experts in the law told
Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.”
Luke 11:46 “Woe to you as well, experts in the
law!” He replied. “You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you
yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load.
Luke 11:47 Woe to you! You build tombs for the
prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them.
Luke 11:48 So you are witnesses consenting to
the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, and you build
their tombs.
Luke 11:49 Because of this, the wisdom of God
said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles; some of them they
will kill and others they will persecute.’
Luke 11:50 As a result, this generation will be
charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed
since the foundation of the world,
Luke 11:51 from the blood of Abel to the blood
of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary.
Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.
Luke 11:52 Woe to you experts in the law! For
you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not
entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
Luke 11:53 As Jesus went on from there, the
scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him
with questions about many things,
Luke 11:54 waiting to catch Him in something He
might say.
Luke 12:1 In the meantime, a crowd of many
thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another.
Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Luke 12:2 There is nothing concealed that will
not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.
Luke 12:3 What you have spoken in the dark will
be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner
rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
Luke 12:4 I tell you, My friends, do not be
afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
Luke 12:5 But I will show you whom you should
fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority
to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two
pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Luke 12:7 And even the very hairs of your head
are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than
many sparrows.
Luke 12:8 I tell you, everyone who confesses Me
before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels
of God.
Luke 12:9 But whoever denies Me before men will
be denied before the angels of God.
Luke 12:10 And everyone who speaks a word
against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes
against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
Luke 12:11 When you are brought before
synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how to
defend yourselves or what to say.
Luke 12:12 For at that time the Holy Spirit will
teach you what you should say.”
Luke 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to Him,
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
Luke 12:14 But Jesus replied, “Man, who
appointed Me judge or executor between you?”
Luke 12:15 And He said to them, “Watch out!
Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:16 Then He told them a parable: “The
ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.
Luke 12:17 So he thought to himself, ‘What shall
I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
Luke 12:18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will
do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and
there I will store up all my grain and my goods.
Luke 12:19 Then I will say to myself, “You have
plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat,
drink, and be merry!”’
Luke 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This
very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own
what you have accumulated?’
Luke 12:21 This is how it will be for anyone who
stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to His disciples,
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will
eat, or about your body, what you will wear.
Luke 12:23 For life is more than food, and the
body more than clothes.
Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow
or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. How
much more valuable you are than the birds!
Luke 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a
single hour to his life?
Luke 12:26 So if you cannot do such a small
thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Luke 12:27 Consider how the lilies grow: They do
not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his
glory was adorned like one of these.
Luke 12:28 If that is how God clothes the grass
of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!
Luke 12:29 And do not be concerned about what
you will eat or drink. Do not worry about it.
Luke 12:30 For the Gentiles of the world strive
after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Luke 12:31 But seek His kingdom, and these
things will be added unto you.
Luke 12:32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for
your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions and give to the
poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an
inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no
moth destroys.
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also.
Luke 12:35 Be dressed for service and keep your
lamps burning.
Luke 12:36 Then you will be like servants
waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so
that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at
once.
Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the
master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will
dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table,
and he himself will come and wait on them.
Luke 12:38 Even if he comes in the second or
third watch of the night and finds them alert, those servants will
be blessed.
Luke 12:39 But understand this: If the homeowner
had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let
his house be broken into.
Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, because the
Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
Luke 12:41 “Lord,” said Peter, “are You
addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”
Luke 12:42 And the Lord answered, “Who then is
the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of
his servants to give them their portion at the proper time?
Luke 12:43 Blessed is that servant whose master
finds him doing so when he returns.
Luke 12:44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions.
Luke 12:45 But suppose that servant says in his
heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and he begins to
beat the menservants and maidservants, and to eat and drink and
get drunk.
Luke 12:46 The master of that servant will come
on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.
Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the
unbelievers.
Luke 12:47 That servant who knows his master’s
will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be
beaten with many blows.
Luke 12:48 But the one who unknowingly does
things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From
everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from
him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.
Luke 12:49 I have come to ignite a fire on the
earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and
how distressed I am until it is accomplished!
Luke 12:51 Do you think that I have come to
bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division.
Luke 12:52 From now on, five in one household
will be divided, three against two and two against three.
Luke 12:53 They will be divided, father against
son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter
against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and
daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:54 Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As
soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is
coming,’ and that is what happens.
Luke 12:55 And when the south wind blows, you
say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is.
Luke 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to
interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know
how to interpret the present time?
Luke 12:57 And why don’t you judge for
yourselves what is right?
Luke 12:58 Make every effort to reconcile with
your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate.
Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may
hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into
prison.
Luke 12:59 I tell you, you will not get out
until you have paid the very last penny.”
Luke 13:1 At that time some of those present
told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with
their sacrifices.
Luke 13:2 To this He replied, “Do you think that
these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans,
because they suffered this fate?
Luke 13:3 No, I tell you. But unless you repent,
you too will all perish.
Luke 13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed when
the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were
more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?
Luke 13:5 No, I tell you. But unless you repent,
you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:6 Then Jesus told this parable: “A man
had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look
for fruit on it, but did not find any.
Luke 13:7 So he said to the keeper of the
vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search
for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it
down! Why should it use up the soil?’
Luke 13:8 ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it
alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it.
Luke 13:9 If it bears fruit next year, fine. But
if not, you can cut it down.’”
Luke 13:10 One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one
of the synagogues,
Luke 13:11 and a woman there had been disabled
by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not
stand up straight.
Luke 13:12 When Jesus saw her, He called her
over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your disability.”
Luke 13:13 Then He placed His hands on her, and
immediately she straightened up and began to glorify God.
Luke 13:14 But the synagogue leader was
indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. “There are six
days for work,” he told the crowd. “So come and be healed on those
days and not on the Sabbath.”
Luke 13:15 “You hypocrites!” the Lord replied.
“Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from
the stall and lead it to water?
Luke 13:16 Then should not this daughter of
Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be
released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?”
Luke 13:17 When Jesus said this, all His
adversaries were humiliated. And the whole crowd rejoiced at all
the glorious things He was doing.
Luke 13:18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the
kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it?
Luke 13:19 It is like a mustard seed that a man
tossed into his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds
of the air nested in its branches.”
Luke 13:20 Again He asked, “To what can I
compare the kingdom of God?
Luke 13:21 It is like leaven that a woman took
and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was
leavened.”
Luke 13:22 Then Jesus traveled throughout the
towns and villages, teaching as He made His way toward Jerusalem.
Luke 13:23 “Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only
a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,
Luke 13:24 “Make every effort to enter through
the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will
not be able.
Luke 13:25 After the master of the house gets up
and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know
where you are from.’
Luke 13:26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank
with you, and you taught in our streets.’
Luke 13:27 And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do
not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.’
Luke 13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in
the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.
Luke 13:29 People will come from east and west
and north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom
of God.
Luke 13:30 And indeed, some who are last will be
first, and some who are first will be last.”
Luke 13:31 At that very hour, some Pharisees
came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away,
because Herod wants to kill You.”
Luke 13:32 But Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox,
‘Look, I will keep driving out demons and healing people today and
tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach My goal.’
Luke 13:33 Nevertheless, I must keep going today
and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not admissible for a
prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem.
Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the
prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to
gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, but you were unwilling!
Luke 13:35 Look, your house is left to you
desolate. And I tell you that you will not see Me again until you
say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Luke 14:1 One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the
home of a leading Pharisee, and those in attendance were watching
Him closely.
Luke 14:2 Right there before Him was a man with
dropsy.
Luke 14:3 So Jesus asked the experts in the law
and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
Luke 14:4 But they remained silent. Then Jesus
took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.
Luke 14:5 And He asked them, “Which of you whose
son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately
pull him out?”
Luke 14:6 And they were unable to answer these
questions.
Luke 14:7 When Jesus noticed how the guests
chose the places of honor, He told them a parable:
Luke 14:8 “When you are invited to a wedding
banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more
distinguished than you has been invited.
Luke 14:9 Then the host who invited both of you
will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in
humiliation, you will have to take the last place.
Luke 14:10 But when you are invited, go and sit
in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you,
‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in
front of everyone at the table with you.
Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will
be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to the man who had
invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite
your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors.
Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid.
Luke 14:13 But when you host a banquet, invite
the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,
Luke 14:14 and you will be blessed. Since they
cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous.”
Luke 14:15 When one of those reclining with Him
heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is everyone who will eat at
the feast in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 14:16 But Jesus replied, “A certain man
prepared a great banquet and invited many guests.
Luke 14:17 When it was time for the banquet, he
sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for
everything is now ready.’
Luke 14:18 But one after another they all began
to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I
need to go see it. Please excuse me.’
Luke 14:19 Another said, ‘I have bought five
yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’
Luke 14:20 Still another said, ‘I have married a
wife, so I cannot come.’
Luke 14:21 The servant returned and reported all
this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and
said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys
of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and
the lame.’
Luke 14:22 ‘Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you
ordered has been done, and there is still room.’
Luke 14:23 So the master told his servant, ‘Go
out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that
my house will be full.
Luke 14:24 For I tell you, not one of those men
who were invited will taste my banquet.’”
Luke 14:25 Large crowds were now traveling with
Jesus, and He turned and said to them,
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not
hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and
sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:27 And whoever does not carry his cross
and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:28 Which of you, wishing to build a
tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has
the resources to complete it?
Luke 14:29 Otherwise, if he lays the foundation
and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will
ridicule him,
Luke 14:30 saying, ‘This man could not finish
what he started to build.’
Luke 14:31 Or what king on his way to war with
another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can
engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with
twenty thousand?
Luke 14:32 And if he is unable, he will send a
delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms
of peace.
Luke 14:33 In the same way, any one of you who
does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:34 Salt is good, but if the salt loses
its savor, with what will it be seasoned?
Luke 14:35 It is fit neither for the soil nor
for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to
hear, let him hear.”
Luke 15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners
were gathering around to listen to Jesus.
Luke 15:2 So the Pharisees and scribes began to
grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Luke 15:3 Then Jesus told them this parable:
Luke 15:4 “What man among you, if he has a
hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the
ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost,
until he finds it?
Luke 15:5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts
it on his shoulders,
Luke 15:6 comes home, and calls together his
friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have
found my lost sheep!’
Luke 15:7 In the same way, I tell you that there
will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous ones who do not need to repent.
Luke 15:8 Or what woman who has ten silver coins
and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and
search carefully until she finds it?
Luke 15:9 And when she finds it, she calls
together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I
have found my lost coin.’
Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is
joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who
had two sons.
Luke 15:12 The younger son said to him, ‘Father,
give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property
between them.
Luke 15:13 After a few days, the younger son got
everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he
squandered his wealth in wild living.
Luke 15:14 After he had spent all he had, a
severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in
need.
Luke 15:15 So he went and hired himself out to a
citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the
pigs.
Luke 15:16 He longed to fill his belly with the
pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing.
Luke 15:17 Finally he came to his senses and
said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food?
But here I am, starving to death!
Luke 15:18 I will get up and go back to my
father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you.
Luke 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called
your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
Luke 15:20 So he got up and went to his father.
But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was
filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and
kissed him.
Luke 15:21 The son declared, ‘Father, I have
sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be
called your son.’
Luke 15:22 But the father said to his servants,
‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his
finger and sandals on his feet.
Luke 15:23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it.
Let us feast and celebrate.
Luke 15:24 For this son of mine was dead and is
alive again! He was lost and is found!’ So they began to
celebrate.
Luke 15:25 Meanwhile the older son was in the
field, and as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
Luke 15:26 So he called one of the servants and
asked what was going on.
Luke 15:27 ‘Your brother has returned,’ he said,
‘and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has him
back safe and sound.’
Luke 15:28 The older son became angry and
refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.
Luke 15:29 But he answered his father, ‘Look,
all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a
commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I
could celebrate with my friends.
Luke 15:30 But when this son of yours returns
from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the
fattened calf for him!’
Luke 15:31 ‘Son, you are always with me,’ the
father said, ‘and all that is mine is yours.
Luke 15:32 But it was fitting to celebrate and
be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive
again; he was lost and is found.’”
Luke 16:1 Jesus also said to His disciples,
“There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his
possessions.
Luke 16:2 So he called him in to ask, ‘What is
this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for
you cannot be manager any longer.’
Luke 16:3 The manager said to himself, ‘What
shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am
too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg.
Luke 16:4 I know what I will do, so that after
my removal from management, people will welcome me into their
homes.’
Luke 16:5 And he called in each one of his
master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the
first.
Luke 16:6 ‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he
answered. ‘Take your bill,’ said the manager. ‘Sit down quickly,
and write fifty.’
Luke 16:7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much
do you owe?’ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he replied. ‘Take your
bill and write eighty,’ he told him.
Luke 16:8 The master commended the dishonest
manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age
are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons
of light.
Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to make
friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, they will welcome
you into eternal dwellings.
Luke 16:10 Whoever is faithful with very little
will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with
very little will also be dishonest with much.
Luke 16:11 So if you have not been faithful with
worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?
Luke 16:12 And if you have not been faithful
with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of
your own?
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both
God and money.”
Luke 16:14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of
money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
Luke 16:15 So He said to them, “You are the ones
who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For
what is prized among men is detestable before God.
Luke 16:16 The Law and the Prophets were
proclaimed until John. Since that time, the gospel of the kingdom
of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
Luke 16:17 But it is easier for heaven and earth
to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the
Law.
Luke 16:18 Anyone who divorces his wife and
marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a
divorced woman commits adultery.
Luke 16:19 Now there was a rich man dressed in
purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.
Luke 16:20 And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his
gate, covered with sores
Luke 16:21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs
that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked
his sores.
Luke 16:22 One day the beggar died and was
carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also
died and was buried.
Luke 16:23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he
looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
Luke 16:24 So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham,
have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’
Luke 16:25 But Abraham answered, ‘Child,
remember that during your lifetime you received your good things,
while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here,
while you are in agony.
Luke 16:26 And besides all this, a great chasm
has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish
cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to
us.’
Luke 16:27 ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said,
‘send Lazarus to my father’s house,
Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers. Let him
warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of
torment.’
Luke 16:29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses
and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
Luke 16:30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but
if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
Luke 16:31 Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do
not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded
even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Luke 17:1 Jesus said to His disciples, “It is
inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one
through whom they come!
Luke 17:2 It would be better for him to have a
millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than
to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Luke 17:3 Watch yourselves. If your brother
sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 Even if he sins against you seven
times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you
must forgive him.”
Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord,
“Increase our faith!”
Luke 17:6 And the Lord answered, “If you have
faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry
tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
Luke 17:7 Which of you whose servant comes in
from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at
once and sit down to eat’?
Luke 17:8 Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare
my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink; and
afterward you may eat and drink’?
Luke 17:9 Does he thank the servant because he
did what he was told?
Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done
everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy
servants; we have only done our duty.’”
Luke 17:11 While Jesus was on His way to
Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
Luke 17:12 As He entered one of the villages, He
was met by ten lepers. They stood at a distance
Luke 17:13 and raised their voices, shouting,
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
Luke 17:14 When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go,
show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were on their way,
they were cleansed.
Luke 17:15 When one of them saw that he was
healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice.
Luke 17:16 He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in
thanksgiving to Him—and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 “Were not all ten cleansed?” Jesus
asked. “Where then are the other nine?
Luke 17:18 Was no one found except this
foreigner to return and give glory to God?”
Luke 17:19 Then Jesus said to him, “Rise and go;
your faith has made you well!”
Luke 17:20 When asked by the Pharisees when the
kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will
not come with observable signs.
Luke 17:21 Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it
is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your
midst.”
Luke 17:22 Then He said to the disciples, “The
time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the
Son of Man, but you will not see it.
Luke 17:23 People will tell you, ‘Look, there He
is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
Luke 17:24 For just as the lightning flashes and
lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of
Man in His day.
Luke 17:25 But first He must suffer many things
and be rejected by this generation.
Luke 17:26 Just as it was in the days of Noah,
so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man:
Luke 17:27 People were eating and drinking,
marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered
the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:28 It was the same in the days of Lot:
People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and
building.
Luke 17:29 But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire
and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 It will be just like that on the day
the Son of Man is revealed.
Luke 17:31 On that day, let no one on the
housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no
one in the field return for anything he has left behind.
Luke 17:32 Remember Lot’s wife!
Luke 17:33 Whoever tries to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Luke 17:34 I tell you, on that night two people
will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left.
Luke 17:35 Two women will be grinding grain
together: One will be taken and the other left.”
Luke 17:36
Luke 17:37 “Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus
answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will
gather.”
Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable about
their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:
Luke 18:2 “In a certain town there was a judge
who neither feared God nor respected men.
Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that town who
kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
Luke 18:4 For a while he refused, but later he
said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect men,
Luke 18:5 yet because this widow keeps pestering
me, I will give her justice. Then she will stop wearing me out
with her perpetual requests.’”
Luke 18:6 And the Lord said, “Listen to the
words of the unjust judge.
Luke 18:7 Will not God bring about justice for
His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He continue to
defer their help?
Luke 18:8 I tell you, He will promptly carry out
justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,
will He find faith on earth?”
Luke 18:9 To some who trusted in their own
righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this
parable:
Luke 18:10 “Two men went up to the temple to
pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood by himself and
prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other
men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax
collector.
Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes of
all that I acquire.’
Luke 18:13 But the tax collector stood at a
distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead,
he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’
Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man, rather than the
Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 18:15 Now people were even bringing their
babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them. And when the
disciples saw this, they rebuked those who brought them.
Luke 18:16 But Jesus called the children to Him
and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder
them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Luke 18:17 Truly I tell you, anyone who does not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter
it.”
Luke 18:18 Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Luke 18:19 “Why do you call Me good?” Jesus
replied. “No one is good except God alone.
Luke 18:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not
commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false
witness, honor your father and mother.’”
Luke 18:21 “All these I have kept from my
youth,” he said.
Luke 18:22 On hearing this, Jesus told him, “You
still lack one thing: Sell everything you own and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
Luke 18:23 But when the ruler heard this, he
became very sad, because he was extremely wealthy.
Luke 18:24 Seeing the man’s sadness, Jesus said,
“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
Luke 18:25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to
pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.”
Luke 18:26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then
can be saved?”
Luke 18:27 But Jesus said, “What is impossible
with man is possible with God.”
Luke 18:28 “Look,” said Peter, “we have left all
we had to follow You.”
Luke 18:29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied,
“no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or
children for the sake of the kingdom of God
Luke 18:30 will fail to receive many times more
in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Luke 18:31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and
said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything
the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
Luke 18:32 He will be delivered over to the
Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.
Luke 18:33 They will flog Him and kill Him, and
on the third day He will rise again.”
Luke 18:34 But the disciples did not understand
any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they
did not comprehend what He was saying.
Luke 18:35 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a
blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.
Luke 18:36 When he heard the crowd going by, he
asked what was happening.
Luke 18:37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,”
they told him.
Luke 18:38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on me!”
Luke 18:39 Those who led the way admonished him
to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have
mercy on me!”
Luke 18:40 Jesus stopped and directed that the
man be brought to Him. When he had been brought near, Jesus asked
him,
Luke 18:41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”
“Lord,” he said, “let me see again.”
Luke 18:42 “Receive your sight!” Jesus replied.
“Your faith has healed you.”
Luke 18:43 Immediately he received his sight and
followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this
gave praise to God.
Luke 19:1 Then Jesus entered Jericho and was
passing through.
Luke 19:2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a
chief tax collector, who was very wealthy.
Luke 19:3 He was trying to see who Jesus was,
but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature.
Luke 19:4 So he ran on ahead and climbed a
sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.
Luke 19:5 When Jesus came to that place, He
looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at
your house today.”
Luke 19:6 So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed
Him joyfully.
Luke 19:7 And all who saw this began to grumble,
saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”
Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the
Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and
if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
Luke 19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation
has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and
to save the lost.”
Luke 19:11 While the people were listening to
this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near
Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear
imminently.
Luke 19:12 So He said, “A man of noble birth
went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then
return.
Luke 19:13 Beforehand, he called ten of his
servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this
until I return,’ he said.
Luke 19:14 But his subjects hated him and sent a
delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over
us.’
Luke 19:15 When he returned from procuring his
kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money,
to find out what each one had earned.
Luke 19:16 The first servant came forward and
said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’
Luke 19:17 His master replied, ‘Well done, good
servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter,
you shall have authority over ten cities.’
Luke 19:18 The second servant came and said,
‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’
Luke 19:19 And to this one he said, ‘You shall
have authority over five cities.’
Luke 19:20 Then another servant came and said,
‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of
cloth.
Luke 19:21 For I was afraid of you, because you
are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap
what you did not sow.’
Luke 19:22 His master replied, ‘You wicked
servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am
a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I
did not sow?
Luke 19:23 Why then did you not deposit my money
in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with
interest?’
Luke 19:24 Then he told those standing by, ‘Take
the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
Luke 19:25 ‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has
ten!’
Luke 19:26 He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone
who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even
what he has will be taken away from him.
Luke 19:27 And these enemies of mine who were
unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them
in front of me.’”
Luke 19:28 After Jesus had said this, He went on
ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
Luke 19:29 As He approached Bethphage and
Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples,
Luke 19:30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of
you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on
which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
Luke 19:31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying
it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
Luke 19:32 So those who were sent went out and
found it just as Jesus had told them.
Luke 19:33 As they were untying the colt, its
owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”
Luke 19:34 “The Lord needs it,” they answered.
Luke 19:35 Then they led the colt to Jesus,
threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it.
Luke 19:36 As He rode along, the people spread
their cloaks on the road.
Luke 19:37 And as He approached the descent from
the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to
praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had
seen:
Luke 19:38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the
name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19:39 But some of the Pharisees in the
crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
Luke 19:40 “I tell you,” He answered, “if they
remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
Luke 19:41 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw
the city, He wept over it
Luke 19:42 and said, “If only you had known on
this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from
your eyes.
Luke 19:43 For the days will come upon you when
your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on
every side.
Luke 19:44 They will level you to the ground—you
and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone
on another, because you did not recognize the time of your
visitation from God.”
Luke 19:45 Then Jesus entered the temple courts
and began to drive out those who were selling there.
Luke 19:46 He declared to them, “It is written:
‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den
of robbers.’”
Luke 19:47 Jesus was teaching at the temple
every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the
people were intent on killing Him.
Luke 19:48 Yet they could not find a way to do
so, because all the people hung on His words.
Luke 20:1 One day as Jesus was teaching the
people in the temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief
priests and scribes, together with the elders, came up to Him.
Luke 20:2 “Tell us,” they said, “by what
authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this
authority?”
Luke 20:3 “I will also ask you a question,”
Jesus replied. “Tell Me:
Luke 20:4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or
from men?”
Luke 20:5 They deliberated among themselves and
said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why did you not
believe him?’
Luke 20:6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the
people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a
prophet.”
Luke 20:7 So they answered that they did not
know where it was from.
Luke 20:8 And Jesus replied, “Neither will I
tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
Luke 20:9 Then He proceeded to tell the people
this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some
tenants, and went away for a long time.
Luke 20:10 At harvest time, he sent a servant to
the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But
the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed.
Luke 20:11 So he sent another servant, but they
beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away
empty-handed.
Luke 20:12 Then he sent a third, but they
wounded him and threw him out.
Luke 20:13 ‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of
the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will
respect him.’
Luke 20:14 But when the tenants saw the son,
they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir.
Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
Luke 20:15 So they threw him out of the vineyard
and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to
them?
Luke 20:16 He will come and kill those tenants,
and will give the vineyard to others.” And when the people heard
this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”
Luke 20:17 But Jesus looked directly at them and
said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The
stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’?
Luke 20:18 Everyone who falls on this stone will
be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
Luke 20:19 When the scribes and chief priests
realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they
sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the
people.
Luke 20:20 So they watched Him closely and sent
spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him
in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority
of the governor.
Luke 20:21 “Teacher,” they inquired, “we know
that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality, but
teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
Luke 20:22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to
Caesar or not?”
Luke 20:23 But Jesus saw through their duplicity
and said to them,
Luke 20:24 “Show Me a denarius. Whose image and
inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.
Luke 20:25 So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar
what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Luke 20:26 And they were unable to trap Him in
His words before the people; and amazed at His answer, they fell
silent.
Luke 20:27 Then some of the Sadducees, who say
there is no resurrection, came to question Him.
Luke 20:28 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote
for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no
children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up
offspring for him.
Luke 20:29 Now there were seven brothers. The
first one married a wife, but died childless.
Luke 20:30 Then the second
Luke 20:31 and the third married the widow, and
in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.
Luke 20:32 And last of all, the woman died.
Luke 20:33 So then, in the resurrection, whose
wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”
Luke 20:34 Jesus answered, “The sons of this age
marry and are given in marriage.
Luke 20:35 But those who are considered worthy
to share in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead
will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
Luke 20:36 In fact, they can no longer die,
because they are like the angels. And since they are sons of the
resurrection, they are sons of God.
Luke 20:37 Even Moses demonstrates that the dead
are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls
the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.’
Luke 20:38 He is not the God of the dead, but of
the living, for to Him all are alive.”
Luke 20:39 Some of the scribes answered,
“Teacher, You have spoken well!”
Luke 20:40 And they did not dare to question Him
any further.
Luke 20:41 Then Jesus declared, “How can it be
said that the Christ is the Son of David?
Luke 20:42 For David himself says in the book of
Psalms: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
Luke 20:43 until I make Your enemies a footstool
for Your feet.”’
Luke 20:44 Thus David calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how
can He be David’s son?”
Luke 20:45 In the hearing of all the people,
Jesus said to His disciples,
Luke 20:46 “Beware of the scribes. They like to
walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the
marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of
honor at banquets.
Luke 20:47 They defraud widows of their houses,
and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive
greater condemnation.”
Luke 21:1 Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich
putting their gifts into the treasury,
Luke 21:2 and He saw a poor widow put in two
small copper coins.
Luke 21:3 “Truly I tell you,” He said, “this
poor widow has put in more than all the others.
Luke 21:4 For they all contributed out of their
surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live
on.”
Luke 21:5 As some of the disciples were
remarking how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and
consecrated gifts, Jesus said,
Luke 21:6 “As for what you see here, the time
will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one
will be thrown down.”
Luke 21:7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will
these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about
to take place?”
Luke 21:8 Jesus answered, “See to it that you
are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am
He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
Luke 21:9 When you hear of wars and rebellions,
do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is
not imminent.”
Luke 21:10 Then He told them, “Nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes,
famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful
sights and great signs from heaven.
Luke 21:12 But before all this, they will seize
you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you
to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before
kings and governors.
Luke 21:13 This will be your opportunity to
serve as witnesses.
Luke 21:14 So make up your mind not to worry
beforehand how to defend yourselves.
Luke 21:15 For I will give you speech and wisdom
that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or
contradict.
Luke 21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents
and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be
put to death.
Luke 21:17 And you will be hated by everyone
because of My name.
Luke 21:18 Yet not even a hair of your head will
perish.
Luke 21:19 By your patient endurance you will
gain your souls.
Luke 21:20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded
by armies, you will know that her desolation is near.
Luke 21:21 Then let those who are in Judea flee
to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in
the country stay out of the city.
Luke 21:22 For these are the days of vengeance,
to fulfill all that is written.
Luke 21:23 How miserable those days will be for
pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress
upon the land and wrath against this people.
Luke 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the
sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will
be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
are fulfilled.
Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun and
moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations,
bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.
Luke 21:26 Men will faint from fear and anxiety
over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens
will be shaken.
Luke 21:27 At that time they will see the Son of
Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:28 When these things begin to happen,
stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is
drawing near.”
Luke 21:29 Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look
at the fig tree and all the trees.
Luke 21:30 When they sprout leaves, you can see
for yourselves and know that summer is near.
Luke 21:31 So also, when you see these things
happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Luke 21:32 Truly I tell you, this generation
will not pass away until all these things have happened.
Luke 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but
My words will never pass away.
Luke 21:34 But watch yourselves, or your hearts
will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries
of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
Luke 21:35 For it will come upon all who dwell
on the face of all the earth.
Luke 21:36 So keep watch at all times, and pray
that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to
happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:37 Every day Jesus taught at the temple,
but every evening He went out to spend the night on the Mount of
Olives.
Luke 21:38 And early in the morning all the
people would come to hear Him at the temple.
Luke 22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
called the Passover, was approaching,
Luke 22:2 and the chief priests and scribes were
looking for a way to put Jesus to death; for they feared the
people.
Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who
was one of the Twelve.
Luke 22:4 And Judas went to discuss with the
chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to
them.
Luke 22:5 They were delighted and agreed to give
him money.
Luke 22:6 Judas consented, and began to look for
an opportunity to betray Jesus to them in the absence of a crowd.
Luke 22:7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread
on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed.
Luke 22:8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go
and prepare for us to eat the Passover.”
Luke 22:9 “Where do You want us to prepare it?”
they asked.
Luke 22:10 He answered, “When you enter the
city, a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him to
the house he enters,
Luke 22:11 and say to the owner of that house,
‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the
Passover with My disciples?’
Luke 22:12 And he will show you a large upper
room, already furnished. Make preparations there.”
Luke 22:13 So they went and found it just as
Jesus had told them. And they prepared the Passover.
Luke 22:14 When the hour had come, Jesus
reclined at the table with His apostles.
Luke 22:15 And He said to them, “I have eagerly
desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering.
Luke 22:16 For I tell you that I will not eat it
again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
Luke 22:17 After taking the cup, He gave thanks
and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves.
Luke 22:18 For I tell you that I will not drink
of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God
comes.”
Luke 22:19 And He took the bread, gave thanks
and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body, given
for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Luke 22:20 In the same way, after supper He took
the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which
is poured out for you.
Luke 22:21 Look! The hand of My betrayer is with
Mine on the table.
Luke 22:22 Indeed, the Son of Man will go as it
has been determined, but woe to that man who betrays Him.”
Luke 22:23 Then they began to question among
themselves which of them was going to do this.
Luke 22:24 A dispute also arose among the
disciples as to which of them would be considered the greatest.
Luke 22:25 So Jesus declared, “The kings of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call
themselves benefactors.
Luke 22:26 But you shall not be like them.
Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and
the one who leads like the one who serves.
Luke 22:27 For who is greater, the one who
reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who
reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.
Luke 22:28 You are the ones who have stood by Me
in My trials.
Luke 22:29 And I bestow on you a kingdom, just
as My Father has bestowed one on Me,
Luke 22:30 so that you may eat and drink at My
table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes
of Israel.
Luke 22:31 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift
each of you like wheat.
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, Simon,
that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back,
strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:33 “Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go
with You even to prison and to death.”
Luke 22:34 But Jesus replied, “I tell you,
Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three
times that you know Me.”
Luke 22:35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent
you out without purse or bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.
Luke 22:36 “Now, however,” He told them, “the
one with a purse should take it, and likewise a bag; and the one
without a sword should sell his cloak and buy one.
Luke 22:37 For I tell you that this Scripture
must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the
transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its
fulfillment.”
Luke 22:38 So they said, “Look, Lord, here are
two swords.” “That is enough,” He answered.
Luke 22:39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount
of Olives, and the disciples followed Him.
Luke 22:40 When He came to the place, He told
them, “Pray that you will not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:41 And He withdrew about a stone’s throw
beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,
Luke 22:42 “Father, if You are willing, take
this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
Luke 22:43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to
Him and strengthened Him.
Luke 22:44 And in His anguish, He prayed more
earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the
ground.
Luke 22:45 When Jesus rose from prayer and
returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from
sorrow.
Luke 22:46 “Why are you sleeping?” He asked.
“Get up and pray so that you will not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:47 While He was still speaking, a crowd
arrived, led by the man called Judas, one of the Twelve. He
approached Jesus to kiss Him.
Luke 22:48 But Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you
betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:49 Those around Jesus saw what was about
to happen and said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”
Luke 22:50 And one of them struck the servant of
the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
Luke 22:51 But Jesus answered, “No more of
this!” And He touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Luke 22:52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests,
temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come
out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?
Luke 22:53 Every day I was with you in the
temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour
belongs to you and to the power of darkness.”
Luke 22:54 Then they seized Jesus, led Him away,
and took Him into the house of the high priest. And Peter followed
at a distance.
Luke 22:55 When those present had kindled a fire
in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat
down among them.
Luke 22:56 A servant girl saw him seated in the
firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with
Him,” she said.
Luke 22:57 But Peter denied it. “Woman, I do not
know Him,” he said.
Luke 22:58 A short time later, someone else saw
him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I
am not.”
Luke 22:59 About an hour later, another man
insisted, “Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a
Galilean.”
Luke 22:60 “Man, I do not know what you are
talking about,” Peter replied. While he was still speaking, the
rooster crowed.
Luke 22:61 And the Lord turned and looked at
Peter. Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to
him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three
times.”
Luke 22:62 And he went outside and wept
bitterly.
Luke 22:63 The men who were holding Jesus began
to mock Him and beat Him.
Luke 22:64 They blindfolded Him and kept
demanding, “Prophesy! Who hit You?”
Luke 22:65 And they said many other blasphemous
things against Him.
Luke 22:66 At daybreak the council of the elders
of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together.
They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said,
Luke 22:67 “If You are the Christ, tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe.
Luke 22:68 And if I ask you a question, you will
not answer.
Luke 22:69 But from now on the Son of Man will
be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
Luke 22:70 So they all asked, “Are You then the
Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”
Luke 22:71 “Why do we need any more testimony?”
they declared. “We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips.”
Luke 23:1 Then the whole council rose and led
Jesus away to Pilate.
Luke 23:2 And they began to accuse Him, saying,
“We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding payment of
taxes to Caesar, and proclaiming Himself to be Christ, a King.”
Luke 23:3 So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King
of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
Luke 23:4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests
and the crowds, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”
Luke 23:5 But they kept insisting, “He stirs up
the people all over Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee
and has come all the way here.”
Luke 23:6 When Pilate heard this, he asked if
the man was a Galilean.
Luke 23:7 And learning that Jesus was under
Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself was in
Jerusalem at that time.
Luke 23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly
pleased. He had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had
heard about Him and was hoping to see Him perform a miracle.
Luke 23:9 Herod questioned Jesus at great
length, but He gave no answer.
Luke 23:10 Meanwhile, the chief priests and
scribes stood there, vehemently accusing Him.
Luke 23:11 And even Herod and his soldiers
ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in a fine robe, they sent
Him back to Pilate.
Luke 23:12 That day Herod and Pilate became
friends; before this time they had been enemies.
Luke 23:13 Then Pilate called together the chief
priests, the rulers, and the people,
Luke 23:14 and said to them, “You brought me
this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have
examined Him here in your presence and found Him not guilty of
your charges against Him.
Luke 23:15 Neither has Herod, for he sent Him
back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of
death.
Luke 23:16 Therefore I will punish Him and
release Him.”
Luke 23:17
Luke 23:18 But they all cried out in unison:
“Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!”
Luke 23:19 (Barabbas had been imprisoned for an
insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
Luke 23:20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate
addressed them again,
Luke 23:21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify Him!
Crucify Him!”
Luke 23:22 A third time he said to them, “What
evil has this man done? I have found in Him no offense worthy of
death. So after I punish Him, I will release Him.”
Luke 23:23 But they were insistent, demanding
with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor
prevailed.
Luke 23:24 So Pilate sentenced that their demand
be met.
Luke 23:25 As they had requested, he released
the one imprisoned for insurrection and murder, and handed Jesus
over to their will.
Luke 23:26 As the soldiers led Him away, they
seized Simon of Cyrene on his way in from the country, and put the
cross on him to carry behind Jesus.
Luke 23:27 A great number of people followed
Him, including women who kept mourning and wailing for Him.
Luke 23:28 But Jesus turned to them and said,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children.
Luke 23:29 Look, the days are coming when people
will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never
bore, and breasts that never nursed!’
Luke 23:30 At that time ‘they will say to the
mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
Luke 23:31 For if men do these things while the
tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Luke 23:32 Two others, who were criminals, were
also led away to be executed with Jesus.
Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called
The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one
on His right and the other on His left.
Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided
up His garments by casting lots.
Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the
rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save
Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
Luke 23:36 The soldiers also mocked Him and came
up to offer Him sour wine.
Luke 23:37 “If You are the King of the Jews,”
they said, “save Yourself!”
Luke 23:38 Above Him was posted an inscription:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who hung there
heaped abuse on Him. “Are You not the Christ?” he said. “Save
Yourself and us!”
Luke 23:40 But the other one rebuked him,
saying, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same
judgment?
Luke 23:41 We are punished justly, for we are
receiving what our actions deserve. But this man has done nothing
wrong.”
Luke 23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me
when You come into Your kingdom!”
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell
you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:44 It was now about the sixth hour, and
darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.
Luke 23:45 The sun was darkened, and the veil of
the temple was torn down the middle.
Luke 23:46 Then Jesus called out in a loud
voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My Spirit.” And when He
had said this, He breathed His last.
Luke 23:47 When the centurion saw what had
happened, he gave glory to God, saying, “Surely this was a
righteous man.”
Luke 23:48 And when all the people who had
gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned
home beating their breasts.
Luke 23:49 But all those who knew Jesus,
including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a
distance watching these things.
Luke 23:50 Now there was a Council member named
Joseph, a good and righteous man,
Luke 23:51 who had not consented to their
decision or action. He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and
was waiting for the kingdom of God.
Luke 23:52 He went to Pilate to ask for the body
of Jesus.
Luke 23:53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a
linen cloth, and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no
one had yet been laid.
Luke 23:54 It was Preparation Day, and the
Sabbath was beginning.
Luke 23:55 The women who had come with Jesus
from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how His body was
placed.
Luke 23:56 Then they returned to prepare spices
and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath, according to the
commandment.
Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, very
early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the
spices they had prepared.
Luke 24:2 They found the stone rolled away from
the tomb,
Luke 24:3 but when they entered, they did not
find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:4 While they were puzzling over this,
suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.
Luke 24:5 As the women bowed their faces to the
ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the
living among the dead?
Luke 24:6 He is not here; He has risen! Remember
how He told you while He was still in Galilee:
Luke 24:7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into
the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day
rise again.’”
Luke 24:8 Then they remembered His words.
Luke 24:9 And when they returned from the tomb,
they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the
others.
Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary
the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this
to the apostles.
Luke 24:11 But their words seemed like nonsense
to them, and they did not believe the women.
Luke 24:12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the
tomb. And after bending down and seeing only the linen cloths, he
went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Luke 24:13 That same day two of them were going
to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:14 They were talking with each other
about everything that had happened.
Luke 24:15 And as they talked and deliberated,
Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them.
Luke 24:16 But their eyes were kept from
recognizing Him.
Luke 24:17 He asked them, “What are you
discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stood still, with
sadness on their faces.
Luke 24:18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked
Him, “Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the
things that have happened there in recent days?”
Luke 24:19 “What things?” He asked. “The events
involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a
prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the
people.
Luke 24:20 Our chief priests and rulers
delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and they crucified Him.
Luke 24:21 But we were hoping He was the One who
would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the third day
since these things took place.
Luke 24:22 Furthermore, some of our women
astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,
Luke 24:23 but they did not find His body. They
came and told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said that
Jesus was alive.
Luke 24:24 Then some of our companions went to
the tomb and found it just as the women had described. But Him
they did not see.”
Luke 24:25 Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish
ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets
have spoken!
Luke 24:26 Was it not necessary for the Christ
to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”
Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the
Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the
Scriptures about Himself.
Luke 24:28 As they approached the village where
they were headed, He seemed to be going farther.
Luke 24:29 But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with
us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He
went in to stay with them.
Luke 24:30 While He was reclining at the table
with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave
it to them.
Luke 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they
recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.
Luke 24:32 They asked each other, “Were not our
hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and
opened the Scriptures to us?”
Luke 24:33 And they got up that very hour and
returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with
them, gathered together
Luke 24:34 and saying, “The Lord has indeed
risen and has appeared to Simon!”
Luke 24:35 Then the two told what had happened
on the road, and how they had recognized Jesus in the breaking of
the bread.
Luke 24:36 While they were describing these
events, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with
you.”
Luke 24:37 But they were startled and
frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit.
Luke 24:38 “Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked,
“and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Luke 24:39 Look at My hands and My feet. It is I
Myself. Touch Me and see—for a spirit does not have flesh and
bones, as you see I have.”
Luke 24:40 And when He had said this, He showed
them His hands and feet.
Luke 24:41 While they were still in disbelief
because of their joy and amazement, He asked them, “Do you have
anything here to eat?”
Luke 24:42 So they gave Him a piece of broiled
fish,
Luke 24:43 and He took it and ate it in front of
them.
Luke 24:44 Jesus said to them, “These are the
words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must
be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the
Prophets, and the Psalms.”
Luke 24:45 Then He opened their minds to
understand the Scriptures.
Luke 24:46 And He told them, “This is what is
written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the
third day,
Luke 24:47 and in His name repentance and
forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning
in Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48 You are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise
of My Father upon you. But remain in the city until you have been
clothed with power from on high.”
Luke 24:50 When Jesus had led them out as far as
Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
Luke 24:51 While He was blessing them, He left
them and was carried up into heaven.
Luke 24:52 And they worshiped Him and returned
to Jerusalem with great joy,
Luke 24:53 praising God continually in the
temple.
JOHN
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 He was with God in the beginning.
John 1:3 Through Him all things were made, and
without Him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the
light of men.
John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God.
His name was John.
John 1:7 He came as a witness to testify about
the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.
John 1:8 He himself was not the Light, but he
came to testify about the Light.
John 1:9 The true Light who gives light to every
man was coming into the world.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the
world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own did
not receive Him.
John 1:12 But to all who did receive Him, to
those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become
children of God—
John 1:13 children born not of blood, nor of the
desire or will of man, but born of God.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made His
dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one
and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:15 John testified concerning Him. He
cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after
me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”
John 1:16 From His fullness we have all received
grace upon grace.
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one
and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has
made Him known.
John 1:19 And this was John’s testimony when the
Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are
you?”
John 1:20 He did not refuse to confess, but
openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
John 1:21 “Then who are you?” they inquired.
“Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He
answered, “No.”
John 1:22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We
need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about
yourself?”
John 1:23 John replied in the words of Isaiah
the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make
straight the way for the Lord.’”
John 1:24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent
John 1:25 asked him, “Why then do you baptize,
if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
John 1:26 “I baptize with water,” John replied,
“but among you stands One you do not know.
John 1:27 He is the One who comes after me, the
straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
John 1:28 All this happened at Bethany beyond
the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming
toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the world!
John 1:30 This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who
comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’
John 1:31 I myself did not know Him, but the
reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed
to Israel.”
John 1:32 Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him.
John 1:33 I myself did not know Him, but the One
who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you
see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the
Holy Spirit.’
John 1:34 I have seen and testified that this is
the Son of God.”
John 1:35 The next day John was there again with
two of his disciples.
John 1:36 When he saw Jesus walking by, he said,
“Look, the Lamb of God!”
John 1:37 And when the two disciples heard him
say this, they followed Jesus.
John 1:38 Jesus turned and saw them following.
“What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which
means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
John 1:39 “Come and see,” He replied. So they
went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It
was about the tenth hour.
John 1:40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one
of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus.
John 1:41 He first found his brother Simon and
told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as
Christ).
John 1:42 Andrew brought him to Jesus, who
looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be
called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).
John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to set out
for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the
same town as Andrew and Peter.
John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the
prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 1:46 “Can anything good come from
Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
John 1:47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching,
He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no
deceit.”
John 1:48 “How do You know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig
tree.”
John 1:49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are
the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
John 1:50 Jesus said to him, “Do you believe
just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see
greater things than these.”
John 1:51 Then He declared, “Truly, truly, I
tell you, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
John 2:1 On the third day a wedding took place
at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
John 2:2 and Jesus and His disciples had also
been invited to the wedding.
John 2:3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother
said to Him, “They have no more wine.”
John 2:4 “Woman, why does this concern us?”
Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do
whatever He tells you.”
John 2:6 Now six stone water jars had been set
there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from
twenty to thirty gallons.
John 2:7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars
with water.” So they filled them to the brim.
John 2:8 “Now draw some out,” He said, “and take
it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,
John 2:9 and the master of the banquet tasted
the water that had been turned into wine. He did not know where it
was from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he
called the bridegroom aside
John 2:10 and said, “Everyone serves the fine
wine first, and then the cheap wine after the guests are drunk.
But you have saved the fine wine until now!”
John 2:11 Jesus performed this, the first of His
signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His
disciples believed in Him.
John 2:12 After this, He went down to Capernaum
with His mother and brothers and His disciples, and they stayed
there a few days.
John 2:13 When the Jewish Passover was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 2:14 In the temple courts He found men
selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at
their tables.
John 2:15 So He made a whip out of cords and
drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured
out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
John 2:16 To those selling doves He said, “Get
these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a
marketplace!”
John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it is
written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”
John 2:18 On account of this, the Jews demanded,
“What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these
things?”
John 2:19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up again.”
John 2:20 “This temple took forty-six years to
build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in
three days?”
John 2:21 But Jesus was speaking about the
temple of His body.
John 2:22 After He was raised from the dead, His
disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the
Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:23 While He was in Jerusalem at the
Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and
believed in His name.
John 2:24 But Jesus did not entrust Himself to
them, for He knew them all.
John 2:25 He did not need any testimony about
man, for He knew what was in a man.
John 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.
John 3:2 He came to Jesus at night and said,
“Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For
no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with
him.”
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell
you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
John 3:4 “How can a man be born when he is old?”
Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to
be born?”
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell
you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of
water and the Spirit.
John 3:6 Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is
born of the Spirit.
John 3:7 Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must
be born again.’
John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes. You
hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where
it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
John 3:9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
John 3:10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said
Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
John 3:11 Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak of
what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, and yet you
people do not accept our testimony.
John 3:12 If I have told you about earthly
things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you
about heavenly things?
John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except
the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in
the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
John 3:15 that everyone who believes in Him may
have eternal life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He
gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall
not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in Him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one
and only Son.
John 3:19 And this is the verdict: The Light has
come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the
Light because their deeds were evil.
John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the
Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds
will be exposed.
John 3:21 But whoever practices the truth comes
into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has
done has been accomplished in God.”
John 3:22 After this, Jesus and His disciples
went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with
them and baptized.
John 3:23 Now John was also baptizing at Aenon
near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept
coming to be baptized.
John 3:24 (For John had not yet been thrown into
prison.)
John 3:25 Then a dispute arose between John’s
disciples and a certain Jew over the issue of ceremonial washing.
John 3:26 So John’s disciples came to him and
said, “Look, Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan,
the One you testified about—He is baptizing, and everyone is going
to Him.”
John 3:27 John replied, “A man can receive only
what is given him from heaven.
John 3:28 You yourselves can testify that I
said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’
John 3:29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom.
The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is
overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it
is now complete.
John 3:30 He must increase; I must decrease.
John 3:31 The One who comes from above is above
all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks
as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all.
John 3:32 He testifies to what He has seen and
heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.
John 3:33 Whoever accepts His testimony has
certified that God is truthful.
John 3:34 For the One whom God has sent speaks
the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has
placed all things in His hands.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has
eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead,
the wrath of God remains on him.”
John 4:1 When Jesus realized that the Pharisees
were aware He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John
John 4:2 (although it was not Jesus who
baptized, but His disciples),
John 4:3 He left Judea and returned to Galilee.
John 4:4 Now He had to pass through Samaria.
John 4:5 So He came to a town of Samaria called
Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son
Joseph.
John 4:6 Since Jacob’s well was there, Jesus,
weary from His journey, sat down by the well. It was about the
sixth hour.
John 4:7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw
water, Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
John 4:8 (His disciples had gone into the town
to buy food.)
John 4:9 “You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How
can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do
not associate with Samaritans.)
John 4:10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift
of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked
Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:11 “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have
nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get
this living water?
John 4:12 Are You greater than our father Jacob,
who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons
and his livestock?”
John 4:13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who
drinks this water will be thirsty again.
John 4:14 But whoever drinks the water I give
him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in
him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me
this water so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep coming
here to draw water.”
John 4:16 Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband
and come back.”
John 4:17 “I have no husband,” the woman
replied. Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have
no husband.
John 4:18 In fact, you have had five husbands,
and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken
truthfully.”
John 4:19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You
are a prophet.
John 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this
mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship
is in Jerusalem.”
John 4:21 “Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a
time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this
mountain nor in Jerusalem.
John 4:22 You worship what you do not know; we
worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
John 4:23 But a time is coming and has now come
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in
truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.
John 4:24 God is Spirit, and His worshipers must
worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah”
(called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain
everything to us.”
John 4:26 Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am
He.”
John 4:27 Just then His disciples returned and
were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked
Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with
her?”
John 4:28 Then the woman left her water jar,
went back into the town, and said to the people,
John 4:29 “Come, see a man who told me
everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
John 4:30 So they left the town and made their
way toward Jesus.
John 4:31 Meanwhile the disciples urged Him,
“Rabbi, eat something.”
John 4:32 But He told them, “I have food to eat
that you know nothing about.”
John 4:33 So the disciples asked one another,
“Could someone have brought Him food?”
John 4:34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the
will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four
months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look
at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.
John 4:36 Already the reaper draws his wages and
gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper
may rejoice together.
John 4:37 For in this case the saying ‘One sows
and another reaps’ is true.
John 4:38 I sent you to reap what you have not
worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken
up their labor.”
John 4:39 Many of the Samaritans from that town
believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me
everything I ever did.”
John 4:40 So when the Samaritans came to Him,
they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.
John 4:41 And many more believed because of His
message.
John 4:42 They said to the woman, “We now
believe not only because of your words; we have heard for
ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the
world.”
John 4:43 After two days, Jesus left for
Galilee.
John 4:44 Now He Himself had testified that a
prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
John 4:45 Yet when He arrived, the Galileans
welcomed Him. They had seen all the great things He had done in
Jerusalem at the feast, for they had gone there as well.
John 4:46 So once again He came to Cana in
Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a
royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.
John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come from
Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his
son, who was about to die.
John 4:48 Jesus said to him, “Unless you people
see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”
John 4:49 “Sir,” the official said, “come down
before my child dies.”
John 4:50 “Go,” said Jesus. “Your son will
live.” The man took Jesus at His word and departed.
John 4:51 And while he was still on the way, his
servants met him with the news that his boy was alive.
John 4:52 So he inquired as to the hour when his
son had recovered, and they told him, “The fever left him
yesterday at the seventh hour.”
John 4:53 Then the father realized that this was
the very hour in which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.”
And he and all his household believed.
John 4:54 This was now the second sign that
Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee.
John 5:1 Some time later there was a feast of
the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
John 5:2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the
Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is
called Bethesda.
John 5:3 On these walkways lay a great number of
the sick, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed.
John 5:4
John 5:5 One man there had been an invalid for
thirty-eight years.
John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there and
realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked
him, “Do you want to get well?”
John 5:7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no
one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am
on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
John 5:8 Then Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up
your mat, and walk.”
John 5:9 Immediately the man was made well, and
he picked up his mat and began to walk. Now this happened on the
Sabbath day,
John 5:10 so the Jews said to the man who had
been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It is unlawful for you to carry
your mat.”
John 5:11 But he answered, “The man who made me
well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
John 5:12 “Who is this man who told you to pick
it up and walk?” they asked.
John 5:13 But the man who was healed did not
know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while the crowd was
there.
John 5:14 Afterward, Jesus found the man at the
temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Stop
sinning, or something worse may happen to you.”
John 5:15 And the man went away and told the
Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
John 5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these
things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, “To this very
day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”
John 5:18 Because of this, the Jews tried all
the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but
He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with
God.
John 5:19 So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I
tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the
Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
John 5:20 The Father loves the Son and shows Him
all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater
works than these.
John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead
and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wishes.
John 5:22 Furthermore, the Father judges no one,
but has assigned all judgment to the Son,
John 5:23 so that all may honor the Son just as
they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not
honor the Father who sent Him.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever
hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and
will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from
death to life.
John 5:25 Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is
coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the
Son of God, and those who hear will live.
John 5:26 For as the Father has life in Himself,
so also He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.
John 5:27 And He has given Him authority to
execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
John 5:28 Do not be amazed at this, for the hour
is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
John 5:29 and come out—those who have done good
to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the
resurrection of judgment.
John 5:30 I can do nothing by Myself; I judge
only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My
own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 5:31 If I testify about Myself, My
testimony is not valid.
John 5:32 There is another who testifies about
Me, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.
John 5:33 You have sent to John, and he has
testified to the truth.
John 5:34 Even though I do not accept human
testimony, I say these things so that you may be saved.
John 5:35 John was a lamp that burned and gave
light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.
John 5:36 But I have testimony more substantial
than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to
accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the
Father has sent Me.
John 5:37 And the Father who sent Me has Himself
testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His
form,
John 5:38 nor does His word abide in you,
because you do not believe the One He sent.
John 5:39 You pore over the Scriptures because
you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the
very words that testify about Me,
John 5:40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have
life.
John 5:41 I do not accept glory from men,
John 5:42 but I know you, that you do not have
the love of God within you.
John 5:43 I have come in My Father’s name, and
you have not received Me; but if someone else comes in his own
name, you will receive him.
John 5:44 How can you believe if you accept
glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from
the only God?
John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you
before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have put
your hope.
John 5:46 If you had believed Moses, you would
believe Me, because he wrote about Me.
John 5:47 But since you do not believe what he
wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
John 6:1 After this, Jesus crossed to the other
side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias).
John 6:2 A large crowd followed Him because they
saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
John 6:3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and
sat down with His disciples.
John 6:4 Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover
was near.
John 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw a large
crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy
bread for these people to eat?”
John 6:6 But He was asking this to test him, for
He knew what He was about to do.
John 6:7 Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii
would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small
piece.”
John 6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon
Peter’s brother, said to Him,
John 6:9 “Here is a boy with five barley loaves
and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so
many?”
John 6:10 “Have the people sit down,” Jesus
said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat
down, about five thousand of them.
John 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves and the
fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as
much as they wanted.
John 6:12 And when everyone was full, He said to
His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over, so that
nothing will be wasted.”
John 6:13 So they collected them and filled
twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over
by those who had eaten.
John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that
Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet
who is to come into the world.”
John 6:15 Then Jesus, realizing that they were
about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a
mountain by Himself.
John 6:16 When evening came, His disciples went
down to the sea,
John 6:17 got into a boat, and started across
the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet
gone out to them.
John 6:18 A strong wind was blowing, and the sea
grew agitated.
John 6:19 When they had rowed about three or
four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the
sea—and they were terrified.
John 6:20 But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not
be afraid.”
John 6:21 Then they were willing to take Him
into the boat, and at once the boat reached the shore where they
were heading.
John 6:22 The next day, the crowd that had
remained on the other side of the sea realized that only one boat
had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His
disciples, but they had gone away alone.
John 6:23 However, some boats from Tiberias
landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after
the Lord had given thanks.
John 6:24 So when the crowd saw that neither
Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and
went to Capernaum to look for Him.
John 6:25 When they found Him on the other side
of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
John 6:26 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell
you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking
for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
John 6:27 Do not work for food that perishes,
but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man
will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of
approval.”
John 6:28 Then they inquired, “What must we do
to perform the works of God?”
John 6:29 Jesus replied, “The work of God is
this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
John 6:30 So they asked Him, “What sign then
will You perform, so that we may see it and believe You? What will
You do?
John 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to
eat.’”
John 6:32 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I
tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but
it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
John 6:33 For the bread of God is He who comes
down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:34 “Sir,” they said, “give us this bread
at all times.”
John 6:35 Jesus answered, “I am the bread of
life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes
in Me will never thirst.
John 6:36 But as I stated, you have seen Me and
still you do not believe.
John 6:37 Everyone the Father gives Me will come
to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.
John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not
to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:39 And this is the will of Him who sent
Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise
them up at the last day.
John 6:40 For it is My Father’s will that
everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have
eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:41 At this, the Jews began to grumble
about Jesus because He had said, “I am the bread that came down
from heaven.”
John 6:42 They were asking, “Is this not Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can
He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”
John 6:43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,”
Jesus replied.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the
Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last
day.
John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘And
they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father
and learned from Him comes to Me—
John 6:46 not that anyone has seen the Father
except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.
John 6:47 Truly, truly, I tell you, he who
believes has eternal life.
John 6:48 I am the bread of life.
John 6:49 Your fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, yet they died.
John 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from
heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.
John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down
from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My
flesh.”
John 6:52 At this, the Jews began to argue among
themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”
John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly,
I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the
Son of Man, you have no life in you.
John 6:54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:55 For My flesh is real food, and My
blood is real drink.
John 6:56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My
blood remains in Me, and I in him.
John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent Me and
I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will
live because of Me.
John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from
heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one
who eats this bread will live forever.”
John 6:59 Jesus said this while teaching in the
synagogue in Capernaum.
John 6:60 On hearing it, many of His disciples
said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
John 6:61 Aware that His disciples were
grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend
you?
John 6:62 Then what will happen if you see the
Son of Man ascend to where He was before?
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh
profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and
they are life.
John 6:64 However, there are some of you who do
not believe.” (For Jesus had known from the beginning which of
them did not believe and who would betray Him.)
John 6:65 Then Jesus said, “This is why I told
you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has granted it to
him.”
John 6:66 From that time on many of His
disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.
John 6:67 So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you
want to leave too?”
John 6:68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom
would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
John 6:69 We believe and know that You are the
Holy One of God.”
John 6:70 Jesus answered them, “Have I not
chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
John 6:71 He was speaking about Judas, the son
of Simon Iscariot. For although Judas was one of the Twelve, he
was later to betray Jesus.
John 7:1 After this, Jesus traveled throughout
Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews
there were trying to kill Him.
John 7:2 However, the Jewish Feast of
Tabernacles was near.
John 7:3 So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave
here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the
works You are doing.
John 7:4 For no one who wants to be known
publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show
Yourself to the world.”
John 7:5 For even His own brothers did not
believe in Him.
John 7:6 Therefore Jesus told them, “Although
your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates
Me, because I testify that its works are evil.
John 7:8 Go up to the feast on your own. I am
not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet come.”
John 7:9 Having said this, Jesus remained in
Galilee.
John 7:10 But after His brothers had gone up to
the feast, He also went—not publicly, but in secret.
John 7:11 So the Jews were looking for Him at
the feast and asking, “Where is He?”
John 7:12 Many in the crowds were whispering
about Him. Some said, “He is a good man.” But others replied, “No,
He deceives the people.”
John 7:13 Yet no one would speak publicly about
Him for fear of the Jews.
John 7:14 About halfway through the feast, Jesus
went up to the temple courts and began to teach.
John 7:15 The Jews were amazed and asked, “How
did this man attain such learning without having studied?”
John 7:16 “My teaching is not My own,” Jesus
replied. “It comes from Him who sent Me.
John 7:17 If anyone desires to do His will, he
will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My
own.
John 7:18 He who speaks on his own authority
seeks his own glory, but He who seeks the glory of the One who
sent Him is a man of truth; in Him there is no falsehood.
John 7:19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet
not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”
John 7:20 “You have a demon,” the crowd replied.
“Who is trying to kill You?”
John 7:21 Jesus answered them, “I did one
miracle, and you are all amazed.
John 7:22 But because Moses gave you
circumcision, you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath (not that it is
from Moses, but from the patriarchs.)
John 7:23 If a boy can be circumcised on the
Sabbath so that the law of Moses will not be broken, why are you
angry with Me for making the whole man well on the Sabbath?
John 7:24 Stop judging by outward appearances,
and start judging justly.”
John 7:25 Then some of the people of Jerusalem
began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?
John 7:26 Yet here He is, speaking publicly, and
they are not saying anything to Him. Have the rulers truly
recognized that this is the Christ?
John 7:27 But we know where this man is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from.”
John 7:28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the
temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and you know where I am
from. I have not come of My own accord, but He who sent Me is
true. You do not know Him,
John 7:29 but I know Him, because I am from Him
and He sent Me.”
John 7:30 So they tried to seize Him, but no one
laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
John 7:31 Many in the crowd, however, believed
in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He perform more
signs than this man?”
John 7:32 When the Pharisees heard the crowd
whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests
sent officers to arrest Him.
John 7:33 So Jesus said, “I am with you only a
little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me.
John 7:34 You will look for Me, but you will not
find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
John 7:35 At this, the Jews said to one another,
“Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go
where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks, and teach the
Greeks?
John 7:36 What does He mean by saying, ‘You will
look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you
cannot come’?”
John 7:37 On the last and greatest day of the
feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone
is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
John 7:38 Whoever believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within
him.’”
John 7:39 He was speaking about the Spirit, whom
those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit
had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:40 On hearing these words, some of the
people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
John 7:41 Others declared, “This is the Christ.”
But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
John 7:42 Doesn’t the Scripture say that the
Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the
village where David lived?”
John 7:43 So there was division in the crowd
because of Jesus.
John 7:44 Some of them wanted to seize Him, but
no one laid a hand on Him.
John 7:45 Then the officers returned to the
chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring
Him in?”
John 7:46 “Never has anyone spoken like this
man!” the officers answered.
John 7:47 “Have you also been deceived?” replied
the Pharisees.
John 7:48 “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees
believed in Him?
John 7:49 But this crowd that does not know the
law, they are under a curse.”
John 7:50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus
earlier and who himself was one of them, asked,
John 7:51 “Does our law convict a man without
first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
John 7:52 “Aren’t you also from Galilee?” they
replied. “Look into it, and you will see that no prophet comes out
of Galilee.”
John 7:53 Then each went to his own home.
John 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
John 8:2 Early in the morning He went back into
the temple courts. All the people came to Him, and He sat down to
teach them.
John 8:3 The scribes and Pharisees, however,
brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand
before them
John 8:4 and said, “Teacher, this woman was
caught in the act of adultery.
John 8:5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone
such a woman. So what do You say?”
John 8:6 They said this to test Him, in order to
have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to
write on the ground with His finger.
John 8:7 When they continued to question Him, He
straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin
among you be the first to cast a stone at her.”
John 8:8 And again He bent down and wrote on the
ground.
John 8:9 When they heard this, they began to go
away one by one, beginning with the older ones, until only Jesus
was left, with the woman standing there.
John 8:10 Then Jesus straightened up and asked
her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?”
John 8:11 “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then
neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no
more.”
John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people
and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will
never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are
testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”
John 8:14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify
about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came
from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from
or where I am going.
John 8:15 You judge according to the flesh; I
judge no one.
John 8:16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is
true, because I am not alone; I am with the Father who sent Me.
John 8:17 Even in your own Law it is written
that the testimony of two men is valid.
John 8:18 I am One who testifies about Myself,
and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.”
John 8:19 “Where is Your Father?” they asked
Him. “You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you
knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”
John 8:20 He spoke these words while teaching in
the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him,
because His hour had not yet come.
John 8:21 Again He said to them, “I am going
away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin.
Where I am going, you cannot come.”
John 8:22 So the Jews began to ask, “Will He
kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
John 8:23 Then He told them, “You are from
below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this
world.
John 8:24 That is why I told you that you would
die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will
die in your sins.”
John 8:25 “Who are You?” they asked. “Just what
I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.
John 8:26 “I have much to say about you and much
to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have
heard from Him, I tell the world.”
John 8:27 They did not understand that He was
telling them about the Father.
John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted
up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do
nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught
Me.
John 8:29 He who sent Me is with Me. He has not
left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”
John 8:30 As Jesus spoke these things, many
believed in Him.
John 8:31 So He said to the Jews who had
believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My
disciples.
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free.”
John 8:33 “We are Abraham’s descendants,” they
answered. “We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we
will be set free?”
John 8:34 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell
you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
John 8:35 A slave is not a permanent member of
the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will
be free indeed.
John 8:37 I know you are Abraham’s descendants,
but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within
you.
John 8:38 I speak of what I have seen in the
presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your
father.”
John 8:39 “Abraham is our father,” they replied.
“If you were children of Abraham,” said Jesus, “you would do the
works of Abraham.
John 8:40 But now you are trying to kill Me, a
man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham
never did such a thing.
John 8:41 You are doing the works of your
father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they declared. “Our
only Father is God Himself.”
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your
Father, you would love Me, for I have come here from God. I have
not come on My own, but He sent Me.
John 8:43 Why do you not understand what I am
saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.
John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil,
and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the
beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth
in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is
a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:45 But because I speak the truth, you do
not believe Me!
John 8:46 Which of you can prove Me guilty of
sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe Me?
John 8:47 Whoever belongs to God hears the words
of God. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to
God.”
John 8:48 The Jews answered Him, “Are we not
right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”
John 8:49 “I do not have a demon,” Jesus
replied, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.
John 8:50 I do not seek My own glory. There is
One who seeks it, and He is the Judge.
John 8:51 Truly, truly, I tell you, if anyone
keeps My word, he will never see death.”
John 8:52 “Now we know that You have a demon!”
declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You
say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death.
John 8:53 Are You greater than our father
Abraham? He died, as did the prophets. Who do You claim to be?”
John 8:54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself,
My glory means nothing. The One who glorifies Me is My Father, of
whom you say ‘He is our God.’
John 8:55 You do not know Him, but I know Him.
If I said I did not know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do
know Him, and I keep His word.
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he
would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
John 8:57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are
not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?”
John 8:58 “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus
declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
John 8:59 At this, they picked up stones to
throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple
area.
John 9:1 Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a
man blind from birth,
John 9:2 and His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi,
who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
John 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor
his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God
would be displayed in him.
John 9:4 While it is daytime, we must do the
works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light
of the world.”
John 9:6 When Jesus had said this, He spit on
the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
John 9:7 Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool
of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and
came back seeing.
John 9:8 At this, his neighbors and those who
had formerly seen him begging began to ask, “Isn’t this the man
who used to sit and beg?”
John 9:9 Some claimed that he was, but others
said, “No, he just looks like him.” But the man kept saying, “I am
the one.”
John 9:10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they
asked.
John 9:11 He answered, “The man they call Jesus
made some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to Siloam
and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight.”
John 9:12 “Where is He?” they asked. “I do not
know,” he answered.
John 9:13 They brought to the Pharisees the man
who had been blind.
John 9:14 Now the day on which Jesus had made
the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath.
John 9:15 So the Pharisees also asked him how he
had received his sight. The man answered, “He put mud on my eyes,
and I washed, and now I can see.”
John 9:16 Because of this, some of the Pharisees
said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the
Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man perform such
signs?” And there was division among them.
John 9:17 So once again they asked the man who
had been blind, “What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes
He opened?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.
John 9:18 The Jews still did not believe that
the man had been blind and had received his sight until they
summoned his parents
John 9:19 and asked, “Is this your son, the one
you say was born blind? So how is it that he can now see?”
John 9:20 His parents answered, “We know he is
our son, and we know he was born blind.
John 9:21 But how he can now see or who opened
his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for
himself.”
John 9:22 His parents said this because they
were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that
anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the
synagogue.
John 9:23 That was why his parents said, “He is
old enough. Ask him.”
John 9:24 So a second time they called for the
man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that
this man is a sinner.”
John 9:25 He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I
do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I
see!”
John 9:26 “What did He do to you?” they asked.
“How did He open your eyes?”
John 9:27 He replied, “I already told you, and
you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also
want to become His disciples?”
John 9:28 Then they heaped insults on him and
said, “You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses.
John 9:29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but
we do not know where this man is from.”
John 9:30 “That is remarkable indeed!” the man
said. “You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my
eyes.
John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to
sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does
His will.
John 9:32 Never before has anyone heard of
opening the eyes of a man born blind.
John 9:33 If this man were not from God, He
could do no such thing.”
John 9:34 They replied, “You were born in utter
sin, and you are instructing us?” And they threw him out.
John 9:35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown
him out, He found the man and said, “Do you believe in the Son of
Man?”
John 9:36 “Who is He, Sir?” he replied. “Tell me
so that I may believe in Him.”
John 9:37 “You have already seen Him,” Jesus
answered. “He is the One speaking with you.”
John 9:38 “Lord, I believe,” he said. And he
worshiped Jesus.
John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I
have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who
see may become blind.”
John 9:40 Some of the Pharisees who were with
Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”
John 9:41 “If you were blind,” Jesus replied,
“you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see,
your guilt remains.”
John 10:1 “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever
does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other
way, is a thief and a robber.
John 10:2 But the one who enters by the gate is
the shepherd of the sheep.
John 10:3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him,
and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name
and leads them out.
John 10:4 When he has brought out all his own,
he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they
know his voice.
John 10:5 But they will never follow a stranger;
in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his
voice.”
John 10:6 Jesus spoke to them using this
illustration, but they did not understand what He was telling
them.
John 10:7 So He said to them again, “Truly,
truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
John 10:8 All who came before Me were thieves
and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
John 10:9 I am the gate. If anyone enters
through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find
pasture.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it
in all its fullness.
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 10:12 The hired hand is not the shepherd,
and the sheep are not his own. When he sees the wolf coming, he
abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf pounces on them
and scatters the flock.
John 10:13 The man runs away because he is a
hired servant and is unconcerned for the sheep.
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know My
sheep and My sheep know Me,
John 10:15 just as the Father knows Me and I
know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of
this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to
My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.
John 10:17 The reason the Father loves Me is
that I lay down My life in order to take it up again.
John 10:18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it
down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and
authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My
Father.”
John 10:19 Again there was division among the
Jews because of Jesus’ message.
John 10:20 Many of them said, “He is
demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”
John 10:21 But others replied, “These are not
the words of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes
of the blind?”
John 10:22 At that time the Feast of Dedication
took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,
John 10:23 and Jesus was walking in the temple
courts in Solomon’s Colonnade.
John 10:24 So the Jews gathered around Him and
demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the
Christ, tell us plainly.”
John 10:25 “I already told you,” Jesus replied,
“but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name
testify on My behalf.
John 10:26 But because you are not My sheep, you
refuse to believe.
John 10:27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know
them, and they follow Me.
John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they
will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
John 10:29 My Father who has given them to Me is
greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
John 10:30 I and the Father are one.”
John 10:31 At this, the Jews again picked up
stones to stone Him.
John 10:32 But Jesus responded, “I have shown
you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you
stone Me?”
John 10:33 “We are not stoning You for any good
work,” said the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because You, who are a
man, declare Yourself to be God.”
John 10:34 Jesus replied, “Is it not written in
your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’?
John 10:35 If he called them gods to whom the
word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
John 10:36 then what about the One whom the
Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse
Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?
John 10:37 If I am not doing the works of My
Father, then do not believe Me.
John 10:38 But if I am doing them, even though
you do not believe Me, believe the works themselves, so that you
may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the
Father.”
John 10:39 At this, they tried again to seize
Him, but He escaped their grasp.
John 10:40 Then Jesus went back across the
Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He
stayed there.
John 10:41 Many came to Him and said, “Although
John never performed a sign, everything he said about this man was
true.”
John 10:42 And many in that place believed in
Jesus.
John 11:1 At this time a man named Lazarus was
sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister
Martha.
John 11:2 (Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick,
was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her
hair.)
John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus,
“Lord, the one You love is sick.”
John 11:4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This
sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so
that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister
and Lazarus.
John 11:6 So on hearing that Lazarus was sick,
He stayed where He was for two days,
John 11:7 and then He said to the disciples,
“Let us go back to Judea.”
John 11:8 “Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just
tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve
hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not
stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.
John 11:10 But if anyone walks at night, he will
stumble, because he has no light.”
John 11:11 After He had said this, He told them,
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to
wake him up.”
John 11:12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he
is sleeping, he will get better.”
John 11:13 They thought that Jesus was talking
about actual sleep, but He was speaking about the death of
Lazarus.
John 11:14 So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus
is dead,
John 11:15 and for your sake I am glad I was not
there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
John 11:16 Then Thomas called Didymus said to
his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with
Him.”
John 11:17 When Jesus arrived, He found that
Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb.
John 11:18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a
little less than two miles away,
John 11:19 and many of the Jews had come to
Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother.
John 11:20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was
coming, she went out to meet Him; but Mary stayed at home.
John 11:21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You
had been here, my brother would not have died.
John 11:22 But even now I know that God will
give You whatever You ask of Him.”
John 11:23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus
told her.
John 11:24 Martha replied, “I know that he will
rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even
though he dies.
John 11:26 And everyone who lives and believes
in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:27 “Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe
that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the
world.”
John 11:28 After Martha had said this, she went
back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is
here and is asking for you.”
John 11:29 And when Mary heard this, she got up
quickly and went to Him.
John 11:30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the
village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.
John 11:31 When the Jews who were in the house
consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they
followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
John 11:32 When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him,
she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my
brother would not have died.”
John 11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the
Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in
spirit and troubled.
John 11:34 “Where have you put him?” He asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.
John 11:35 Jesus wept.
John 11:36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved
him!”
John 11:37 But some of them asked, “Could not
this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus
from dying?”
John 11:38 Jesus, once again deeply moved, came
to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
John 11:39 “Take away the stone,” Jesus said.
“Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man.
“It has already been four days.”
John 11:40 Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you
that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
John 11:41 So they took away the stone. Then
Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that
You have heard Me.
John 11:42 I knew that You always hear Me, but I
say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may
believe that You sent Me.”
John 11:43 After Jesus had said this, He called
out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
John 11:44 The man who had been dead came out
with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face
wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
John 11:45 Therefore many of the Jews who had
come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.
John 11:46 But some of them went to the
Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
John 11:47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees
convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is
performing many signs.
John 11:48 If we let Him go on like this,
everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and
take away both our place and our nation.”
John 11:49 But one of them, named Caiaphas, who
was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all!
John 11:50 You do not realize that it is better
for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation
perish.”
John 11:51 Caiaphas did not say this on his own.
Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus
would die for the nation,
John 11:52 and not only for the nation, but also
for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into
one.
John 11:53 So from that day on they plotted to
kill Him.
John 11:54 As a result, Jesus no longer went
about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called
Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with
the disciples.
John 11:55 Now the Jewish Passover was near, and
many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify
themselves before the Passover.
John 11:56 They kept looking for Jesus and
asking one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do
you think? Will He come to the feast at all?”
John 11:57 But the chief priests and Pharisees
had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it,
so that they could arrest Him.
John 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus
came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from
the dead.
John 12:2 So they hosted a dinner for Jesus
there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the
table with Him.
John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of
expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet
and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the
fragrance of the perfume.
John 12:4 But one of His disciples, Judas
Iscariot, who was going to betray Him, asked,
John 12:5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for
three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”
John 12:6 Judas did not say this because he
cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the
money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.
John 12:7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “She
has kept this perfume in preparation for the day of My burial.
John 12:8 The poor you will always have with
you, but you will not always have Me.”
John 12:9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews
learned that Jesus was there. And they came not only because of
Him, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
John 12:10 So the chief priests made plans to
kill Lazarus as well,
John 12:11 for on account of him many of the
Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.
John 12:12 The next day the great crowd that had
come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
John 12:13 They took palm branches and went out
to meet Him, shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the
name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”
John 12:14 Finding a young donkey, Jesus sat on
it, as it is written:
John 12:15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of
Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.”
John 12:16 At first His disciples did not
understand these things, but after Jesus was glorified they
remembered what had been done to Him, and they realized that these
very things had also been written about Him.
John 12:17 Meanwhile, many people continued to
testify that they had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from
the tomb and raised him from the dead.
John 12:18 That is also why the crowd went out
to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this sign.
John 12:19 Then the Pharisees said to one
another, “You can see that this is doing you no good. Look how the
whole world has gone after Him!”
John 12:20 Now there were some Greeks among
those who went up to worship at the feast.
John 12:21 They came to Philip, who was from
Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested of him, “Sir, we want to see
Jesus.”
John 12:22 Philip relayed this appeal to Andrew,
and both of them went and told Jesus.
John 12:23 But Jesus replied, “The hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified.
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a
kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a
seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
John 12:25 Whoever loves his life will lose it,
but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal
life.
John 12:26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow
Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves
Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:27 Now My soul is troubled, and what
shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this
purpose that I have come to this hour.
John 12:28 Father, glorify Your name!” Then a
voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify
it again.”
John 12:29 The crowd standing there heard it and
said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken
to Him.
John 12:30 In response, Jesus said, “This voice
was not for My benefit, but yours.
John 12:31 Now judgment is upon this world; now
the prince of this world will be cast out.
John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the
earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”
John 12:33 He said this to indicate the kind of
death He was going to die.
John 12:34 The crowd replied, “We have heard
from the Law that the Christ will remain forever. So how can you
say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of
Man?”
John 12:35 Then Jesus told them, “For a little
while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the
Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks
in the darkness does not know where he is going.
John 12:36 While you have the Light, believe in
the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” After Jesus had
spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them.
John 12:37 Although Jesus had performed so many
signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.
John 12:38 This was to fulfill the word of
Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to
whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
John 12:39 For this reason they were unable to
believe. For again, Isaiah says:
John 12:40 “He has blinded their eyes and
hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes,
and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal
them.”
John 12:41 Isaiah said these things because he
saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him.
John 12:42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders
believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess
Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.
John 12:43 For they loved praise from men more
than praise from God.
John 12:44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever
believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who
sent Me.
John 12:45 And whoever sees Me sees the One who
sent Me.
John 12:46 I have come into the world as a
light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in
darkness.
John 12:47 As for anyone who hears My words and
does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to
judge the world, but to save the world.
John 12:48 There is a judge for the one who
rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have
spoken will judge him on the last day.
John 12:49 I have not spoken on My own, but the
Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.
John 12:50 And I know that His command leads to
eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to
say.”
John 13:1 It was now just before the Passover
Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world
and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the
world, He loved them to the very end.
John 13:2 The evening meal was underway, and the
devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon
Iscariot, to betray Jesus.
John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had
delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God
and was returning to God.
John 13:4 So He got up from the supper, laid
aside His outer garments, and wrapped a towel around His waist.
John 13:5 After that, He poured water into a
basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the
towel that was around Him.
John 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him,
“Lord, are You going to wash my feet?”
John 13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now
what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
John 13:8 “Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter
told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part
with Me.”
John 13:9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied,
“not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
John 13:10 Jesus told him, “Whoever has already
bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely
clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”
John 13:11 For He knew who would betray Him.
That is why He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
John 13:12 When Jesus had washed their feet and
put on His outer garments, He reclined with them again and asked,
“Do you know what I have done for you?
John 13:13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and
rightly so, because I am.
John 13:14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have
washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
John 13:15 I have set you an example so that you
should do as I have done for you.
John 13:16 Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant
is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the
one who sent him.
John 13:17 If you know these things, you will be
blessed if you do them.
John 13:18 I am not speaking about all of you; I
know whom I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the Scripture:
‘The one who shares My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’
John 13:19 I am telling you now before it
happens, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe that I am
He.
John 13:20 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever
receives the one I send receives Me, and whoever receives Me
receives the One who sent Me.”
John 13:21 After Jesus had said this, He became
troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one
of you will betray Me.”
John 13:22 The disciples looked at one another,
perplexed as to which of them He meant.
John 13:23 One of His disciples, the one whom
Jesus loved, was reclining at His side.
John 13:24 So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask
Jesus which one He was talking about.
John 13:25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked,
“Lord, who is it?”
John 13:26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to
whom I give this morsel after I have dipped it.” Then He dipped
the morsel and gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.
John 13:27 And when Judas had taken the morsel,
Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to Judas, “What you are
about to do, do quickly.”
John 13:28 But no one at the table knew why
Jesus had said this to him.
John 13:29 Since Judas kept the money bag, some
thought that Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the
feast, or to give something to the poor.
John 13:30 As soon as he had received the
morsel, Judas went out into the night.
John 13:31 When Judas had gone out, Jesus said,
“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.
John 13:32 If God is glorified in Him, God will
also glorify the Son in Himself—and will glorify Him at once.
John 13:33 Little children, I am with you only a
little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the
Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
John 13:34 A new commandment I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one
another.
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you
are My disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:36 “Lord, where are You going?” Simon
Peter asked. Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow
Me now, but you will follow later.”
John 13:37 “Lord,” said Peter, “why can’t I
follow You now? I will lay down my life for You.”
John 13:38 “Will you lay down your life for Me?”
Jesus replied. “Truly, truly, I tell you, before the rooster
crows, you will deny Me three times.
John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God; believe in Me as well.
John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many rooms.
If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to
prepare a place for you?
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that
you also may be where I am.
John 14:4 You know the way to the place where I
am going.”
John 14:5 “Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know
where You are going, so how can we know the way?”
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:7 If you had known Me, you would know My
Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the
Father, and that will be enough for us.”
John 14:9 Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been
with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who
has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the
Father’?
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the
Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I do not
speak on My own. Instead, it is the Father dwelling in Me,
performing His works.
John 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father
and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the
works themselves.
John 14:12 Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever
believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do
even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in My
name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:14 If you ask Me for anything in My
name, I will do it.
John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My
commandments.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He
will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot
receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do
know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I
will come to you.
John 14:19 In a little while the world will see
Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will
live.
John 14:20 On that day you will know that I am
in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
John 14:21 Whoever has My commandments and keeps
them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved
by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him,
“Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the
world?”
John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me,
he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to
him and make Our home with him.
John 14:24 Whoever does not love Me does not
keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is
from the Father who sent Me.
John 14:25 All this I have spoken to you while I
am still with you.
John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things
and will remind you of everything I have told you.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I
give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let
your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
John 14:28 You heard Me say, ‘I am going away,
and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice
that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than
I.
John 14:29 And now I have told you before it
happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe.
John 14:30 I will not speak with you much
longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no
claim on Me.
John 14:31 But I do exactly what the Father has
commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
Get up! Let us go on from here.
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is
the keeper of the vineyard.
John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in Me that
bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes
to make it even more fruitful.
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the
word I have spoken to you.
John 15:4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in
you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains
in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
John 15:5 I am the vine and you are the
branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much
fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is
like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are
gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
John 15:7 If you remain in Me and My words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:8 This is to My Father’s glory, that you
bear much fruit, proving yourselves to be My disciples.
John 15:9 As the Father has loved Me, so have I
loved you. Remain in My love.
John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will
remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments
and remain in His love.
John 15:11 I have told you these things so that
My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love
one another as I have loved you.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:14 You are My friends if you do what I
command you.
John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for
a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have
called you friends, because everything I have learned from My
Father I have made known to you.
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose
you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will
remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will
give you.
John 15:17 This is My command to you: Love one
another.
John 15:18 If the world hates you, understand
that it hated Me first.
John 15:19 If you were of the world, it would
love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are
not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I spoke to
you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted
Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they
will keep yours as well.
John 15:21 But they will treat you like this
because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them,
they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse
for their sin.
John 15:23 Whoever hates Me hates My Father as
well.
John 15:24 If I had not done among them the
works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but
now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
John 15:25 But this is to fulfill what is
written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
John 15:26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will
send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from
the Father—He will testify about Me.
John 15:27 And you also must testify, because
you have been with Me from the beginning.
John 16:1 “I have told you these things so that
you will not fall away.
John 16:2 They will put you out of the
synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you
will think he is offering a service to God.
John 16:3 They will do these things because they
have not known the Father or Me.
John 16:4 But I have told you these things so
that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you
about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning,
because I was with you.
John 16:5 Now, however, I am going to Him who
sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
John 16:6 Instead, your hearts are filled with
sorrow because I have told you these things.
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is for
your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate
will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
John 16:8 And when He comes, He will convict the
world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
John 16:9 in regard to sin, because they do not
believe in Me;
John 16:10 in regard to righteousness, because I
am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me;
John 16:11 and in regard to judgment, because
the prince of this world has been condemned.
John 16:12 I still have much to tell you, but
you cannot yet bear to hear it.
John 16:13 However, when the Spirit of truth
comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on
His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to
you what is to come.
John 16:14 He will glorify Me by taking from
what is Mine and disclosing it to you.
John 16:15 Everything that belongs to the Father
is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is
Mine and disclose it to you.
John 16:16 In a little while you will see Me no
more, and then after a little while you will see Me.”
John 16:17 Then some of His disciples asked one
another, “Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not
see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’ and
‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
John 16:18 They kept asking, “Why is He saying,
‘a little while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”
John 16:19 Aware that they wanted to question
Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said,
‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little
while you will see Me’?
John 16:20 Truly, truly, I tell you, you will
weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your
grief will turn to joy.
John 16:21 A woman has pain in childbirth
because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child,
she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been
born into the world.
John 16:22 So also you have sorrow now, but I
will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will
take away your joy.
John 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask Me
anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in
My name, He will give you.
John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for
anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy
may be complete.
John 16:25 I have spoken these things to you in
figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak
to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father.
John 16:26 In that day you will ask in My name.
I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
John 16:27 For the Father Himself loves you,
because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.
John 16:28 I came from the Father and entered
the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”
John 16:29 His disciples said, “See, now You are
speaking plainly and without figures of speech.
John 16:30 Now we understand that You know all
things and that You have no need for anyone to question You.
Because of this, we believe that You came from God.”
John 16:31 “Do you finally believe?” Jesus
replied.
John 16:32 “Look, an hour is coming and has
already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and
you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with Me.
John 16:33 I have told you these things so that
in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.
But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these things, He
lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
John 17:2 For You granted Him authority over all
people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have
given Him.
John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they
may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have
sent.
John 17:4 I have glorified You on earth by
accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.
John 17:5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your
presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.
John 17:6 I have revealed Your name to those You
have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to
Me, and they have kept Your word.
John 17:7 Now they know that everything You have
given Me comes from You.
John 17:8 For I have given them the words You
gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty
that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
John 17:9 I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on
behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for
they are Yours.
John 17:10 All I have is Yours, and all You have
is Mine; and in them I have been glorified.
John 17:11 I will no longer be in the world, but
they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father,
protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may
be one as We are one.
John 17:12 While I was with them, I protected
and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of
them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the
Scripture would be fulfilled.
John 17:13 But now I am coming to You; and I am
saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have
My joy fulfilled within them.
John 17:14 I have given them Your word and the
world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am
not of the world.
John 17:15 I am not asking that You take them
out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I
am not of the world.
John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word
is truth.
John 17:18 As You sent Me into the world, I have
also sent them into the world.
John 17:19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that
they too may be sanctified by the truth.
John 17:20 I am not asking on behalf of them
alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through
their message,
John 17:21 that all of them may be one, as You,
Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so
that the world may believe that You sent Me.
John 17:22 I have given them the glory You gave
Me, so that they may be one as We are one—
John 17:23 I in them and You in Me—that they may
be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me
and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
John 17:24 Father, I want those You have given
Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave
Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
John 17:25 Righteous Father, although the world
has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
John 17:26 And I have made Your name known to
them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have
for Me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 18:1 After Jesus had spoken these words, He
went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they
entered a garden.
John 18:2 Now Judas His betrayer also knew the
place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples.
John 18:3 So Judas brought a band of soldiers
and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at
the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.
John 18:4 Jesus, knowing all that was coming
upon Him, stepped forward and asked them, “Whom are you seeking?”
John 18:5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas His betrayer was standing there
with them.
John 18:6 When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew
back and fell to the ground.
John 18:7 So He asked them again, “Whom are you
seeking?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.
John 18:8 “I told you that I am He,” Jesus
replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.”
John 18:9 This was to fulfill the word He had
spoken: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”
John 18:10 Then Simon Peter drew his sword and
struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
The servant’s name was Malchus.
John 18:11 “Put your sword back in its sheath!”
Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has
given Me?”
John 18:12 Then the band of soldiers, with its
commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound
Him.
John 18:13 They brought Him first to Annas, who
was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
John 18:14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised
the Jews that it would be better if one man died for the people.
John 18:15 Now Simon Peter and another disciple
were following Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high
priest, he also went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high
priest.
John 18:16 But Peter stood outside at the door.
Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and
spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
John 18:17 At this, the servant girl watching
the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this man’s
disciples?” “I am not,” he answered.
John 18:18 Because it was cold, the servants and
officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had made to
keep warm. And Peter was also standing with them, warming himself.
John 18:19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned
Jesus about His disciples and His teaching.
John 18:20 “I have spoken openly to the world,”
Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the
temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in
secret.
John 18:21 Why are you asking Me? Ask those who
heard My message. Surely they know what I said.”
John 18:22 When Jesus had said this, one of the
officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is
this how You answer the high priest?”
John 18:23 Jesus replied, “If I said something
wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why
did you strike Me?”
John 18:24 Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to
Caiaphas the high priest.
John 18:25 Simon Peter was still standing and
warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His
disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
John 18:26 One of the high priest’s servants, a
relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I
see you with Him in the garden?”
John 18:27 Peter denied it once more, and
immediately a rooster crowed.
John 18:28 Then they led Jesus away from
Caiaphas into the Praetorium. By now it was early morning, and the
Jews did not enter the Praetorium, to avoid being defiled and
unable to eat the Passover.
John 18:29 So Pilate went out to them and asked,
“What accusation are you bringing against this man?”
John 18:30 “If He were not a criminal,” they
replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”
John 18:31 “You take Him and judge Him by your
own law,” Pilate told them. “We are not permitted to execute
anyone,” the Jews replied.
John 18:32 This was to fulfill the word that
Jesus had spoken to indicate the kind of death He was going to
die.
John 18:33 Pilate went back into the Praetorium,
summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
John 18:34 “Are you saying this on your own,”
Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?”
John 18:35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your
own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You
done?”
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of
this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My
arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
John 18:37 “Then You are a king!” Pilate said.
“You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was
born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.”
John 18:38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. And
having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I
find no basis for a charge against Him.
John 18:39 But it is your custom that I release
to you one prisoner at the Passover. So then, do you want me to
release to you the King of the Jews?”
John 18:40 “Not this man,” they shouted, “but
Barabbas!” (Now Barabbas was an insurrectionist.)
John 19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him
flogged.
John 19:2 The soldiers twisted together a crown
of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe.
John 19:3 And they went up to Him again and
again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the
face.
John 19:4 Once again Pilate came out and said to
the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that
I find no basis for a charge against Him.”
John 19:5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown
of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the
man!”
John 19:6 As soon as the chief priests and
officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You
take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis
for a charge against Him.”
John 19:7 “We have a law,” answered the Jews,
“and according to that law He must die, because He declared
Himself to be the Son of God.”
John 19:8 When Pilate heard this statement, he
was even more afraid,
John 19:9 and he went back into the Praetorium.
“Where are You from?” he asked. But Jesus gave no answer.
John 19:10 So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse
to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release
You and authority to crucify You?”
John 19:11 Jesus answered, “You would have no
authority over Me if it were not given to you from above.
Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater
sin.”
John 19:12 From then on, Pilate tried to release
Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are
no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying
Caesar.”
John 19:13 When Pilate heard these words, he
brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called
the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew is Gabbatha.
John 19:14 It was the day of Preparation for the
Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here
is your King!”
John 19:15 At this, they shouted, “Away with
Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?”
Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief
priests.
John 19:16 Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be
crucified, and the soldiers took Him away.
John 19:17 Carrying His own cross, He went out
to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
John 19:18 There they crucified Him, and with
Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.
John 19:19 Pilate also had a notice posted on
the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John 19:20 Many of the Jews read this sign,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and
it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
John 19:21 So the chief priests of the Jews said
to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He
said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”
John 19:22 Pilate answered, “What I have
written, I have written.”
John 19:23 When the soldiers had crucified
Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each
soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one
piece from top to bottom.
John 19:24 So they said to one another, “Let us
not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.”
This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among
them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers
did.
John 19:25 Near the cross of Jesus stood His
mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary
Magdalene.
John 19:26 When Jesus saw His mother and the
disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother,
“Woman, here is your son.”
John 19:27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here
is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into
his home.
John 19:28 After this, knowing that everything
had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus
said, “I am thirsty.”
John 19:29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there.
So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop,
and lifted it to His mouth.
John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour
wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded
up His spirit.
John 19:31 It was the day of Preparation, and
the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would
not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate
to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.
John 19:32 So the soldiers came and broke the
legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those
of the other.
John 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw
that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
John 19:34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced
His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
John 19:35 The one who saw it has testified to
this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the
truth, so that you also may believe.
John 19:36 Now these things happened so that the
Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be
broken.”
John 19:37 And, as another Scripture says: “They
will look on the One they have pierced.”
John 19:38 Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who
was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked
Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him
permission, so he came and removed His body.
John 19:39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to
Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about
seventy-five pounds.
John 19:40 So they took the body of Jesus and
wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the
Jewish burial custom.
John 19:41 Now there was a garden in the place
where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which
no one had yet been laid.
John 19:42 And because it was the Jewish day of
Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.
John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week,
while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw
that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
John 20:2 So she came running to Simon Peter and
the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the
Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they
have put Him!”
John 20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple set
out for the tomb.
John 20:4 The two were running together, but the
other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
John 20:5 He bent down and looked in at the
linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
John 20:6 Simon Peter arrived just after him. He
entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.
John 20:7 The cloth that had been around Jesus’
head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths.
John 20:8 Then the other disciple, who had
reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed.
John 20:9 For they still did not understand from
the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.
John 20:10 Then the disciples returned to their
homes.
John 20:11 But Mary stood outside the tomb
weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,
John 20:12 and she saw two angels in white
sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the
other at the feet.
John 20:13 “Woman, why are you weeping?” they
asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do
not know where they have put Him.”
John 20:14 When she had said this, she turned
around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize
that it was Jesus.
John 20:15 “Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus
asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she
said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have
put Him, and I will get Him.”
John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned
and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
John 20:17 “Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said,
“for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My
brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God
and your God.’”
John 20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to
the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He
had said to her.
John 20:19 It was the first day of the week, and
that very evening, while the disciples were together with the
doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among
them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
John 20:20 After He had said this, He showed
them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw
the Lord.
John 20:21 Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be
with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”
John 20:22 When He had said this, He breathed on
them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they
are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is
withheld.”
John 20:24 Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the
Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
John 20:25 So the other disciples told him, “We
have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks
in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put
my hand into His side, I will never believe.”
John 20:26 Eight days later, His disciples were
once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:27 Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your
finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it
into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”
John 20:28 Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have
seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have believed.”
John 20:30 Jesus performed many other signs in
the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
John 20:31 But these are written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in His name.
John 21:1 Later, by the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus
again revealed Himself to the disciples. He made Himself known in
this way:
John 21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other
disciples were together.
John 21:3 Simon Peter told them, “I am going
fishing.” “We will go with you,” they said. So they went out and
got into the boat, but caught nothing that night.
John 21:4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on
the shore, but the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus.
John 21:5 So He called out to them, “Children,
do you have any fish?” “No,” they answered.
John 21:6 He told them, “Cast the net on the
right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it
there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great
number of fish.
John 21:7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved
said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard that
it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed
it) and jumped into the sea.
John 21:8 The other disciples came ashore in the
boat. They dragged in the net full of fish, for they were not far
from land, only about a hundred yards.
John 21:9 When they landed, they saw a charcoal
fire there with fish on it, and some bread.
John 21:10 Jesus told them, “Bring some of the
fish you have just caught.”
John 21:11 So Simon Peter went aboard and
dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even
with so many, the net was not torn.
John 21:12 “Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said to
them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” They
knew it was the Lord.
John 21:13 Jesus came and took the bread and
gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish.
John 21:14 This was now the third time that
Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.
John 21:15 When they had finished eating, Jesus
asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than
these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus
replied, “Feed My lambs.”
John 21:16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son
of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I
love You.” Jesus told him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
John 21:17 Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son
of John, do you love Me?” Peter was deeply hurt that Jesus had
asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” “Lord, You know all
things,” he replied. “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him,
“Feed My sheep.
John 21:18 Truly, truly, I tell you, when you
were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted; but
when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone
else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
John 21:19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind
of death by which Peter would glorify God. And after He had said
this, He told him, “Follow Me.”
John 21:20 Peter turned and saw the disciple
whom Jesus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned
back against Jesus at the supper to ask, “Lord, who is going to
betray You?”
John 21:21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord,
what about him?”
John 21:22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to
remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
John 21:23 Because of this, the rumor spread
among the brothers that this disciple would not die. However,
Jesus did not say that he would not die, but only, “If I want him
to remain until I return, what is that to you?”
John 21:24 This is the disciple who testifies to
these things and who has written them down. And we know that his
testimony is true.
John 21:25 There are many more things that Jesus
did. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the
world itself would have space for the books that would be written.
ACTS
Acts 1:1 In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote
about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,
Acts 1:2 until the day He was taken up to
heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the
apostles He had chosen.
Acts 1:3 After His suffering, He presented
Himself to them with many convincing proofs that He was alive. He
appeared to them over a span of forty days and spoke about the
kingdom of God.
Acts 1:4 And while they were gathered together,
He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift
the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss.
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a
few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:6 So when they came together, they asked
Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:7 Jesus replied, “It is not for you to
know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own
authority.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”
Acts 1:9 After He had said this, they watched as
He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
Acts 1:10 They were looking intently into the
sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood
beside them.
Acts 1:11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do
you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been
taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you
have seen Him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from
the Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s
journey away.
Acts 1:13 When they arrived, they went to the
upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and
Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of
Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
Acts 1:14 With one accord they all continued in
prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and
with His brothers.
Acts 1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the
brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said,
Acts 1:16 “Brothers, the Scripture had to be
fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of
David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested
Jesus.
Acts 1:17 He was one of our number and shared in
this ministry.”
Acts 1:18 (Now with the reward for his
wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst
open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.
Acts 1:19 This became known to all who lived in
Jerusalem, so they called that field in their own language
Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
Acts 1:20 “For it is written in the book of
Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell
in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’
Acts 1:21 Therefore it is necessary to choose
one of the men who have accompanied us the whole time the Lord
Jesus went in and out among us,
Acts 1:22 beginning from John’s baptism until
the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a
witness with us of His resurrection.”
Acts 1:23 So they proposed two men: Joseph
called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias.
Acts 1:24 And they prayed, “Lord, You know
everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two You have chosen
Acts 1:25 to take up this ministry and
apostleship, which Judas abandoned to go to his rightful place.”
Acts 1:26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell
to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they
were all together in one place.
Acts 2:2 Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing
wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were
sitting.
Acts 2:3 They saw tongues like flames of fire
that separated and came to rest on each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled
them.
Acts 2:5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem
God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
Acts 2:6 And when this sound rang out, a crowd
came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them
speaking his own language.
Acts 2:7 Astounded and amazed, they asked, “Are
not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
Acts 2:8 How is it then that each of us hears
them in his own native language?
Acts 2:9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Acts 2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome,
Acts 2:11 both Jews and converts to Judaism;
Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our
own tongues!”
Acts 2:12 Astounded and perplexed, they asked
one another, “What does this mean?”
Acts 2:13 But others mocked them and said, “They
are drunk on new wine!”
Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
lifted up his voice, and addressed the crowd: “Men of Judea and
all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen
carefully to my words.
Acts 2:15 These men are not drunk, as you
suppose. It is only the third hour of the day!
Acts 2:16 No, this is what was spoken by the
prophet Joel:
Acts 2:17 ‘In the last days, God says, I will
pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream
dreams.
Acts 2:18 Even on My menservants and
maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they
will prophesy.
Acts 2:19 I will show wonders in the heavens
above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of
smoke.
Acts 2:20 The sun will be turned to darkness,
and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious
Day of the Lord.
Acts 2:21 And everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved.’
Acts 2:22 Men of Israel, listen to this message:
Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles,
wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you
yourselves know.
Acts 2:23 He was delivered up by God’s set plan
and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him
to death by nailing Him to the cross.
Acts 2:24 But God raised Him from the dead,
releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible
for Him to be held in its clutches.
Acts 2:25 David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord
always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be
shaken.
Acts 2:26 Therefore my heart is glad and my
tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope,
Acts 2:27 because You will not abandon my soul
to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the paths of
life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’
Acts 2:29 Brothers, I can tell you with
confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his
tomb is with us to this day.
Acts 2:30 But he was a prophet and knew that God
had promised him on oath that He would place one of his
descendants on his throne.
Acts 2:31 Foreseeing this, David spoke about the
resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did His body see decay.
Acts 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, to
which we are all witnesses.
Acts 2:33 Exalted, then, to the right hand of
God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and
has poured out what you now see and hear.
Acts 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven,
but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right
hand
Acts 2:35 until I make Your enemies a footstool
for Your feet.”’
Acts 2:36 Therefore let all Israel know with
certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Christ!”
Acts 2:37 When the people heard this, they were
cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles,
“Brothers, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:39 This promise belongs to you and your
children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God
will call to Himself.”
Acts 2:40 With many other words he testified,
and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt generation.”
Acts 2:41 Those who embraced his message were
baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers
that day.
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and to prayer.
Acts 2:43 A sense of awe came over everyone, and
the apostles performed many wonders and signs.
Acts 2:44 All the believers were together and
had everything in common.
Acts 2:45 Selling their possessions and goods,
they shared with anyone who was in need.
Acts 2:46 With one accord they continued to meet
daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house,
sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,
Acts 2:47 praising God and enjoying the favor of
all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.
Acts 3:1 One afternoon Peter and John were going
up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
Acts 3:2 And a man who was lame from birth was
being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was
put every day to beg from those entering the temple courts.
Acts 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to
enter, he asked them for money.
Acts 3:4 Peter looked directly at him, as did
John. “Look at us!” said Peter.
Acts 3:5 So the man gave them his attention,
expecting to receive something from them.
Acts 3:6 But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do
not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
Acts 3:7 Taking him by the right hand, Peter
helped him up, and at once the man’s feet and ankles were made
strong.
Acts 3:8 He sprang to his feet and began to
walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and
leaping and praising God.
Acts 3:9 When all the people saw him walking and
praising God,
Acts 3:10 they recognized him as the man who
used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they
were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:11 While the man clung to Peter and John,
all the people were astonished and ran to them in the walkway
called Solomon’s Colonnade.
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw this, he addressed
the people: “Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Why do
you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made
this man walk?
Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You
handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had
decided to release Him.
Acts 3:14 You rejected the Holy and Righteous
One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
Acts 3:15 You killed the Author of life, but God
raised Him from the dead, and we are witnesses of the fact.
Acts 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this
man whom you see and know has been made strong. It is Jesus’ name
and the faith that comes through Him that has given him this
complete healing in your presence.
Acts 3:17 And now, brothers, I know that you
acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.
Acts 3:18 But in this way God has fulfilled what
He foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would
suffer.
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn back, so that
your sins may be wiped away,
Acts 3:20 that times of refreshing may come from
the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ,
who has been appointed for you.
Acts 3:21 Heaven must take Him in until the time
comes for the restoration of all things, which God announced long
ago through His holy prophets.
Acts 3:22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God
will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.
You must listen to Him in everything He tells you.
Acts 3:23 Everyone who does not listen to Him
will be completely cut off from among his people.’
Acts 3:24 Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel
on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days.
Acts 3:25 And you are sons of the prophets and
of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to
Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth
will be blessed.’
Acts 3:26 When God raised up His Servant, He
sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from
your wicked ways.”
Acts 4:1 While Peter and John were speaking to
the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and
the Sadducees came up to them,
Acts 4:2 greatly disturbed that they were
teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of
the dead.
Acts 4:3 They seized Peter and John, and because
it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day.
Acts 4:4 But many who heard the message
believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
Acts 4:5 The next day the rulers, elders, and
scribes assembled in Jerusalem,
Acts 4:6 along with Annas the high priest,
Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s
family.
Acts 4:7 They had Peter and John brought in and
began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do
this?”
Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people!
Acts 4:9 If we are being examined today about a
kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was
healed,
Acts 4:10 then let this be known to all of you
and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead,
that this man stands before you healed.
Acts 4:11 This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders
rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’
Acts 4:12 Salvation exists in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must
be saved.”
Acts 4:13 When they saw the boldness of Peter
and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men,
they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:14 And seeing the man who had been healed
standing there with them, they had nothing to say in response.
Acts 4:15 So they ordered them to leave the
Sanhedrin and then conferred together.
Acts 4:16 “What shall we do with these men?”
they asked. “It is clear to everyone living in Jerusalem that a
remarkable miracle has occurred through them, and we cannot deny
it.
Acts 4:17 But to keep this message from
spreading any further among the people, we must warn them not to
speak to anyone in this name.”
Acts 4:18 Then they called them in again and
commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for
yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you
rather than God.
Acts 4:20 For we cannot stop speaking about what
we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:21 After further threats they let them
go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the
people were glorifying God for what had happened.
Acts 4:22 For the man who was miraculously
healed was over forty years old.
Acts 4:23 On their release, Peter and John
returned to their own people and reported everything that the
chief priests and elders had said to them.
Acts 4:24 When the believers heard this, they
lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,”
they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and
everything in them.
Acts 4:25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through
the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations
rage and the peoples plot in vain?
Acts 4:26 The kings of the earth take their
stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against
His Anointed One.’
Acts 4:27 In fact, this is the very city where
Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the
people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You
anointed.
Acts 4:28 They carried out what Your hand and
will had decided beforehand would happen.
Acts 4:29 And now, Lord, consider their threats,
and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete
boldness,
Acts 4:30 as You stretch out Your hand to heal
and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy
servant Jesus.”
Acts 4:31 After they had prayed, their meeting
place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:32 The multitude of believers was one in
heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his
own, but they shared everything they owned.
Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles
continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all.
Acts 4:34 There were no needy ones among them,
because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property,
bring the proceeds from the sales,
Acts 4:35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet for
distribution to anyone as he had need.
Acts 4:36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the
apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),
Acts 4:37 sold a field he owned, brought the
money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with
his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
Acts 5:2 With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept
back some of the proceeds for himself, but brought a portion and
laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 5:3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it
that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and
withhold some of the proceeds from the land?
Acts 5:4 Did it not belong to you before it was
sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How
could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to
men, but to God!”
Acts 5:5 On hearing these words, Ananias fell
down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had
happened.
Acts 5:6 Then the young men stepped forward,
wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
Acts 5:7 About three hours later his wife also
came in, unaware of what had happened.
Acts 5:8 “Tell me,” said Peter, “is this the
price you and your husband got for the land?” “Yes,” she answered,
“that is the price.”
Acts 5:9 “How could you agree to test the Spirit
of the Lord?” Peter replied. “Look, the feet of the men who buried
your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
Acts 5:10 At that instant she fell down at his
feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead,
carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Acts 5:11 And great fear came over the whole
church and all who heard about these events.
Acts 5:12 The apostles performed many signs and
wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers
gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
Acts 5:13 Although the people regarded them
highly, no one else dared to join them.
Acts 5:14 Yet more and more believers were
brought to the Lord—large numbers of both men and women.
Acts 5:15 As a result, people brought the sick
into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, so that at least
Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
Acts 5:16 Crowds also gathered from the towns
around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean
spirits, and all of them were healed.
Acts 5:17 Then the high priest and all his
associates, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were
filled with jealousy. They went out
Acts 5:18 and arrested the apostles and put them
in the public jail.
Acts 5:19 But during the night an angel of the
Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
Acts 5:20 “Go, stand in the temple courts and
tell the people the full message of this new life.”
Acts 5:21 At daybreak the apostles entered the
temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people.
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the
Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to
the jail for the apostles.
Acts 5:22 But on arriving at the jail, the
officers did not find them there. So they returned with the
report:
Acts 5:23 “We found the jail securely locked,
with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we
found no one inside.”
Acts 5:24 When the captain of the temple guard
and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as
to what was happening.
Acts 5:25 Then someone came in and announced,
“Look, the men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts
teaching the people!”
Acts 5:26 At that point, the captain went with
the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear
the people would stone them.
Acts 5:27 They brought them in and made them
stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated
them.
Acts 5:28 “We gave you strict orders not to
teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with
your teaching and are determined to make us responsible for this
man’s blood.”
Acts 5:29 But Peter and the other apostles
replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up
Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree.
Acts 5:31 God exalted Him to His right hand as
Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of
sins to Israel.
Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of these things, and
so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Acts 5:33 When the Council members heard this,
they were enraged, and they resolved to put the apostles to death.
Acts 5:34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a
teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in
the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short
time.
Acts 5:35 “Men of Israel,” he said, “consider
carefully what you are about to do to these men.
Acts 5:36 Some time ago Theudas rose up,
claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He
was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to
nothing.
Acts 5:37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared
in the days of the census and drew away people after him. He too
perished, and all his followers were scattered.
Acts 5:38 So in the present case I advise you:
Leave these men alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or
endeavor is of human origin, it will fail.
Acts 5:39 But if it is from God, you will not be
able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against
God.”
Acts 5:40 At this, they yielded to Gamaliel.
They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they
ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.
Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace
for the Name.
Acts 5:42 Every day, in the temple courts and
from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming
the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 6:1 In those days when the disciples were
increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble
against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being
overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
Acts 6:2 So the Twelve summoned all the
disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word
of God in order to wait on tables.
Acts 6:3 Therefore, brothers, select from among
you seven men confirmed to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We
will appoint this responsibility to them
Acts 6:4 and will devote ourselves to prayer and
to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:5 This proposal pleased the whole group.
They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as
well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas
from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
Acts 6:6 They presented these seven to the
apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 6:7 So the word of God continued to spread.
The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great
number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:8 Now Stephen, who was full of grace and
power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts 6:9 But resistance arose from what was
called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians,
Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They
began to argue with Stephen,
Acts 6:10 but they could not stand up to his
wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
Acts 6:11 Then they prompted some men to say,
“We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and
against God.”
Acts 6:12 So they stirred up the people, elders,
and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought
him before the Sanhedrin,
Acts 6:13 where they presented false witnesses
who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place
and against the law.
Acts 6:14 For we have heard him say that Jesus
of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that
Moses handed down to us.”
Acts 6:15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin
looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like
the face of an angel.
Acts 7:1 Then the high priest asked Stephen,
“Are these charges true?”
Acts 7:2 And Stephen declared: “Brothers and
fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father
Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in
Haran,
Acts 7:3 and told him, ‘Leave your country and
your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’
Acts 7:4 So Abraham left the land of the
Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought
him out of that place and into this land where you are now living.
Acts 7:5 He gave him no inheritance here, not
even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the
land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet
have a child.
Acts 7:6 God told him that his descendants would
be foreigners in a strange land, and that they would be enslaved
and mistreated four hundred years.
Acts 7:7 ‘But I will punish the nation that
enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and
worship Me in this place.’
Acts 7:8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of
circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and
circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of
Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
Acts 7:9 Because the patriarchs were jealous of
Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him
Acts 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles.
He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of
Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
Acts 7:11 Then famine and great suffering swept
across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.
Acts 7:12 When Jacob heard that there was grain
in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.
Acts 7:13 On their second visit, Joseph revealed
his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to
Pharaoh.
Acts 7:14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob
and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.
Acts 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he
and our fathers died.
Acts 7:16 Their bones were carried back to
Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the
sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.
Acts 7:17 As the time drew near for God to
fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased
greatly in number.
Acts 7:18 Then another king, who knew nothing of
Joseph, arose over Egypt.
Acts 7:19 He exploited our people and oppressed
our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would
die.
Acts 7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he
was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was
nurtured in his father’s house.
Acts 7:21 When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s
daughter took him and brought him up as her own son.
Acts 7:22 So Moses was educated in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.
Acts 7:23 When Moses was forty years old, he
decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
Acts 7:24 And when he saw one of them being
mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking
down the Egyptian who was oppressing him.
Acts 7:25 He assumed his brothers would
understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did
not.
Acts 7:26 The next day he came upon two
Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them,
saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each
other?’
Acts 7:27 But the man who was abusing his
neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and
judge over us?
Acts 7:28 Do you want to kill me as you killed
the Egyptian yesterday?’
Acts 7:29 At this remark, Moses fled to the land
of Midian, where he lived as a foreigner and had two sons.
Acts 7:30 After forty years had passed, an angel
appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert
near Mount Sinai.
Acts 7:31 When Moses saw it, he marveled at the
sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the
Lord came to him:
Acts 7:32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did
not dare to look.
Acts 7:33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off
your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
Acts 7:34 I have indeed seen the oppression of
My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down
to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
Acts 7:35 This Moses, whom they had rejected
with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom
God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who
appeared to him in the bush.
Acts 7:36 He led them out and performed wonders
and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty
years in the wilderness.
Acts 7:37 This is the same Moses who told the
Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among your brothers.’
Acts 7:38 He was in the assembly in the
wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and
with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
Acts 7:39 But our fathers refused to obey him.
Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to
Egypt.
Acts 7:40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who
will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of
Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’
Acts 7:41 At that time they made a calf and
offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their
hands.
Acts 7:42 But God turned away from them and gave
them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written
in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and
offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
Acts 7:43 You have taken along the tabernacle of
Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to
worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
Acts 7:44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the
Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly
as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.
Acts 7:45 And our fathers who received it
brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God
drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,
Acts 7:46 who found favor in the sight of God
and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
Acts 7:47 But it was Solomon who built the house
for Him.
Acts 7:48 However, the Most High does not dwell
in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
Acts 7:49 ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is
My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the
Lord, or where will My place of repose be?
Acts 7:50 Has not My hand made all these
things?’
Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people with
uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit,
just as your fathers did.
Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets did your fathers
fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming
of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—
Acts 7:53 you who received the law ordained by
angels, yet have not kept it.”
Acts 7:54 On hearing this, the members of the
Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him.
Acts 7:55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,
looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus
standing at the right hand of God.
Acts 7:56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:57 At this they covered their ears, cried
out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him.
Acts 7:58 They dragged him out of the city and
began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at
the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 7:59 While they were stoning him, Stephen
appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Acts 7:60 Falling on his knees, he cried out in
a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when
he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to
Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against
the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were
scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Acts 8:2 God-fearing men buried Stephen and
mourned deeply over him.
Acts 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church.
Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put
them in prison.
Acts 8:4 Those who had been scattered preached
the word wherever they went.
Acts 8:5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
Acts 8:6 The crowds gave their undivided
attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him
perform.
Acts 8:7 With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came
out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame
were healed.
Acts 8:8 So there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:9 Prior to that time, a man named Simon
had practiced sorcery in the city and astounded the people of
Samaria. He claimed to be someone great,
Acts 8:10 and all the people, from the least to
the greatest, heeded his words and said, “This man is the divine
power called the Great Power.”
Acts 8:11 They paid close attention to him
because he had astounded them for a long time with his sorcery.
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he
preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus
Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 8:13 Even Simon himself believed and was
baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the
great signs and miracles he observed.
Acts 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard
that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and
John to them.
Acts 8:15 On their arrival, they prayed for them
to receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen
upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of
the Lord Jesus.
Acts 8:17 Then Peter and John laid their hands
on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 8:18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was
given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered
them money.
Acts 8:19 “Give me this power as well,” he said,
“so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy
Spirit.”
Acts 8:20 But Peter replied, “May your silver
perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God
with money!
Acts 8:21 You have no part or share in our
ministry, because your heart is not right before God.
Acts 8:22 Repent, therefore, of your wickedness,
and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for the intent
of your heart.
Acts 8:23 For I see that you are poisoned by
bitterness and captive to iniquity.”
Acts 8:24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord
for me, so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”
Acts 8:25 And after Peter and John had testified
and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem,
preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.
Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to
Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down
from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Acts 8:27 So he started out, and on his way he
met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire
treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to
Jerusalem to worship,
Acts 8:28 and on his return was sitting in his
chariot reading Isaiah the prophet.
Acts 8:29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to
that chariot and stay by it.”
Acts 8:30 So Philip ran up and heard the man
reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are
reading?” Philip asked.
Acts 8:31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone
guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Acts 8:32 The eunuch was reading this passage of
Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a
lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
Acts 8:33 In His humiliation He was deprived of
justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed
from the earth.”
Acts 8:34 “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is
the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
Acts 8:35 Then Philip began with this very
Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
Acts 8:36 As they traveled along the road and
came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is
there to prevent me from being baptized?”
Acts 8:37
Acts 8:38 And he gave orders to stop the
chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water,
and Philip baptized him.
Acts 8:39 When they came up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him
no more, but went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 8:40 But Philip appeared at Azotus and
traveled through that region, preaching the gospel in all the
towns until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out
murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He approached
the high priest
Acts 9:2 and requested letters to the synagogues
in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the
Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:3 As Saul drew near to Damascus on his
journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Acts 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice
say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
Acts 9:5 “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.
Acts 9:6 “Now get up and go into the city, and
you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 9:7 The men traveling with Saul stood there
speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone.
Acts 9:8 Saul got up from the ground, but when
he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by
the hand into Damascus.
Acts 9:9 For three days he was without sight,
and he did not eat or drink anything.
Acts 9:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named
Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Here I am,
Lord,” he answered.
Acts 9:11 “Get up!” the Lord told him. “Go to
the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from
Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
Acts 9:12 In a vision he has seen a man named
Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
Acts 9:13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, many
people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to
Your saints in Jerusalem.
Acts 9:14 And now he is here with authority from
the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.”
Acts 9:15 “Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My
chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their
kings, and before the people of Israel.
Acts 9:16 I will show him how much he must
suffer for My name.”
Acts 9:17 So Ananias went to the house, and when
he arrived, he placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said,
“the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were
coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled
with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 9:18 At that instant, something like scales
fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. He got up and
was baptized,
Acts 9:19 and after taking some food, he
regained his strength. And he spent several days with the
disciples in Damascus.
Acts 9:20 Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus
in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.”
Acts 9:21 All who heard him were astounded and
asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those
who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as
prisoners to the chief priests?”
Acts 9:22 But Saul was empowered all the more,
and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that
Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 9:23 After many days had passed, the Jews
conspired to kill him,
Acts 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot. Day
and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.
Acts 9:25 One night, however, his disciples took
him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall.
Acts 9:26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he
tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not
believing that he was a disciple.
Acts 9:27 Then Barnabas brought him to the
apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who spoke to
him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in
that city in the name of Jesus.
Acts 9:28 So Saul stayed with them, moving about
freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
Acts 9:29 He talked and debated with the Grecian
Jews, but they tried to kill him.
Acts 9:30 When the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea,
Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in
strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the
encouragement of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 9:32 As Peter traveled throughout the area,
he went to visit the saints in Lydda.
Acts 9:33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who
had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years.
Acts 9:34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus
Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat.” Immediately
Aeneas got up,
Acts 9:35 and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon
saw him and turned to the Lord.
Acts 9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named
Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied
with works of kindness and charity.
Acts 9:37 At that time, however, she became sick
and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upper room.
Acts 9:38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the
disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to urge him,
“Come to us without delay.”
Acts 9:39 So Peter got up and went with them. On
his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood
around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing
that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Acts 9:40 Then Peter sent them all out of the
room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he
said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter,
she sat up.
Acts 9:41 Peter took her by the hand and helped
her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to
them alive.
Acts 9:42 This became known all over Joppa, and
many people believed in the Lord.
Acts 9:43 And Peter stayed for several days in
Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
Acts 10:1 At Caesarea there was a man named
Cornelius, a centurion in what was called the Italian Regiment.
Acts 10:2 He and all his household were devout
and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to
God regularly.
Acts 10:3 One day at about the ninth hour, he
had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said,
“Cornelius!”
Acts 10:4 Cornelius stared at him in fear and
asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and
gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
Acts 10:5 Now send men to Joppa to call for a
man named Simon who is called Peter.
Acts 10:6 He is staying with Simon the tanner,
whose house is by the sea.”
Acts 10:7 When the angel who spoke to him had
gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier
from among his attendants.
Acts 10:8 He explained what had happened and
sent them to Joppa.
Acts 10:9 The next day at about the sixth hour,
as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went
up on the roof to pray.
Acts 10:10 He became hungry and wanted something
to eat, but while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a
trance.
Acts 10:11 He saw heaven open and something like
a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
Acts 10:12 It contained all kinds of four-footed
animals and reptiles of the earth, as well as birds of the air.
Acts 10:13 Then a voice said to him: “Get up,
Peter, kill and eat!”
Acts 10:14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have
never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
Acts 10:15 The voice spoke to him a second time:
“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Acts 10:16 This happened three times, and all at
once the sheet was taken back up into heaven.
Acts 10:17 While Peter was puzzling over the
meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s
house and approached the gate.
Acts 10:18 They called out to ask if Simon
called Peter was staying there.
Acts 10:19 As Peter continued to reflect on the
vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for
you.
Acts 10:20 So get up! Go downstairs and
accompany them without hesitation, because I have sent them.”
Acts 10:21 So Peter went down to the men and
said, “Here am I, the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
Acts 10:22 “Cornelius the centurion has sent
us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good
reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed
him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a
message from you.”
Acts 10:23 So Peter invited them in as his
guests. And the next day he got ready and went with them,
accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
Acts 10:24 The following day he arrived in
Caesarea, where Cornelius was expecting them and had called
together his relatives and close friends.
Acts 10:25 As Peter was about to enter,
Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.
Acts 10:26 But Peter helped him up. “Stand up,”
he said, “I am only a man myself.”
Acts 10:27 As Peter talked with him, he went
inside and found many people gathered together.
Acts 10:28 He said to them, “You know how
unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or visit
him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or
unclean.
Acts 10:29 So when I was invited, I came without
objection. I ask, then, why have you sent for me?”
Acts 10:30 Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I
was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in
radiant clothing stood before me
Acts 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has
been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before
God.
Acts 10:32 Therefore send to Joppa for Simon,
who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the
tanner, by the sea.’
Acts 10:33 So I sent for you immediately, and
you were kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here in the
presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has instructed
you to tell us.”
Acts 10:34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now
truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
Acts 10:35 but welcomes those from every nation
who fear Him and do what is right.
Acts 10:36 He has sent this message to the
people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus
Christ, who is Lord of all.
Acts 10:37 You yourselves know what has happened
throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism that John
proclaimed:
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around
doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
because God was with Him.
Acts 10:39 We are witnesses of all that He did,
both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And although they
put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree,
Acts 10:40 God raised Him up on the third day
and caused Him to be seen—
Acts 10:41 not by all the people, but by the
witnesses God had chosen beforehand, by us who ate and drank with
Him after He rose from the dead.
Acts 10:42 And He commanded us to preach to the
people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge
the living and the dead.
Acts 10:43 All the prophets testify about Him
that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins
through His name.”
Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these
words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message.
Acts 10:45 All the circumcised believers who had
accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
Acts 10:46 For they heard them speaking in
tongues and exalting God. Then Peter said,
Acts 10:47 “Can anyone withhold the water to
baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as
we have!”
Acts 10:48 So he ordered that they be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few
days.
Acts 11:1 The apostles and brothers throughout
Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of
God.
Acts 11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem,
the circumcised believers took issue with him
Acts 11:3 and said, “You visited uncircumcised
men and ate with them.”
Acts 11:4 But Peter began and explained to them
the whole sequence of events:
Acts 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying,
and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet
being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right
down to me.
Acts 11:6 I looked at it closely and saw
four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds
of the air.
Acts 11:7 Then I heard a voice saying to me,
‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’
Acts 11:8 ‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing
impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
Acts 11:9 But the voice spoke from heaven a
second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made
clean.’
Acts 11:10 This happened three times, and
everything was drawn back up into heaven.
Acts 11:11 Just then three men sent to me from
Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.
Acts 11:12 The Spirit told me to accompany them
without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we
entered the man’s home.
Acts 11:13 He told us how he had seen an angel
standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is
called Peter.
Acts 11:14 He will convey to you a message by
which you and all your household will be saved.’
Acts 11:15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit
fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning.
Acts 11:16 Then I remembered the word of the
Lord, as He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will
be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 11:17 So if God gave them the same gift He
gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder
the work of God?”
Acts 11:18 When they heard this, their
objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So
then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
Acts 11:19 Meanwhile those scattered by the
persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia,
Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.
Acts 11:20 But some of them, men from Cyprus and
Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well,
proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.
Acts 11:21 The hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:22 When news of this reached the ears of
the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
Acts 11:23 When he arrived and saw the grace of
God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with
all their hearts.
Acts 11:24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the
Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought
to the Lord.
Acts 11:25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look
for Saul,
Acts 11:26 and when he found him, he brought him
back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the
church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were
first called Christians at Antioch.
Acts 11:27 In those days some prophets came down
from Jerusalem to Antioch.
Acts 11:28 One of them named Agabus stood up and
predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep
across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.)
Acts 11:29 So the disciples, each according to
his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in
Judea.
Acts 11:30 This they did, sending their gifts to
the elders with Barnabas and Saul.
Acts 12:1 About that time, King Herod reached
out to harm some who belonged to the church.
Acts 12:2 He had James, the brother of John, put
to death with the sword.
Acts 12:3 And seeing that this pleased the Jews,
Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Unleavened
Bread.
Acts 12:4 He arrested him and put him in prison,
handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers
each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the
Passover.
Acts 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the
church was fervently praying to God for him.
Acts 12:6 On the night before Herod was to bring
him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with
two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the
prison.
Acts 12:7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared
and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and
woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his
wrists.
Acts 12:8 “Get dressed and put on your sandals,”
said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your
cloak around you and follow me.”
Acts 12:9 So Peter followed him out, but he was
unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was
only seeing a vision.
Acts 12:10 They passed the first and second
guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened
for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the
length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.
Acts 12:11 Then Peter came to himself and said,
“Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued
me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were
anticipating.”
Acts 12:12 And when he had realized this, he
went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,
where many people had gathered together and were praying.
Acts 12:13 He knocked at the outer gate, and a
servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Acts 12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice,
she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran
inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”
Acts 12:15 “You are out of your mind,” they told
her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be
his angel.”
Acts 12:16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when
they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.
Acts 12:17 Peter motioned with his hand for
silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the
prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he
left for another place.
Acts 12:18 At daybreak there was no small
commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
Acts 12:19 After Herod had searched for him
unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be
executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some
time there.
Acts 12:20 Now Herod was in a furious dispute
with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him.
Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain,
they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s
country for food.
Acts 12:21 On the appointed day, Herod donned
his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
Acts 12:22 And they began to shout, “This is the
voice of a god, not a man!”
Acts 12:23 Immediately, because Herod did not
give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he
was eaten by worms and died.
Acts 12:24 But the word of God continued to
spread and multiply.
Acts 12:25 When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled
their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them
John, also called Mark.
Acts 13:1 Now in the church at Antioch there
were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius
of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the
tetrarch), and Saul.
Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord
and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and
Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:3 And after they had fasted and prayed,
they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:4 So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by
the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to
Cyprus.
Acts 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they
proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was
with them as their helper.
Acts 13:6 They traveled through the whole island
as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false
prophet named Bar-Jesus,
Acts 13:7 an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius
Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas
and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God.
Acts 13:8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is
what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul
from the faith.
Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul,
filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas
Acts 13:10 and said, “O child of the devil and
enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit
and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of
the Lord?
Acts 13:11 Now look, the hand of the Lord is
against you, and for a time you will be blind and unable to see
the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over
him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
Acts 13:12 When the proconsul saw what had
happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about
the Lord.
Acts 13:13 After setting sail from Paphos, Paul
and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left
them to return to Jerusalem.
Acts 13:14 And from Perga, they traveled inland
to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the
Sabbath and sat down.
Acts 13:15 After the reading from the Law and
the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers,
if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
Acts 13:16 Paul stood up, motioned with his
hand, and began to speak: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear
God, listen to me!
Acts 13:17 The God of the people of Israel chose
our fathers. He made them into a great people during their stay in
Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of that land.
Acts 13:18 He endured their conduct for about
forty years in the wilderness.
Acts 13:19 And having vanquished seven nations
in Canaan, He gave their land to His people as an inheritance.
Acts 13:20 All this took about 450 years. After
this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.
Acts 13:21 Then the people asked for a king, and
God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe
of Benjamin.
Acts 13:22 After removing Saul, He raised up
David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David
son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will
in its entirety.’
Acts 13:23 From the descendants of this man, God
has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.
Acts 13:24 Before the arrival of Jesus, John
preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
Acts 13:25 As John was completing his course, he
said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not that One. But He is
coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’
Acts 13:26 Brothers, children of Abraham, and
you Gentiles who fear God, it is to us that this message of
salvation has been sent.
Acts 13:27 The people of Jerusalem and their
rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they
fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
Acts 13:28 And though they found no ground for a
death sentence, they asked Pilate to have Him executed.
Acts 13:29 When they had carried out all that
was written about Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid
Him in a tomb.
Acts 13:30 But God raised Him from the dead,
Acts 13:31 and for many days He was seen by
those who had accompanied Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are
now His witnesses to our people.
Acts 13:32 And now we proclaim to you the good
news: What God promised our fathers
Acts 13:33 He has fulfilled for us, their
children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second
Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.’
Acts 13:34 In fact, God raised Him from the
dead, never to see decay. As He has said: ‘I will give you the
holy and sure blessings promised to David.’
Acts 13:35 So also, He says in another Psalm:
‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’
Acts 13:36 For when David had served God’s
purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried
with his fathers and saw decay.
Acts 13:37 But the One whom God raised from the
dead did not see decay.
Acts 13:38 Therefore let it be known to you,
brothers, that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed
to you.
Acts 13:39 Through Him everyone who believes is
justified from everything you could not be justified from by the
law of Moses.
Acts 13:40 Watch out, then, that what was spoken
by the prophets does not happen to you:
Acts 13:41 ‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and
perish! For I am doing a work in your days that you would never
believe, even if someone told you.’”
Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the
synagogue, the people urged them to continue this message on the
next Sabbath.
Acts 13:43 After the synagogue was dismissed,
many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and
Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the
grace of God.
Acts 13:44 On the following Sabbath, nearly the
whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds,
they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously
contradicted what Paul was saying.
Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them
boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first.
But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of
eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
Acts 13:47 For this is what the Lord has
commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring
salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Acts 13:48 When the Gentiles heard this, they
rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were
appointed for eternal life believed.
Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord spread
throughout that region.
Acts 13:50 The Jews, however, incited the
religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city.
They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove
them out of their district.
Acts 13:51 So they shook the dust off their feet
in protest against them and went to Iconium.
Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with
joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 14:1 At Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went as
usual into the Jewish synagogue, where they spoke so well that a
great number of Jews and Greeks believed.
Acts 14:2 But the unbelieving Jews stirred up
the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
Acts 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent
considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who
affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform
signs and wonders.
Acts 14:4 The people of the city were divided.
Some sided with the Jews, and others with the apostles.
Acts 14:5 But when the Gentiles and Jews,
together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them,
Acts 14:6 they found out about it and fled to
the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding
region,
Acts 14:7 where they continued to preach the
gospel.
Acts 14:8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in
his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.
Acts 14:9 This man was listening to the words of
Paul, who looked intently at him and saw that he had faith to be
healed.
Acts 14:10 In a loud voice Paul called out,
“Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped up and began to walk.
Acts 14:11 When the crowds saw what Paul had
done, they lifted up their voices in the Lycaonian language: “The
gods have come down to us in human form!”
Acts 14:12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul
they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
Acts 14:13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was
just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city
gates, hoping to offer a sacrifice along with the crowds.
Acts 14:14 But when the apostles Barnabas and
Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into
the crowd, shouting,
Acts 14:15 “Men, why are you doing this? We too
are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news that
you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who
made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.
Acts 14:16 In past generations, He let all
nations go their own way.
Acts 14:17 Yet He has not left Himself without
testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and
fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
Acts 14:18 Even with these words, Paul and
Barnabas could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to them.
Acts 14:19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch
and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged
him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
Acts 14:20 But after the disciples had gathered
around him, he got up and went back into the city. And the next
day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
Acts 14:21 They preached the gospel to that city
and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium,
and Antioch,
Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the
disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must
endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders
for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted
them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.
Acts 14:24 After passing through Pisidia, they
came to Pamphylia.
Acts 14:25 And when they had spoken the word in
Perga, they went down to Attalia.
Acts 14:26 From Attalia they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work
they had just completed.
Acts 14:27 When they arrived, they gathered the
church together and reported all that God had done through them,
and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Acts 14:28 And they spent a long time there with
the disciples.
Acts 15:1 Then some men came down from Judea and
were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according
to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Acts 15:2 And after engaging these men in sharp
debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other
believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders
about this question.
Acts 15:3 Sent on their way by the church, they
passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of
the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.
Acts 15:4 On their arrival in Jerusalem, they
were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they
reported all that God had done through them.
Acts 15:5 But some believers from the party of
the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must be
circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”
Acts 15:6 So the apostles and elders met to look
into this matter.
Acts 15:7 After much discussion, Peter got up
and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God
made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips
the message of the gospel and believe.
Acts 15:8 And God, who knows the heart, showed
His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to
us.
Acts 15:9 He made no distinction between us and
them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.
Acts 15:10 Now then, why do you test God by
placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor
our fathers have been able to bear?
Acts 15:11 On the contrary, we believe it is
through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as
they are.”
Acts 15:12 The whole assembly fell silent as
they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and
wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
Acts 15:13 When they had finished speaking,
James declared, “Brothers, listen to me!
Acts 15:14 Simon has told us how God first
visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own.
Acts 15:15 The words of the prophets agree with
this, as it is written:
Acts 15:16 ‘After this I will return and rebuild
the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will
restore it,
Acts 15:17 so that the remnant of men may seek
the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the
Lord who does these things
Acts 15:18 that have been known for ages.’
Acts 15:19 It is my judgment, therefore, that we
should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
Acts 15:20 Instead, we should write and tell
them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual
immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
Acts 15:21 For Moses has been proclaimed in
every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on
every Sabbath.”
Acts 15:22 Then the apostles and elders, with
the whole church, decided to select men from among them to send to
Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas
and Silas, two leaders among the brothers,
Acts 15:23 and sent them with this letter: The
apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the
Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
Acts 15:24 It has come to our attention that
some went out from us without our authorization and unsettled you,
troubling your minds by what they said.
Acts 15:25 So we all agreed to choose men to
send to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Acts 15:26 men who have risked their lives for
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 15:27 Therefore we are sending Judas and
Silas to tell you in person the same things we are writing.
Acts 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and
to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential
requirements:
Acts 15:29 You must abstain from food sacrificed
to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from
sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell.
Acts 15:30 So the men were sent off and went
down to Antioch, where they assembled the congregation and
delivered the letter.
Acts 15:31 When the people read it, they
rejoiced at its encouraging message.
Acts 15:32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were
prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
Acts 15:33 After spending some time there, they
were sent off by the brothers in peace to return to those who had
sent them.
Acts 15:34
Acts 15:35 But Paul and Barnabas remained at
Antioch, along with many others, teaching and preaching the word
of the Lord.
Acts 15:36 Some time later Paul said to
Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town
where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are
doing.”
Acts 15:37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also
called Mark.
Acts 15:38 But Paul thought it best not to take
him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not
accompanied them in the work.
Acts 15:39 Their disagreement was so sharp that
they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
Acts 15:40 but Paul chose Silas and left,
commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Acts 15:41 And he traveled through Syria and
Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Acts 16:1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra,
where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing
Jewish woman and a Greek father.
Acts 16:2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium
spoke well of him.
Acts 16:3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him,
so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that
area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Acts 16:4 As they went from town to town, they
delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in
Jerusalem for the people to obey.
Acts 16:5 So the churches were strengthened in
the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Acts 16:6 After the Holy Spirit had prevented
them from speaking the word in the province of Asia, they traveled
through the region of Phrygia and Galatia.
Acts 16:7 And when they came to the border of
Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would
not permit them.
Acts 16:8 So they passed by Mysia and went down
to Troas.
Acts 16:9 During the night, Paul had a vision of
a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to
Macedonia and help us.”
Acts 16:10 As soon as Paul had seen the vision,
we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had
called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts 16:11 We sailed from Troas straight to
Samothrace, and the following day on to Neapolis.
Acts 16:12 From there we went to the Roman
colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of
Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
Acts 16:13 On the Sabbath we went outside the
city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place
of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had
gathered there.
Acts 16:14 Among those listening was a woman
named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira,
who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond
to Paul’s message.
Acts 16:15 And when she and her household had
been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the
Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Acts 16:16 One day as we were going to the place
of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of
divination, who earned a large income for her masters by
fortune-telling.
Acts 16:17 This girl followed Paul and the rest
of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who
are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
Acts 16:18 She continued this for many days.
Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the
spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of
her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.
Acts 16:19 When the girl’s owners saw that their
hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
Acts 16:20 They brought them to the magistrates
and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into
turmoil
Acts 16:21 by promoting customs that are
unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”
Acts 16:22 The crowd joined in the attack
against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be
stripped and beaten with rods.
Acts 16:23 And after striking them with many
blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard
them securely.
Acts 16:24 On receiving this order, he placed
them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Acts 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were
praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were
listening to them.
Acts 16:26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook
the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and
everyone’s chains came loose.
Acts 16:27 When the jailer woke up and saw the
prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill
himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.
Acts 16:28 But Paul called out in a loud voice,
“Do not harm yourself! We are all here!”
Acts 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed
in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
Acts 16:30 Then he brought them out and asked,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Acts 16:31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord
Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 16:32 Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of
the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
Acts 16:33 At that hour of the night, the jailer
took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all
his household were baptized.
Acts 16:34 Then he brought them into his home
and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced
that they had come to believe in God.
Acts 16:35 When daylight came, the magistrates
sent their officers with the order: “Release those men.”
Acts 16:36 The jailer informed Paul: “The
magistrates have sent orders to release you. Now you may go on
your way in peace.”
Acts 16:37 But Paul said to the officers, “They
beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even
though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away
secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us
out!”
Acts 16:38 So the officers relayed this message
to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas
were Roman citizens.
Acts 16:39 They came to appease them and led
them out, requesting that they leave the city.
Acts 16:40 After Paul and Silas came out of the
prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and
encourage them. Then they left the city.
Acts 17:1 When they had passed through
Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there
was a Jewish synagogue.
Acts 17:2 As was his custom, Paul went into the
synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the
Scriptures,
Acts 17:3 explaining and proving that the Christ
had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming
to you is the Christ,” he declared.
Acts 17:4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and
joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing
Greeks and quite a few leading women.
Acts 17:5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So
they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a
mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house
in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the
people.
Acts 17:6 But when they could not find them,
they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city
officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside
down have now come here,
Acts 17:7 and Jason has welcomed them into his
home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is
another king, named Jesus!”
Acts 17:8 On hearing this, the crowd and city
officials were greatly disturbed.
Acts 17:9 And they collected bond from Jason and
the others, and then released them.
Acts 17:10 As soon as night had fallen, the
brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there,
they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were more
noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message
with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see
if these teachings were true.
Acts 17:12 As a result, many of them believed,
along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.
Acts 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica
learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea,
they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.
Acts 17:14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to
the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
Acts 17:15 Those who escorted Paul brought him
to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and
Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Acts 17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in
Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city
was full of idols.
Acts 17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with
the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with
those he met each day.
Acts 17:18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers
also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this
babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating
foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the
good news of Jesus and the resurrection.
Acts 17:19 So they took Paul and brought him to
the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new
teaching is that you are presenting?
Acts 17:20 For you are bringing some strange
notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
Acts 17:21 Now all the Athenians and foreigners
who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing
and articulating new ideas.
Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood up in the meeting of
the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way
you are very religious.
Acts 17:23 For as I walked around and examined
your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this
inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as
something unknown, I now proclaim to you.
Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and
everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live
in temples made by human hands.
Acts 17:25 Nor is He served by human hands, as
if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and
breath and everything else.
Acts 17:26 From one man He made every nation of
men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined
their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
Acts 17:27 God intended that they would seek Him
and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far
from each one of us.
Acts 17:28 ‘For in Him we live and move and have
our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His
offspring.’
Acts 17:29 Therefore, being offspring of God, we
should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or
stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
Acts 17:30 Although God overlooked the ignorance
of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Acts 17:31 For He has set a day when He will
judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has
given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:32 When they heard about the
resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said,
“We want to hear you again on this topic.”
Acts 17:33 At that, Paul left the Areopagus.
Acts 17:34 But some joined him and believed,
including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and
others who were with them.
Acts 18:1 After this, Paul left Athens and went
to Corinth.
Acts 18:2 There he found a Jew named Aquila, a
native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife
Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.
Paul went to visit them,
Acts 18:3 and he stayed and worked with them
because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.
Acts 18:4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the
synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike.
Acts 18:5 And when Silas and Timothy came down
from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying
to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 18:6 But when they opposed and insulted
him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on
your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the
Gentiles.”
Acts 18:7 So Paul left the synagogue and went
next door to the house of Titus Justus, a worshiper of God.
Acts 18:8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his
whole household believed in the Lord. And many of the Corinthians
who heard the message believed and were baptized.
Acts 18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a
vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
Acts 18:10 For I am with you and no one will lay
a hand on you, because I have many people in this city.”
Acts 18:11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half,
teaching the word of God among the Corinthians.
Acts 18:12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the
judgment seat.
Acts 18:13 “This man is persuading the people to
worship God in ways contrary to the law,” they said.
Acts 18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak,
Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or
vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your
complaint.
Acts 18:15 But since it is a dispute about words
and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a
judge of such things.”
Acts 18:16 And he drove them away from the
judgment seat.
Acts 18:17 At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes
the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Acts 18:18 Paul remained in Corinth for quite
some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head
shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed
for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
Acts 18:19 When they reached Ephesus, Paul
parted ways with Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the
synagogue there and reasoned with the Jews.
Acts 18:20 When they asked him to stay for a
while longer, he declined.
Acts 18:21 But as he left, he said, “I will come
back to you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
Acts 18:22 When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he
went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem. Then he went down to
Antioch.
Acts 18:23 After Paul had spent some time in
Antioch, he traveled from place to place throughout the region of
Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Acts 18:24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a
native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man,
well versed in the Scriptures.
Acts 18:25 He had been instructed in the way of
the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately
about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Acts 18:26 And he began to speak boldly in the
synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him in
and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Acts 18:27 When Apollos resolved to cross over
to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples
there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those
who by grace had believed.
Acts 18:28 For he powerfully refuted the Jews in
public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the
Christ.
Acts 19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul
passed through the interior and came to Ephesus. There he found
some disciples
Acts 19:2 and asked them, “Did you receive the
Holy Spirit when you became believers?” “No,” they answered, “we
have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Acts 19:3 “Into what, then, were you baptized?”
Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied.
Acts 19:4 Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a
baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One
coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
Acts 19:5 On hearing this, they were baptized
into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 19:6 And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and
prophesied.
Acts 19:7 There were about twelve men in all.
Acts 19:8 Then Paul went into the synagogue and
spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about
the kingdom of God.
Acts 19:9 But when some of them stubbornly
refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way, Paul took his
disciples and left the synagogue to conduct daily discussions in
the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
Acts 19:10 This continued for two years, so that
everyone who lived in the province of Asia, Jews and Greeks alike,
heard the word of the Lord.
Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles
through the hands of Paul,
Acts 19:12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons
that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and
evil spirits left them.
Acts 19:13 Now there were some itinerant Jewish
exorcists who tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over
those with evil spirits. They would say, “I bind you by Jesus,
whom Paul proclaims.”
Acts 19:14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief
priest, were doing this.
Acts 19:15 Eventually, one of the evil spirits
answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are
you?”
Acts 19:16 Then the man with the evil spirit
jumped on them and overpowered them all. The attack was so violent
that they ran out of the house naked and wounded.
Acts 19:17 This became known to all the Jews and
Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the
name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
Acts 19:18 Many who had believed now came
forward, confessing and disclosing their deeds.
Acts 19:19 And a number of those who had
practiced magic arts brought their books and burned them in front
of everyone. When the value of the books was calculated, the total
came to fifty thousand drachmas.
Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord powerfully
continued to spread and prevail.
Acts 19:21 After these things had happened, Paul
resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed
through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said,
“I must see Rome as well.”
Acts 19:22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy
and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed for a time in the
province of Asia.
Acts 19:23 About that time there arose a great
disturbance about the Way.
Acts 19:24 It began with a silversmith named
Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much
business to the craftsmen.
Acts 19:25 Demetrius assembled the craftsmen,
along with the workmen in related trades. “Men,” he said, “you
know that this business is our source of prosperity.
Acts 19:26 And you can see and hear that not
only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, Paul
has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that
man-made gods are no gods at all.
Acts 19:27 There is danger not only that our
business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the
great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty
deposed—she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the
whole world.”
Acts 19:28 When the men heard this, they were
enraged and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:29 Soon the whole city was in disarray.
They rushed together into the theatre, dragging with them Gaius
and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.
Acts 19:30 Paul wanted to go before the
assembly, but the disciples would not allow him.
Acts 19:31 Even some of Paul’s friends who were
officials of the province of Asia sent word to him, begging him
not to venture into the theatre.
Acts 19:32 Meanwhile the assembly was in
turmoil. Some were shouting one thing and some another, and most
of them did not even know why they were there.
Acts 19:33 The Jews in the crowd pushed
Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence
so he could make his defense to the people.
Acts 19:34 But when they realized that he was a
Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Acts 19:35 Finally the city clerk quieted the
crowd and declared, “Men of Ephesus, doesn’t everyone know that
the city of Ephesus is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of her image, which fell from heaven?
Acts 19:36 Since these things are undeniable,
you ought to be calm and not do anything rash.
Acts 19:37 For you have brought these men here,
though they have neither robbed our temple nor blasphemed our
goddess.
Acts 19:38 So if Demetrius and his fellow
craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open and
proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges against one
another there.
Acts 19:39 But if you are seeking anything
beyond this, it must be settled in a legal assembly.
Acts 19:40 For we are in jeopardy of being
charged with rioting for today’s events, and we have no
justification to account for this commotion.”
Acts 19:41 After he had said this, he dismissed
the assembly.
Acts 20:1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent
for the disciples. And after encouraging them, he said goodbye to
them and left for Macedonia.
Acts 20:2 After traveling through that area and
speaking many words of encouragement, he arrived in Greece,
Acts 20:3 where he stayed three months. And when
the Jews formed a plot against him as he was about to sail for
Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
Acts 20:4 Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of
Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,
Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the
province of Asia.
Acts 20:5 These men went on ahead and waited for
us in Troas.
Acts 20:6 And after the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, we sailed from Philippi, and five days later we rejoined
them in Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week we came
together to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next
day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight.
Acts 20:8 Now there were many lamps in the upper
room where we were gathered.
Acts 20:9 And a certain young man named
Eutychus, seated in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep as
Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the
third story and was picked up dead.
Acts 20:10 But Paul went down, threw himself on
the young man, and embraced him. “Do not be alarmed!” he said. “He
is still alive!”
Acts 20:11 Then Paul went back upstairs, broke
bread, and ate. And after speaking until daybreak, he departed.
Acts 20:12 And the people were greatly relieved
to take the boy home alive.
Acts 20:13 We went on ahead to the ship and
sailed to Assos, where we were to take Paul aboard. He had
arranged this because he was going there on foot.
Acts 20:14 And when he met us at Assos, we took
him aboard and went on to Mitylene.
Acts 20:15 Sailing on from there, we arrived the
next day opposite Chios. The day after that we arrived at Samos,
and on the following day we came to Miletus.
Acts 20:16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus
to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was in
a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
Acts 20:17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus
for the elders of the church.
Acts 20:18 When they came to him, he said, “You
know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day
I arrived in the province of Asia.
Acts 20:19 I served the Lord with great humility
and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through
the plots of the Jews.
Acts 20:20 I did not shrink back from declaring
anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from
house to house,
Acts 20:21 testifying to Jews and Greeks alike
about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 20:22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I
am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.
Acts 20:23 I only know that in town after town
the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.
Acts 20:24 But I consider my life of no value to
me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I
have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to
the good news of God’s grace.
Acts 20:25 Now I know that none of you among
whom I have preached the kingdom will see my face again.
Acts 20:26 Therefore I testify to you this day
that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
Acts 20:27 For I did not shrink back from
declaring to you the whole will of God.
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and the
entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be
shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own
blood.
Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure,
savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
Acts 20:30 Even from your own number, men will
rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.
Acts 20:31 Therefore be alert and remember that
for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day
with tears.
Acts 20:32 And now I commit you to God and to
the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an
inheritance among all who are sanctified.
Acts 20:33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or
gold or clothing.
Acts 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands
of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my
companions.
Acts 20:35 In everything, I showed you that by
this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the
words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than
to receive.’”
Acts 20:36 When Paul had said this, he knelt
down with all of them and prayed.
Acts 20:37 They all wept openly as they embraced
Paul and kissed him.
Acts 20:38 They were especially grieved by his
statement that they would never see his face again. Then they
accompanied him to the ship.
Acts 21:1 After we had torn ourselves away from
them, we sailed directly to Cos, and the next day on to Rhodes,
and from there to Patara.
Acts 21:2 Finding a ship crossing over to
Phoenicia, we boarded it and set sail.
Acts 21:3 After sighting Cyprus and passing
south of it, we sailed on to Syria and landed at Tyre, where the
ship was to unload its cargo.
Acts 21:4 We sought out the disciples in Tyre
and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they kept
telling Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:5 But when our time there had ended, we
set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and
children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the
beach to pray with us.
Acts 21:6 And after we had said our farewells,
we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
Acts 21:7 When we had finished our voyage from
Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and
stayed with them for a day.
Acts 21:8 Leaving the next day, we went on to
Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist, who was
one of the Seven.
Acts 21:9 He had four unmarried daughters who
prophesied.
Acts 21:10 After we had been there several days,
a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Acts 21:11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s
belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit
says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of
this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
Acts 21:12 When we heard this, we and the people
there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you
weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound,
but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Acts 21:14 When he would not be dissuaded, we
fell silent and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
Acts 21:15 After these days, we packed up and
went on to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea
accompanied us, and they took us to stay at the home of Mnason the
Cypriot, an early disciple.
Acts 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the
brothers welcomed us joyfully.
Acts 21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to
see James, and all the elders were present.
Acts 21:19 Paul greeted them and recounted one
by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his
ministry.
Acts 21:20 When they heard this, they glorified
God. Then they said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands
of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
Acts 21:21 But they are under the impression
that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake
Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or observe
our customs.
Acts 21:22 What then should we do? They will
certainly hear that you have come.
Acts 21:23 Therefore do what we advise you.
There are four men with us who have taken a vow.
Acts 21:24 Take these men, purify yourself along
with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads
shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these
rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the law.
Acts 21:25 As for the Gentile believers, we have
written to them our decision that they must abstain from food
sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled
animals, and from sexual immorality.”
Acts 21:26 So the next day Paul took the men and
purified himself along with them. Then he entered the temple to
give notice of the date when their purification would be complete
and the offering would be made for each of them.
Acts 21:27 When the seven days were almost over,
some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They
stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,
Acts 21:28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help us!
This is the man who teaches everywhere against our people and
against our law and against this place. Furthermore, he has
brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.”
Acts 21:29 For they had previously seen
Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they assumed that
Paul had brought him into the temple.
Acts 21:30 The whole city was stirred up, and
the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out
of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
Acts 21:31 While they were trying to kill him,
the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all
Jerusalem was in turmoil.
Acts 21:32 Immediately he took some soldiers and
centurions and ran down to the crowd. When the people saw the
commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
Acts 21:33 The commander came up and arrested
Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who
he was and what he had done.
Acts 21:34 Some in the crowd were shouting one
thing, and some another. And since the commander could not get at
the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought
into the barracks.
Acts 21:35 When Paul reached the steps, he had
to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob.
Acts 21:36 For the crowd that followed him kept
shouting, “Away with him!”
Acts 21:37 As they were about to take Paul into
the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to
you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied.
Acts 21:38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who incited
a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the
‘Assassins’ into the wilderness?”
Acts 21:39 But Paul answered, “I am a Jew from
Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Now I beg you to
allow me to speak to the people.”
Acts 21:40 Having received permission, Paul
stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came
over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:
Acts 22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to
my defense before you.”
Acts 22:2 When they heard him speak to them in
Hebrew, they became even more silent. Then Paul declared,
Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of
Cilicia, but raised in this city. I was educated at the feet of
Gamaliel in strict conformity to the law of our fathers. I am just
as zealous for God as any of you here today.
Acts 22:4 I persecuted this Way even to the
death, detaining both men and women and throwing them into prison,
Acts 22:5 as the high priest and the whole
Council can testify about me. I even obtained letters from them to
their brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to apprehend these
people and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
Acts 22:6 About noon as I was approaching
Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.
Acts 22:7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice
say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
Acts 22:8 ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am
Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied.
Acts 22:9 My companions saw the light, but they
could not understand the voice of the One speaking to me.
Acts 22:10 Then I asked, ‘What should I do,
Lord?’ ‘Get up and go into Damascus,’ He told me. ‘There you will
be told all that you have been appointed to do.’
Acts 22:11 Because the brilliance of the light
had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus.
Acts 22:12 There a man named Ananias, a devout
observer of the law who was highly regarded by all the Jews living
there,
Acts 22:13 came and stood beside me. ‘Brother
Saul,’ he said, ‘receive your sight.’ And at that moment I could
see him.
Acts 22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers
has appointed you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One,
and to hear His voice.
Acts 22:15 You will be His witness to everyone
of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get
up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’
Acts 22:17 Later, when I had returned to
Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
Acts 22:18 and saw the Lord saying to me,
‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not
accept your testimony about Me.’
Acts 22:19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very
well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat
those who believed in You.
Acts 22:20 And when the blood of Your witness
Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and watching
over the garments of those who killed him.’
Acts 22:21 Then He said to me, ‘Go! I will send
you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Acts 22:22 The crowd listened to Paul until he
made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted,
“Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!”
Acts 22:23 As they were shouting and throwing
off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,
Acts 22:24 the commander ordered that Paul be
brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and
interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.
Acts 22:25 But as they stretched him out to
strap him down, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it
lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?”
Acts 22:26 On hearing this, the centurion went
and reported it to the commander. “What are you going to do?” he
said. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
Acts 22:27 The commander went to Paul and asked,
“Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he answered.
Acts 22:28 “I paid a high price for my
citizenship,” said the commander. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul
replied.
Acts 22:29 Then those who were about to
interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander himself was
alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in
chains.
Acts 22:30 The next day the commander, wanting
to learn the real reason Paul was accused by the Jews, released
him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to
assemble. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
Acts 23:1 Paul looked directly at the Sanhedrin
and said, “Brothers, I have conducted myself before God in all
good conscience to this day.”
Acts 23:2 At this, the high priest Ananias
ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.
Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God will
strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit here to judge me
according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by
commanding that I be struck.”
Acts 23:4 But those standing nearby said, “How
dare you insult the high priest of God!”
Acts 23:5 “Brothers,” Paul replied, “I was not
aware that he was the high priest, for it is written: ‘Do not
speak evil about the ruler of your people.’”
Acts 23:6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them
were Sadducees and others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin,
“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because
of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”
Acts 23:7 As soon as he had said this, a dispute
broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly
was divided.
Acts 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is
neither a resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees
acknowledge them all.
Acts 23:9 A great clamor arose, and some scribes
from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We
find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has
spoken to him?”
Acts 23:10 The dispute grew so violent that the
commander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. He ordered
the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into
the barracks.
Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood
near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me
in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
Acts 23:12 When daylight came, the Jews formed a
conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink
until they had killed Paul.
Acts 23:13 More than forty of them were involved
in this plot.
Acts 23:14 They went to the chief priests and
elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not
to eat anything until we have killed Paul.
Acts 23:15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin
petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of
examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the
way.”
Acts 23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister
heard about the plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.
Acts 23:17 Then Paul called one of the
centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has
something to tell him.”
Acts 23:18 So the centurion took him to the
commander and said, “Paul the prisoner sent and asked me to bring
this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
Acts 23:19 The commander took the young man by
the hand, drew him aside, and asked, “What do you need to tell
me?”
Acts 23:20 He answered, “The Jews have agreed to
ask you to bring Paul to the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of
acquiring more information about him.
Acts 23:21 Do not let them persuade you, because
more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound
themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed
him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent.”
Acts 23:22 So the commander dismissed the young
man and instructed him, “Do not tell anyone that you have reported
this to me.”
Acts 23:23 Then he called two of his centurions
and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two
hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea in the third hour of the night.
Acts 23:24 Provide mounts for Paul to take him
safely to Governor Felix.”
Acts 23:25 And he wrote the following letter:
Acts 23:26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency,
Governor Felix: Greetings.
Acts 23:27 This man was seized by the Jews, and
they were about to kill him when I came with my troops to rescue
him. For I had learned that he is a Roman citizen,
Acts 23:28 and since I wanted to understand
their charges against him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin.
Acts 23:29 I found that the accusation involved
questions about their own law, but there was no charge worthy of
death or imprisonment.
Acts 23:30 When I was informed that there was a
plot against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also instructed
his accusers to present their case against him before you.
Acts 23:31 So the soldiers followed their orders
and brought Paul by night to Antipatris.
Acts 23:32 The next day they returned to the
barracks and let the horsemen go on with him.
Acts 23:33 When the horsemen arrived in
Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and presented
Paul to him.
Acts 23:34 The governor read the letter and
asked what province Paul was from. Learning that he was from
Cilicia,
Acts 23:35 he said, “I will hear your case when
your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under
guard in Herod’s Praetorium.
Acts 24:1 Five days later the high priest
Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus,
who presented to the governor their case against Paul.
Acts 24:2 When Paul had been called in,
Tertullus opened the prosecution: “Because of you, we have enjoyed
a lasting peace, and your foresight has brought improvements to
this nation.
Acts 24:3 In every way and everywhere, most
excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude.
Acts 24:4 But in order not to burden you any
further, I beg your indulgence to hear us briefly.
Acts 24:5 We have found this man to be a
pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the
world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,
Acts 24:6 and he even tried to desecrate the
temple; so we seized him.
Acts 24:7
Acts 24:8 By examining him yourself, you will be
able to learn the truth about all our charges against him.”
Acts 24:9 The Jews concurred, asserting that
these charges were true.
Acts 24:10 When the governor motioned for Paul
to speak, he began his response: “Knowing that you have been a
judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense.
Acts 24:11 You can verify for yourself that no
more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship.
Acts 24:12 Yet my accusers did not find me
debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the
synagogues or in the city.
Acts 24:13 Nor can they prove to you any of
their charges against me.
Acts 24:14 I do confess to you, however, that I
worship the God of our fathers according to the Way, which they
call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and
written in the Prophets,
Acts 24:15 and I have the same hope in God that
they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both
the righteous and the wicked.
Acts 24:16 In this hope, I strive always to
maintain a clear conscience before God and man.
Acts 24:17 After several years, then, I returned
to Jerusalem to bring alms to my people and to present offerings.
Acts 24:18 At the time they found me in the
temple, I was ceremonially clean and was not inciting a crowd or
an uproar. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia
Acts 24:19 who ought to appear before you and
bring charges, if they have anything against me.
Acts 24:20 Otherwise, let these men state for
themselves any crime they found in me when I stood before the
Sanhedrin,
Acts 24:21 unless it was this one thing I called
out as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the
resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”
Acts 24:22 Then Felix, who was well informed
about the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “When Lysias the
commander comes, I will decide your case.”
Acts 24:23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul
under guard, but to allow him some freedom and permit his friends
to minister to his needs.
Acts 24:24 After several days, Felix returned
with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and
listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.
Acts 24:25 As Paul expounded on righteousness,
self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became frightened and
said, “You may go for now. When I find the time, I will call for
you.”
Acts 24:26 At the same time, he was hoping that
Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and
talked with him.
Acts 24:27 After two years had passed, Felix was
succeeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the Jews a favor,
Felix left Paul in prison.
Acts 25:1 Three days after his arrival in the
province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,
Acts 25:2 where the chief priests and Jewish
leaders presented their case against Paul. They urged Festus
Acts 25:3 to grant them a concession against
Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an
ambush to kill him along the way.
Acts 25:4 But Festus replied, “Paul is being
held in Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.
Acts 25:5 So if this man has done anything
wrong, let some of your leaders come down with me and accuse him
there.”
Acts 25:6 After spending no more than eight or
ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he
sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paul be brought in.
Acts 25:7 When Paul arrived, the Jews who had
come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious
charges that they could not prove.
Acts 25:8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have
committed no offense against the law of the Jews or against the
temple or against Caesar.”
Acts 25:9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a
favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to
stand trial before me on these charges?”
Acts 25:10 Paul replied, “I am standing before
the judgment seat of Caesar, where I ought to be tried. I have
done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.
Acts 25:11 If, however, I am guilty of anything
worthy of death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is no truth
to their accusations against me, no one has the right to hand me
over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”
Acts 25:12 Then Festus conferred with his
council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you
will go!”
Acts 25:13 After several days had passed, King
Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to pay their respects to
Festus.
Acts 25:14 Since they were staying several days,
Festus laid out Paul’s case before the king: “There is a certain
man whom Felix left in prison.
Acts 25:15 While I was in Jerusalem, the chief
priests and elders of the Jews presented their case and requested
a judgment against him.
Acts 25:16 I told them that it is not the Roman
custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face
his accusers and defend himself against their charges.
Acts 25:17 So when they came here with me, I did
not delay. The next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered
that the man be brought in.
Acts 25:18 But when his accusers rose to speak,
they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.
Acts 25:19 They only had some contentions with
him regarding their own religion and a certain Jesus who had died,
but whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
Acts 25:20 Since I was at a loss as to how to
investigate these matters, I asked if he was willing to go to
Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.
Acts 25:21 But when Paul appealed to be held
over for the decision of the Emperor, I ordered that he be held
until I could send him to Caesar.”
Acts 25:22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would
like to hear this man myself.” “Tomorrow you will hear him,”
Festus declared.
Acts 25:23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came
with great pomp and entered the auditorium, along with the
commanders and leading men of the city. And Festus ordered that
Paul be brought in.
Acts 25:24 Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and
all who are present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish
community has petitioned me about him, both here and in Jerusalem,
crying out that he ought not to live any longer.
Acts 25:25 But I found he had done nothing
worthy of death, and since he has now appealed to the Emperor, I
decided to send him.
Acts 25:26 I have nothing definite to write to
our sovereign one about him. Therefore I have brought him before
all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after
this inquiry I may have something to write.
Acts 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to
send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”
Acts 26:1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have
permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his
hand and began his defense:
Acts 26:2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself
fortunate to stand before you today to defend myself against all
the accusations of the Jews,
Acts 26:3 especially since you are acquainted
with all the Jewish customs and controversies. I beg you,
therefore, to listen to me patiently.
Acts 26:4 Surely all the Jews know how I have
lived from the earliest days of my youth, among my own people and
in Jerusalem.
Acts 26:5 They have known me for a long time and
can testify, if they are willing, that I lived as a Pharisee,
adhering to the strictest sect of our religion.
Acts 26:6 And now I stand on trial because of my
hope in the promise that God made to our fathers,
Acts 26:7 the promise our twelve tribes are
hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is
because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.
Acts 26:8 Why would any of you consider it
incredible that God raises the dead?
Acts 26:9 So then, I too was convinced that I
ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Acts 26:10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem.
With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in
prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote
against them.
Acts 26:11 I frequently had them punished in the
synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury
against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
Acts 26:12 In this pursuit I was on my way to
Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
Acts 26:13 About noon, O king, as I was on the
road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining
around me and my companions.
Acts 26:14 We all fell to the ground, and I
heard a voice say to me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
Acts 26:15 ‘Who are You, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.
Acts 26:16 ‘But get up and stand on your feet.
For I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a
witness of what you have seen from Me and what I will show you.
Acts 26:17 I will rescue you from your own
people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them
Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may
turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among
those sanctified by faith in Me.’
Acts 26:19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not
disobedient to the heavenly vision.
Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus and
Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to
the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God,
performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
Acts 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in
the temple courts and tried to kill me.
Acts 26:22 But I have had God’s help to this
day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am
saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would
happen:
Acts 26:23 that the Christ would suffer, and as
the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our
people and to the Gentiles.”
Acts 26:24 At this stage of Paul’s defense,
Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You are insane, Paul! Your
great learning is driving you to madness!”
Acts 26:25 But Paul answered, “I am not insane,
most excellent Festus; I am speaking words of truth and sobriety.
Acts 26:26 For the king knows about these
matters, and I can speak freely to him. I am confident that none
of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a
corner.
Acts 26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the
prophets? I know you do.”
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you
persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”
Acts 26:29 “Short time or long,” Paul replied,
“I wish to God that not only you but all who hear me this day may
become what I am, except for these chains.”
Acts 26:30 Then the king and the governor rose,
along with Bernice and those seated with them.
Acts 26:31 On their way out, they said to one
another, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or
imprisonment.”
Acts 26:32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man
could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
Acts 27:1 When it was decided that we would sail
for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a
centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.
Acts 27:2 We boarded an Adramyttian ship about
to sail for ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea.
Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
Acts 27:3 The next day we landed at Sidon, and
Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his
friends and receive their care.
Acts 27:4 After putting out from there, we
sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
Acts 27:5 And when we had sailed across the open
sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in
Lycia.
Acts 27:6 There the centurion found an
Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
Acts 27:7 After sailing slowly for many days, we
arrived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee
of Crete, opposite Salmone.
Acts 27:8 After we had moved along the coast
with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the
town of Lasea.
Acts 27:9 By now much time had passed, and the
voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast.
So Paul advised them,
Acts 27:10 “Men, I can see that our voyage will
be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and
cargo, but to our own lives as well.”
Acts 27:11 But contrary to Paul’s advice, the
centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship.
Acts 27:12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to
winter in, the majority decided to sail on, if somehow they could
reach Phoenix to winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete
facing both southwest and northwest.
Acts 27:13 When a gentle south wind began to
blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed
anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete.
Acts 27:14 But it was not long before a cyclone
called the Northeaster swept down across the island.
Acts 27:15 Unable to head into the wind, the
ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven
along.
Acts 27:16 Passing to the lee of a small island
called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat.
Acts 27:17 After hoisting it up, the crew used
ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run
aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and
were driven along.
Acts 27:18 We were tossed so violently that the
next day the men began to jettison the cargo.
Acts 27:19 On the third day, they threw the
ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.
Acts 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared
for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we
abandoned all hope of being saved.
Acts 27:21 After the men had gone a long time
without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should
have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would
have averted this disaster and loss.
Acts 27:22 But now I urge you to keep up your
courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but
only of the ship.
Acts 27:23 For just last night an angel of God,
whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me
Acts 27:24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul;
you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the
lives of all who sail with you.’
Acts 27:25 So take courage, men, for I believe
God that it will happen just as He told me.
Acts 27:26 However, we must run aground on some
island.”
Acts 27:27 On the fourteenth night we were still
being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors
sensed they were approaching land.
Acts 27:28 They took soundings and found that
the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they
took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.
Acts 27:29 Fearing that we would run aground on
the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for
daybreak.
Acts 27:30 Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to
escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow,
they let the lifeboat down into the sea.
Acts 27:31 But Paul said to the centurion and
the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot
be saved.”
Acts 27:32 So the soldiers cut the ropes to the
lifeboat and set it adrift.
Acts 27:33 Right up to daybreak, Paul kept
urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant
suspense, without taking any food.
Acts 27:34 So for your own preservation, I urge
you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will
be lost.”
Acts 27:35 After he had said this, Paul took
bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke
it and began to eat.
Acts 27:36 They were all encouraged and took
some food themselves.
Acts 27:37 In all, there were 276 of us on
board.
Acts 27:38 After the men had eaten their fill,
they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
Acts 27:39 When daylight came, they did not
recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach,
where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.
Acts 27:40 Cutting away the anchors, they left
them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders.
Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
Acts 27:41 But the vessel struck a sandbar and
ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern
was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.
Acts 27:42 The soldiers planned to kill the
prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom.
Acts 27:43 But the centurion, wanting to spare
Paul’s life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who could
swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
Acts 27:44 The rest were to follow on planks and
various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely
to land.
Acts 28:1 Once we were safely ashore, we learned
that the island was called Malta.
Acts 28:2 The islanders showed us extraordinary
kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it
was raining and cold.
Acts 28:3 Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and
as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat,
fastened itself to his hand.
Acts 28:4 When the islanders saw the creature
hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man
is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not
allowed him to live.”
Acts 28:5 But Paul shook the creature off into
the fire and suffered no ill effects.
Acts 28:6 The islanders were expecting him to
swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after waiting a long time and
seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and
said he was a god.
Acts 28:7 Nearby stood an estate belonging to
Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and
entertained us hospitably for three days.
Acts 28:8 The father of Publius was sick in bed,
suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and
after praying and placing his hands on him, he healed the man.
Acts 28:9 After this had happened, the rest of
the sick on the island came and were cured as well.
Acts 28:10 The islanders honored us in many ways
and supplied our needs when we were ready to sail.
Acts 28:11 After three months we set sail in an
Alexandrian ship that had wintered in the island. It had the Twin
Brothers as a figurehead.
Acts 28:12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed
there three days.
Acts 28:13 From there we weighed anchor and came
to Rhegium. After one day, a south wind came up, and on the second
day we arrived at Puteoli.
Acts 28:14 There we found some brothers who
invited us to spend the week with them. And so we came to Rome.
Acts 28:15 The brothers there had heard about us
and traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns
to meet us. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and gave thanks
to God.
Acts 28:16 When we arrived in Rome, Paul was
permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Acts 28:17 After three days, he called together
the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them,
“Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the
customs of our fathers, I was taken prisoner in Jerusalem and
handed over to the Romans.
Acts 28:18 They examined me and wanted to
release me, because there was no basis for a death sentence
against me.
Acts 28:19 But when the Jews objected, I was
compelled to appeal to Caesar, even though I have no charge to
bring against my nation.
Acts 28:20 So for this reason I have called to
see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel
that I am bound with this chain.”
Acts 28:21 The leaders replied, “We have not
received any letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the
brothers from there reported or even mentioned anything bad about
you.
Acts 28:22 But we consider your views worth
hearing, because we know that people everywhere are speaking
against this sect.”
Acts 28:23 So they set a day to meet with Paul,
and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to
them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God
and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the
Prophets.
Acts 28:24 Some of them were convinced by what
he said, but others refused to believe.
Acts 28:25 They disagreed among themselves and
began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy
Spirit was right when He spoke to your fathers through Isaiah the
prophet:
Acts 28:26 ‘Go to this people and say, “You will
be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing
but never perceiving.”
Acts 28:27 For this people’s heart has grown
callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed
their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with
their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would
heal them.’
Acts 28:28 Be advised, therefore, that God’s
salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
Acts 28:29
Acts 28:30 Paul stayed there two full years in
his own rented house, welcoming all who came to visit him.
Acts 28:31 Boldly and freely he proclaimed the
kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
ROMANS
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—
Romans 1:2 the gospel He promised beforehand
through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
Romans 1:3 regarding His Son, who was a
descendant of David according to the flesh,
Romans 1:4 and who through the Spirit of
holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His
resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:5 Through Him and on behalf of His
name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among
the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.
Romans 1:6 And you also are among those who are
called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:7 To all in Rome who are loved by God
and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus
Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed all
over the world.
Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve with my spirit in
preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I
remember you
Romans 1:10 in my prayers at all times, asking
that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.
Romans 1:11 For I long to see you so that I may
impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,
Romans 1:12 that is, that you and I may be
mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
Romans 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware,
brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been
prevented from visiting until now), in order that I might have a
harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
Romans 1:14 I am obligated both to Greeks and
non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
Romans 1:15 That is why I am so eager to preach
the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel,
because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
Romans 1:17 For the gospel reveals the
righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish,
just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed
from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who
suppress the truth by their wickedness.
Romans 1:19 For what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world
God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so
that men are without excuse.
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they
neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they
became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish
hearts.
Romans 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise,
they became fools,
Romans 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the
immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and
reptiles.
Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the
desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their
bodies with one another.
Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for
a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.
Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them over
to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural
relations for unnatural ones.
Romans 1:27 Likewise, the men abandoned natural
relations with women and burned with lust for one another. Men
committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves
the due penalty for their error.
Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not see
fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do
what ought not to be done.
Romans 1:29 They have become filled with every
kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,
Romans 1:30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent,
arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they
disobey their parents.
Romans 1:31 They are senseless, faithless,
heartless, merciless.
Romans 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous
decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not
only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who
practice them.
Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you
who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge
the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass
judgment do the same things.
Romans 2:2 And we know that God’s judgment
against those who do such things is based on truth.
Romans 2:3 So when you, O man, pass judgment on
others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s
judgment?
Romans 2:4 Or do you disregard the riches of His
kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s
kindness leads you to repentance?
Romans 2:5 But because of your hard and
unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for
the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Romans 2:6 God “will repay each one according to
his deeds.”
Romans 2:7 To those who by perseverance in doing
good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal
life.
Romans 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking
and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be
wrath and anger.
Romans 2:9 There will be trouble and distress
for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for
the Greek;
Romans 2:10 but glory, honor, and peace for
everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Greek.
Romans 2:11 For God does not show favoritism.
Romans 2:12 All who sin apart from the law will
also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will
be judged by the law.
Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law
who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who
will be declared righteous.
Romans 2:14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not
have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law
to themselves, even though they do not have the law.
Romans 2:15 So they show that the work of the
law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing
witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
Romans 2:16 on the day when God will judge men’s
secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.
Romans 2:17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew;
if you rely on the law and boast in God;
Romans 2:18 if you know His will and approve of
what is superior because you are instructed by the law;
Romans 2:19 if you are convinced that you are a
guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness,
Romans 2:20 an instructor of the foolish, a
teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of
knowledge and truth—
Romans 2:21 you, then, who teach others, do you
not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
Romans 2:22 You who forbid adultery, do you
commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
Romans 2:23 You who boast in the law, do you
dishonor God by breaking the law?
Romans 2:24 As it is written: “God’s name is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
Romans 2:25 Circumcision has value if you
observe the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has
become uncircumcision.
Romans 2:26 If a man who is not circumcised
keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be
regarded as circumcision?
Romans 2:27 The one who is physically
uncircumcised yet keeps the law will condemn you who, even though
you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
Romans 2:28 A man is not a Jew because he is one
outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical.
Romans 2:29 No, a man is a Jew because he is one
inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the
Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come
from men, but from God.
Romans 3:1 What, then, is the advantage of being
a Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
Romans 3:2 Much in every way. First of all, they
have been entrusted with the very words of God.
Romans 3:3 What if some did not have faith? Will
their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?
Romans 3:4 Certainly not! Let God be true and
every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved
right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness highlights
the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to
inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms.
Romans 3:6 Certainly not! In that case, how
could God judge the world?
Romans 3:7 However, if my falsehood accentuates
God’s truthfulness, to the increase of His glory, why am I still
condemned as a sinner?
Romans 3:8 Why not say, as some slanderously
claim that we say, “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their
condemnation is deserved!
Romans 3:9 What then? Are we any better? Not at
all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks
alike are all under sin.
Romans 3:10 As it is written: “There is no one
righteous, not even one.
Romans 3:11 There is no one who understands, no
one who seeks God.
Romans 3:12 All have turned away, they have
together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one.”
Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their
lips.”
Romans 3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing
and bitterness.”
Romans 3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Romans 3:16 ruin and misery lie in their wake,
Romans 3:17 and the way of peace they have not
known.”
Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before
their eyes.”
Romans 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law
says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth
may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be justified
in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings
awareness of sin.
Romans 3:21 But now, apart from the law, the
righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and
the Prophets.
Romans 3:22 And this righteousness from God
comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is
no distinction,
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God,
Romans 3:24 and are justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:25 God presented Him as the atoning
sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the
sins committed beforehand.
Romans 3:26 He did this to demonstrate His
righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify
the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is
excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of
faith.
Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Romans 3:29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is He
not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
Romans 3:30 since there is only one God, who
will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised
through that same faith.
Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this
faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham,
our forefather, has discovered?
Romans 4:2 If Abraham was indeed justified by
works, he had something to boast about, but not before God.
Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say?
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness.”
Romans 4:4 Now the wages of the worker are not
credited as a gift, but as an obligation.
Romans 4:5 However, to the one who does not
work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is
credited as righteousness.
Romans 4:6 And David speaks likewise of the
blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart
from works:
Romans 4:7 “Blessed are they whose lawless acts
are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord
will never count against him.”
Romans 4:9 Is this blessing only on the
circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying
that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:10 In what context was it credited? Was
it after his circumcision, or before? It was not after, but
before.
Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of
circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith
while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all
who believe but are not circumcised, in order that righteousness
might be credited to them.
Romans 4:12 And he is also the father of the
circumcised who not only are circumcised, but who also walk in the
footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was
circumcised.
Romans 4:13 For the promise to Abraham and his
offspring that he would be heir of the world was not given through
the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.
Romans 4:14 For if those who live by the law are
heirs, faith is useless and the promise is worthless,
Romans 4:15 because the law brings wrath. And
where there is no law, there is no transgression.
Romans 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by
faith, so that it may rest on grace and may be guaranteed to all
Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law, but also
to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us
all.
Romans 4:17 As it is written: “I have made you a
father of many nations.” He is our father in the presence of God,
in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls
into being what does not yet exist.
Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope
believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had
been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:19 Without weakening in his faith, he
acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a
hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.
Romans 4:20 Yet he did not waver through
disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith
and gave glory to God,
Romans 4:21 being fully persuaded that God was
able to do what He had promised.
Romans 4:22 This is why “it was credited to him
as righteousness.”
Romans 4:23 Now the words “it was credited to
him” were written not only for Abraham,
Romans 4:24 but also for us, to whom
righteousness will be credited—for us who believe in Him who
raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Romans 4:25 He was delivered over to death for
our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been
justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ,
Romans 5:2 through whom we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the
hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in
our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance;
Romans 5:4 perseverance, character; and
character, hope.
Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us,
because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Romans 5:6 For at just the right time, while we
were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:7 Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare
to die.
Romans 5:8 But God proves His love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:9 Therefore, since we have now been
justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath
through Him!
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies of God,
we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much
more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!
Romans 5:11 Not only that, but we also rejoice
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the
world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was
passed on to all men, because all sinned.
Romans 5:13 For sin was in the world before the
law was given; but sin is not taken into account when there is no
law.
Romans 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that
Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come.
Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the
trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how
much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of
the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many!
Romans 5:16 Again, the gift is not like the
result of the one man’s sin: The judgment that followed one sin
brought condemnation, but the gift that followed many trespasses
brought justification.
Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one
man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those
who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Romans 5:18 So then, just as one trespass
brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness
brought justification and life for all men.
Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience
of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the
obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:20 The law came in so that the trespass
would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the
more,
Romans 5:21 so that, just as sin reigned in
death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:1 What then shall we say? Shall we
continue in sin so that grace may increase?
Romans 6:2 Certainly not! How can we who died to
sin live in it any longer?
Romans 6:3 Or aren’t you aware that all of us
who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with Him
through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:5 For if we have been united with Him
like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him
in His resurrection.
Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was
crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered
powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
Romans 6:7 For anyone who has died has been
freed from sin.
Romans 6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we
believe that we will also live with Him.
Romans 6:9 For we know that since Christ was
raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has
dominion over Him.
Romans 6:10 The death He died, He died to sin
once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.
Romans 6:11 So you too must count yourselves
dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in
your mortal body so that you obey its desires.
Romans 6:13 Do not present the parts of your
body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves
to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and
present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of
righteousness.
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not be your master,
because you are not under law, but under grace.
Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we
are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not!
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you offer
yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey,
whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience
leading to righteousness?
Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God that, though
you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of
teaching to which you were committed.
Romans 6:18 You have been set free from sin and
have become slaves to righteousness.
Romans 6:19 I am speaking in human terms because
of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts
of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness,
so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.
Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves to sin, you
were free of obligation to righteousness.
Romans 6:21 What fruit did you reap at that time
from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those
things is death.
Romans 6:22 But now that you have been set free
from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads
to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 7:1 Do you not know, brothers (for I am
speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority
over a man only as long as he lives?
Romans 7:2 For instance, a married woman is
bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her
husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
Romans 7:3 So then, if she is joined to another
man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress;
but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an
adulteress, even if she marries another man.
Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brothers, you also died
to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to
another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we
might bear fruit to God.
Romans 7:5 For when we lived according to the
flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our
bodies, bearing fruit for death.
Romans 7:6 But now, having died to what bound
us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the
new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Romans 7:7 What then shall we say? Is the law
sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin
if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if
the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
Romans 7:8 But sin, seizing its opportunity
through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous
desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
Romans 7:9 Once I was alive apart from the law;
but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
Romans 7:10 So I discovered that the very
commandment that was meant to bring life actually brought death.
Romans 7:11 For sin, seizing its opportunity
through the commandment, deceived me and through the commandment
put me to death.
Romans 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the
commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
Romans 7:13 Did that which is good, then, become
death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed
as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that
through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
Romans 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For
what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.
Romans 7:16 And if I do what I do not want to
do, I admit that the law is good.
Romans 7:17 In that case, it is no longer I who
do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in
me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is
good, but I cannot carry it out.
Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want to
do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.
Romans 7:20 And if I do what I do not want, it
is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
Romans 7:21 So this is the principle I have
discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
Romans 7:22 For in my inner being I delight in
God’s law.
Romans 7:23 But I see another law at work in my
body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to
the law of sin that dwells within me.
Romans 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will
rescue me from this body of death?
Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God, through Jesus
Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but
with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:2 For in Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:3 For what the law was powerless to do
in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus
condemned sin in the flesh,
Romans 8:4 so that the righteous standard of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the
flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the flesh
set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live
according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the
Spirit.
Romans 8:6 The mind of the flesh is death, but
the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,
Romans 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is
hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
Romans 8:8 Those controlled by the flesh cannot
please God.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by
the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Christ.
Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, your body
is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of
righteousness.
Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus
from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through
His Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brothers, we have an
obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the
flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of
God are sons of God.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit of
slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with
our spirit that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:17 And if we are children, then we are
heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer
with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Romans 8:18 I consider that our present
sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed
in us.
Romans 8:19 The creation waits in eager
expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.
Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to
futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who
subjected it, in hope
Romans 8:21 that the creation itself will be set
free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious
freedom of the children of God.
Romans 8:22 We know that the whole creation has
been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the
present time.
Romans 8:23 Not only that, but we ourselves, who
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait
eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:24 For in this hope we were saved; but
hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can
already see?
Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not
yet see, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us
in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the
Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
Romans 8:27 And He who searches our hearts knows
the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the
saints according to the will of God.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God works all
things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called
according to His purpose.
Romans 8:29 For those God foreknew, He also
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He
would be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:30 And those He predestined, He also
called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He
also glorified.
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say in response
to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son but
gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him,
freely give us all things?
Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against
God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Romans 8:34 Who is there to condemn us? For
Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is
at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword?
Romans 8:36 As it is written: “For Your sake we
face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered.”
Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more
than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither
death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the
present nor the future, nor any powers,
Romans 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 9:1 I speak the truth in Christ; I am not
lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 9:2 I have deep sorrow and unceasing
anguish in my heart.
Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were
cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my own
flesh and blood,
Romans 9:4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the
adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants;
theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the
promises.
Romans 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from
them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all,
forever worthy of praise! Amen.
Romans 9:6 It is not as though God’s word has
failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
Romans 9:7 Nor because they are Abraham’s
descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through
Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
Romans 9:8 So it is not the children of the
flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the
promise who are regarded as offspring.
Romans 9:9 For this is what the promise stated:
“At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
Romans 9:10 Not only that, but Rebecca’s
children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
Romans 9:11 Yet before the twins were born or
had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of
election might stand,
Romans 9:12 not by works but by Him who calls,
she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
Romans 9:13 So it is written: “Jacob I loved,
but Esau I hated.”
Romans 9:14 What then shall we say? Is God
unjust? Certainly not!
Romans 9:15 For He says to Moses: “I will have
mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
have compassion.”
Romans 9:16 So then, it does not depend on man’s
desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh:
“I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My
power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the
earth.”
Romans 9:18 Therefore God has mercy on whom He
wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
Romans 9:19 One of you will say to me, “Then why
does God still find fault? For who can resist His will?”
Romans 9:20 But who are you, O man, to talk back
to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did
You make me like this?”
Romans 9:21 Does not the potter have the right
to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special
occasions and another for common use?
Romans 9:22 What if God, intending to show His
wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the
vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
Romans 9:23 What if He did this to make the
riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He
prepared in advance for glory—
Romans 9:24 including us, whom He has called not
only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles?
Romans 9:25 As He says in Hosea: “I will call
them ‘My People’ who are not My people, and I will call her ‘My
Beloved’ who is not My beloved,”
Romans 9:26 and, “It will happen that in the
very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’
they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
Romans 9:27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
“Though the number of the Israelites is like the sand of the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
Romans 9:28 For the Lord will carry out His
sentence on the earth thoroughly and decisively.”
Romans 9:29 It is just as Isaiah foretold:
“Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have
become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”
Romans 9:30 What then will we say? That the
Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a
righteousness that is by faith;
Romans 9:31 but Israel, who pursued a law of
righteousness, has not attained it.
Romans 9:32 Why not? Because their pursuit was
not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the
stumbling stone,
Romans 9:33 as it is written: “See, I lay in
Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who
believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and
prayer to God for the Israelites is for their salvation.
Romans 10:2 For I testify about them that they
are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.
Romans 10:3 Because they were ignorant of God’s
righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not
submit to God’s righteousness.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law, to
bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
Romans 10:5 For concerning the righteousness
that is by the law, Moses writes: “The man who does these things
will live by them.”
Romans 10:6 But the righteousness that is by
faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into
heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down)
Romans 10:7 or, ‘Who will descend into the
Abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Romans 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is
near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the
word of faith we are proclaiming:
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth,
“Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with your heart you believe and
are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
Romans 10:11 It is just as the Scripture says:
“Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between
Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to
all who call on Him,
Romans 10:13 for, “Everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:14 How then can they call on the One
in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the
One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without
someone to preach?
Romans 10:15 And how can they preach unless they
are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those
who bring good news!”
Romans 10:16 But not all of them welcomed the
good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:18 But I ask, did they not hear?
Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
Romans 10:19 I ask instead, did Israel not
understand? First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those
who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation without
understanding.”
Romans 10:20 And Isaiah boldly says: “I was
found by those who did not seek Me; I revealed Myself to those who
did not ask for Me.”
Romans 10:21 But as for Israel he says: “All day
long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate
people.”
Romans 11:1 I ask then, did God reject His
people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of
Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Romans 11:2 God did not reject His people, whom
He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah,
how he appealed to God against Israel:
Romans 11:3 “Lord, they have killed Your
prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and
they are seeking my life as well”?
Romans 11:4 And what was the divine reply to
him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not
bowed the knee to Baal.”
Romans 11:5 In the same way, at the present time
there is a remnant chosen by grace.
Romans 11:6 And if it is by grace, then it is no
longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
Romans 11:7 What then? What Israel was seeking,
it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,
Romans 11:8 as it is written: “God gave them a
spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not
hear, to this very day.”
Romans 11:9 And David says: “May their table
become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to
them.
Romans 11:10 May their eyes be darkened so they
cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
Romans 11:11 I ask then, did they stumble so as
to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their
trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel
jealous.
Romans 11:12 But if their trespass means riches
for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles,
how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
Romans 11:13 I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my
ministry
Romans 11:14 in the hope that I may provoke my
own people to jealousy and save some of them.
Romans 11:15 For if their rejection is the
reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but
life from the dead?
Romans 11:16 If the first part of the dough is
holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the
branches.
Romans 11:17 Now if some branches have been
broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in
among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root,
Romans 11:18 do not boast over those branches.
If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the
root supports you.
Romans 11:19 You will say then, “Branches were
broken off so that I could be grafted in.”
Romans 11:20 That is correct: They were broken
off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be
arrogant, but be afraid.
Romans 11:21 For if God did not spare the
natural branches, He will certainly not spare you either.
Romans 11:22 Take notice, therefore, of the
kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but
kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you
also will be cut off.
Romans 11:23 And if they do not persist in
unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them
in again.
Romans 11:24 For if you were cut from a wild
olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is
cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural
branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
Romans 11:25 I do not want you to be ignorant of
this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A
hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the
Gentiles has come in.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved, as
it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove
godlessness from Jacob.
Romans 11:27 And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
Romans 11:28 Regarding the gospel, they are
enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on
account of the patriarchs.
Romans 11:29 For God’s gifts and His call are
irrevocable.
Romans 11:30 Just as you who formerly disobeyed
God have now received mercy through their disobedience,
Romans 11:31 so they too have now disobeyed, in
order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown
to you.
Romans 11:32 For God has consigned everyone to
disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone.
Romans 11:33 O, the depth of the riches of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments,
and untraceable His ways!
Romans 11:34 “Who has known the mind of the
Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”
Romans 11:35 “Who has first given to God, that
God should repay him?”
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to
Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, on
account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of
worship.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be
able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect
will of God.
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to
every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you
ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the
measure of faith God has given you.
Romans 12:4 Just as each of us has one body with
many members, and not all members have the same function,
Romans 12:5 so in Christ we who are many are one
body, and each member belongs to one another.
Romans 12:6 We have different gifts according to
the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in
proportion to his faith;
Romans 12:7 if it is serving, let him serve; if
it is teaching, let him teach;
Romans 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him
encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is
leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let
him do it cheerfully.
Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Detest what is
evil; cling to what is good.
Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in
brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
Romans 12:11 Do not let your zeal subside; keep
your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, persistent in prayer.
Romans 12:13 Share with the saints who are in
need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you.
Bless and do not curse.
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice;
weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud, but enjoy the company of the lowly. Do not be
conceited.
Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.
Romans 12:18 If it is possible on your part,
live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved,
but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is
Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 12:20 On the contrary, “If your enemy is
hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so
doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the
governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which
is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by
God.
Romans 13:2 Consequently, whoever resists
authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do
so will bring judgment on themselves.
Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good
conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in
authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
Romans 13:4 For he is God’s servant for your
good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the
sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the
wrongdoer.
Romans 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to submit
to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter
of conscience.
Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes. For
the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their
work.
Romans 13:7 Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes
to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to
whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
Romans 13:8 Be indebted to no one, except to one
another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the
law.
Romans 13:9 The commandments “Do not commit
adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and
any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 13:10 Love does no wrong to its neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:11 And do this, understanding the
occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber,
for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day
has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put
on the armor of light.
Romans 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the
daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual
immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Romans 13:14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the
flesh.
Romans 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak,
without passing judgment on his opinions.
Romans 14:2 For one person has faith to eat all
things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.
Romans 14:3 The one who eats everything must not
belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat
everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted
him.
Romans 14:4 Who are you to judge someone else’s
servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand,
for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:5 One person regards a certain day
above the others, while someone else considers every day alike.
Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Romans 14:6 He who observes a special day does
so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives
thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives
thanks to God.
Romans 14:7 For none of us lives to himself
alone, and none of us dies to himself alone.
Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and
if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we
belong to the Lord.
Romans 14:9 For this reason Christ died and
returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and
the living.
Romans 14:10 Why, then, do you judge your
brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all
stand before God’s judgment seat.
Romans 14:11 It is written: “As surely as I
live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue
will confess to God.”
Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an
account of himself to God.
Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop judging one
another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block
or obstacle in your brother’s way.
Romans 14:14 I am convinced and fully persuaded
in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone
regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
Romans 14:15 If your brother is distressed by
what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your
eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.
Romans 14:16 Do not allow what you consider
good, then, to be spoken of as evil.
Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and
joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:18 For whoever serves Christ in this
way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Romans 14:19 So then, let us pursue what leads
to peace and to mutual edification.
Romans 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for
the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to
let his eating be a stumbling block.
Romans 14:21 It is better not to eat meat or
drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.
Romans 14:22 Keep your belief about such matters
between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn
himself by what he approves.
Romans 14:23 But the one who has doubts is
condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and
everything that is not from faith is sin.
Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with
the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
Romans 15:2 Each of us should please his
neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Romans 15:3 For even Christ did not please
Himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who insult
You have fallen on Me.”
Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in
the past was written for our instruction, so that through
endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have
hope.
Romans 15:5 Now may the God who gives endurance
and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ
Jesus,
Romans 15:6 so that with one mind and one voice
you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as
Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.
Romans 15:8 For I tell you that Christ has
become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to
confirm the promises made to the patriarchs,
Romans 15:9 so that the Gentiles may glorify God
for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You
among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.”
Romans 15:10 Again, it says: “Rejoice, O
Gentiles, with His people.”
Romans 15:11 And again: “Praise the Lord, all
you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.”
Romans 15:12 And once more, Isaiah says: “The
Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the
Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:14 I myself am convinced, my brothers,
that you yourselves are full of goodness, brimming with knowledge,
and able to instruct one another.
Romans 15:15 However, I have written you a bold
reminder on some points, because of the grace God has given me
Romans 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to
the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that
the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:17 Therefore I exult in Christ Jesus
in my service to God.
Romans 15:18 I will not presume to speak of
anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading
the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
Romans 15:19 by the power of signs and wonders,
and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the
way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of
Christ.
Romans 15:20 In this way I have aspired to
preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not
be building on someone else’s foundation.
Romans 15:21 Rather, as it is written: “Those
who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard
will understand.”
Romans 15:22 That is why I have often been
hindered from coming to you.
Romans 15:23 But now that there are no further
opportunities for me in these regions, and since I have longed for
many years to visit you,
Romans 15:24 I hope to see you on my way to
Spain. And after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can
equip me for my journey.
Romans 15:25 Now, however, I am on my way to
Jerusalem to serve the saints there.
Romans 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia were
pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in
Jerusalem.
Romans 15:27 They were pleased to do it, and
indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in
their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them
with material blessings.
Romans 15:28 So after I have completed this
service and have safely delivered this bounty to them, I will set
off to Spain by way of you.
Romans 15:29 I know that when I come to you, I
will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
Romans 15:30 Now I urge you, brothers, by our
Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my
struggle by praying to God for me.
Romans 15:31 Pray that I may be delivered from
the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be
acceptable to the saints there,
Romans 15:32 so that by God’s will I may come to
you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
Romans 15:33 The God of peace be with all of
you. Amen.
Romans 16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe,
a servant of the church in Cenchrea.
Romans 16:2 Welcome her in the Lord in a manner
worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need
from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including
me.
Romans 16:3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow
workers in Christ Jesus,
Romans 16:4 who have risked their lives for me.
Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to
them.
Romans 16:5 Greet also the church that meets at
their house. Greet my beloved Epenetus, who was the first convert
to Christ in the province of Asia.
Romans 16:6 Greet Mary, who has worked very hard
for you.
Romans 16:7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my
fellow countrymen and fellow prisoners. They are outstanding among
the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
Romans 16:8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the
Lord.
Romans 16:9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in
Christ, and my beloved Stachys.
Romans 16:10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in
Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
Romans 16:11 Greet Herodion, my fellow
countryman. Greet those from the household of Narcissus who are in
the Lord.
Romans 16:12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, women
who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my beloved Persis, who has
worked very hard in the Lord.
Romans 16:13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord,
and his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.
Romans 16:14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes,
Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them.
Romans 16:15 Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus
and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them.
Romans 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ send you greetings.
Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch
out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary
to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.
Romans 16:18 For such people are not serving our
Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery
they deceive the hearts of the naive.
Romans 16:19 Everyone has heard about your
obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about
what is good and innocent about what is evil.
Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush
Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you.
Romans 16:21 Timothy, my fellow worker, sends
you greetings, as do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my fellow
countrymen.
Romans 16:22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this
letter, greet you in the Lord.
Romans 16:23 Gaius, who has hosted me and all
the church, sends you greetings. Erastus, the city treasurer,
sends you greetings, as does our brother Quartus.
Romans 16:24
Romans 16:25 Now to Him who is able to
strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for
ages past
Romans 16:26 but now revealed and made known
through the writings of the prophets by the command of the eternal
God, in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from
faith—
Romans 16:27 to the only wise God be glory
forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
1 CORINTHIANS
1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle
of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God in
Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be
holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
1 Corinthians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank my God for you
because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:5 For in Him you have been
enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge,
1 Corinthians 1:6 because our testimony about
Christ was confirmed in you.
1 Corinthians 1:7 Therefore you do not lack any
spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:8 He will sustain you to the
end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into
fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together,
so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be
united in mind and conviction.
1 Corinthians 1:11 My brothers, some from
Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among
you.
1 Corinthians 1:12 What I mean is this:
Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow
Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:14 I thank God that I did not
baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,
1 Corinthians 1:15 so no one can say that you
were baptized into my name.
1 Corinthians 1:16 Yes, I also baptized the
household of Stephanas; beyond that I do not remember if I
baptized anyone else.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to
baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest
the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross
is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written: “I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the
intelligent I will frustrate.”
1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where
is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God
made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Corinthians 1:21 For since in the wisdom of
God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased
through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who
believe.
1 Corinthians 1:22 Jews demand signs and Greeks
search for wisdom,
1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ
crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
1 Corinthians 1:24 but to those who are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God.
1 Corinthians 1:25 For the foolishness of God is
wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than
man’s strength.
1 Corinthians 1:26 Brothers, consider the time
of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not
many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish
things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things
of the world to shame the strong.
1 Corinthians 1:28 He chose the lowly and
despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to
nullify the things that are,
1 Corinthians 1:29 so that no one may boast in
His presence.
1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of Him that you
are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our
righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:31 Therefore, as it is written:
“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 2:1 When I came to you, brothers,
I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the
testimony about God.
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I resolved to know nothing
while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:3 I came to you in weakness and
fear, and with much trembling.
1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching
were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration
of the Spirit’s power,
1 Corinthians 2:5 so that your faith would not
rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2:6 Among the mature, however, we
speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the
rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
1 Corinthians 2:7 No, we speak of the mysterious
and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before
time began.
1 Corinthians 2:8 None of the rulers of this age
understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the
Lord of glory.
1 Corinthians 2:9 Rather, as it is written: “No
eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God
has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed it to us
by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep
things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the
thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one
knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:12 We have not received the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may
understand what God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 2:13 And this is what we speak,
not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the
Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural man does not
accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are
foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they
are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:15 The spiritual man judges all
things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.
1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has known the mind
of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of
Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:1 Brothers, I could not address
you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:2 I gave you milk, not solid
food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are
still not ready,
1 Corinthians 3:3 for you are still worldly. For
since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not
worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?
1 Corinthians 3:4 For when one of you says, “I
follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere
men?
1 Corinthians 3:5 What then is Apollos? And what
is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord
has assigned to each his role.
1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted the seed and Apollos
watered it, but God made it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:7 So neither he who plants nor
he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
1 Corinthians 3:8 He who plants and he who
waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to
his own labor.
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow
workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:10 By the grace God has given
me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is
building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay a
foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:12 If anyone builds on this
foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or
straw,
1 Corinthians 3:13 his workmanship will be
evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each
man’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:14 If what he has built
survives, he will receive a reward.
1 Corinthians 3:15 If it is burned up, he will
suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the
flames.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you
yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God’s
temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you
are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no one deceive himself.
If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a
fool, so that he may become wise.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world
is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the
wise in their craftiness.”
1 Corinthians 3:20 And again, “The Lord knows
that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore, stop boasting in
men. All things are yours,
1 Corinthians 3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or
Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future.
All of them belong to you,
1 Corinthians 3:23 and you belong to Christ, and
Christ belongs to God.
1 Corinthians 4:1 So then, men ought to regard
us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required of stewards
that they be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:3 I care very little, however,
if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not
even judge myself.
1 Corinthians 4:4 My conscience is clear, but
that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before
the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to
light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of
men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
1 Corinthians 4:6 Brothers, I have applied these
things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may
learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not
take pride in one man over another.
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you so superior?
What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive
it, why do you boast as though you did not?
1 Corinthians 4:8 Already you have all you want.
Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings.
How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with
you!
1 Corinthians 4:9 For it seems to me that God
has displayed us apostles at the end of the procession, like
prisoners appointed for death. We have become a spectacle to the
whole world, to angels as well as to men.
1 Corinthians 4:10 We are fools for Christ, but
you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are
honored, but we are dishonored.
1 Corinthians 4:11 To this very hour we are
hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally
treated, we are homeless.
1 Corinthians 4:12 We work hard with our own
hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we
endure it;
1 Corinthians 4:13 when we are slandered, we
answer gently. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the
earth, the refuse of the world.
1 Corinthians 4:14 I am not writing this to
shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.
1 Corinthians 4:15 Even if you have ten thousand
guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers; for in Christ
Jesus I became your father through the gospel.
1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you to
imitate me.
1 Corinthians 4:17 That is why I have sent you
Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind
you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I
teach everywhere in every church.
1 Corinthians 4:18 Some of you have become
arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.
1 Corinthians 4:19 But I will come to you
shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only
what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not
a matter of talk but of power.
1 Corinthians 4:21 Which do you prefer? Shall I
come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that
there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is
intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.
1 Corinthians 5:2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t
you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from
your fellowship the man who did this?
1 Corinthians 5:3 Although I am absent from you
in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already
pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were
present.
1 Corinthians 5:4 When you are assembled in the
name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the
power of the Lord Jesus,
1 Corinthians 5:5 hand this man over to Satan
for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved
on the Day of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do
you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of
dough?
1 Corinthians 5:7 Get rid of the old leaven,
that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For
Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of
truth.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote you in my letter not
to associate with sexually immoral people.
1 Corinthians 5:10 I was not including the
sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or
idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing you not
to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is
sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a
drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
1 Corinthians 5:12 What business of mine is it
to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those
inside?
1 Corinthians 5:13 God will judge those outside.
“Expel the wicked man from among you.”
1 Corinthians 6:1 If any of you has a grievance
against another, how dare he go to law before the unrighteous
instead of before the saints!
1 Corinthians 6:2 Do you not know that the
saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world,
are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we will
judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
1 Corinthians 6:4 So if you need to settle
everyday matters, do you appoint as judges those of no standing in
the church?
1 Corinthians 6:5 I say this to your shame. Is
there really no one among you wise enough to arbitrate between his
brothers?
1 Corinthians 6:6 Instead, one brother goes to
law against another, and this in front of unbelievers!
1 Corinthians 6:7 The very fact that you have
lawsuits among you means that you are thoroughly defeated already.
Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
1 Corinthians 6:8 Instead, you yourselves cheat
and do wrong, even against your own brothers!
1 Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the
wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,
1 Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy,
nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the
kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And that is what some of you
were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were
justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit
of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:12 “Everything is permissible
for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is
permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.
1 Corinthians 6:13 “Food for the stomach and the
stomach for food,” but God will destroy them both. The body is not
intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for
the body.
1 Corinthians 6:14 By His power God raised the
Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also.
1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your
bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of
Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!
1 Corinthians 6:16 Or don’t you know that he who
unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it
is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who unites himself
with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality.
Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who
sins sexually sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own;
1 Corinthians 6:20 you were bought at a price.
Therefore glorify God with your body.
1 Corinthians 7:1 Now for the matters you wrote
about: It is good to abstain from sexual relations.
1 Corinthians 7:2 But because there is so much
sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each
woman her own husband.
1 Corinthians 7:3 The husband should fulfill his
marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:4 The wife does not have
authority over her own body, but the husband. Likewise the husband
does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.
1 Corinthians 7:5 Do not deprive each other,
except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote
yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will
not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
1 Corinthians 7:6 I say this as a concession,
not as a command.
1 Corinthians 7:7 I wish that all men were as I
am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift,
another has that.
1 Corinthians 7:8 Now to the unmarried and
widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I
am.
1 Corinthians 7:9 But if they cannot control
themselves, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn
with passion.
1 Corinthians 7:10 To the married I give this
command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her
husband.
1 Corinthians 7:11 But if she does, she must
remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a
husband must not divorce his wife.
1 Corinthians 7:12 To the rest I say this (I,
not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is
willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
1 Corinthians 7:13 And if a woman has an
unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must
not divorce him.
1 Corinthians 7:14 For the unbelieving husband
is sanctified through his believing wife, and the unbelieving wife
is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your
children would be unclean, but now they are holy.
1 Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbeliever leaves,
let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such
cases. God has called you to live in peace.
1 Corinthians 7:16 How do you know, wife,
whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband,
whether you will save your wife?
1 Corinthians 7:17 Regardless, each one should
lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God
has called him. This is what I prescribe in all the churches.
1 Corinthians 7:18 Was a man already circumcised
when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man
still uncircumcised when called? He should not be circumcised.
1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and
uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commandments is what
counts.
1 Corinthians 7:20 Each one should remain in the
situation he was in when he was called.
1 Corinthians 7:21 Were you a slave when you
were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your
freedom, take the opportunity.
1 Corinthians 7:22 For he who was a slave when
he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he
who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
1 Corinthians 7:23 You were bought at a price;
do not become slaves of men.
1 Corinthians 7:24 Brothers, each one should
remain in the situation he was in when God called him.
1 Corinthians 7:25 Now about virgins, I have no
command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the
Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
1 Corinthians 7:26 Because of the present
crisis, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is.
1 Corinthians 7:27 Are you committed to a wife?
Do not seek to be released. Are you free of commitment? Do not
look for a wife.
1 Corinthians 7:28 But if you do marry, you have
not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those
who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you
this.
1 Corinthians 7:29 What I am saying, brothers,
is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should
live as if they had none;
1 Corinthians 7:30 those who weep, as if they
did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make
a purchase, as if they had nothing;
1 Corinthians 7:31 and those who use the things
of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its
present form is passing away.
1 Corinthians 7:32 I want you to be free from
concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the
Lord, how he can please the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:33 But the married man is
concerned about the affairs of this world, how he can please his
wife,
1 Corinthians 7:34 and his interests are
divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work
of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the
married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how
she can please her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:35 I am saying this for your own
good, not to restrict you, but in order to promote proper decorum
and undivided devotion to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:36 However, if someone thinks he
is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is
beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes;
he is not sinning; they should get married.
1 Corinthians 7:37 But the man who is firmly
established in his heart and under no constraint, with control
over his will and resolve in his heart not to marry the virgin, he
will do well.
1 Corinthians 7:38 So then, he who marries the
virgin does well, but he who does not marry her does even better.
1 Corinthians 7:39 A wife is bound to her
husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free
to marry anyone she wishes, as long as he belongs to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:40 In my judgment, however, she
is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have
the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to
idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but
love builds up.
1 Corinthians 8:2 The one who thinks he knows
something does not yet know as he ought to know.
1 Corinthians 8:3 But the one who loves God is
known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:4 So about eating food
sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the
world, and that there is no God but one.
1 Corinthians 8:5 For even if there are
so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many
so-called gods and lords),
1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is but one
God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist.
And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things
came and through whom we exist.
1 Corinthians 8:7 But not everyone has this
knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they
eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their
conscience is weak, it is defiled.
1 Corinthians 8:8 But food does not bring us
closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if
we do.
1 Corinthians 8:9 Be careful, however, that your
freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
1 Corinthians 8:10 For if someone with a weak
conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s
temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?
1 Corinthians 8:11 So this weak brother, for
whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8:12 By sinning against your
brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin
against Christ.
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if what I eat
causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that
I will not cause him to stumble.
1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an
apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you yourselves not my
workmanship in the Lord?
1 Corinthians 9:2 Even if I am not an apostle to
others, surely I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship
in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 9:3 This is my defense to those
who scrutinize me:
1 Corinthians 9:4 Have we no right to food and
to drink?
1 Corinthians 9:5 Have we no right to take along
a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers
and Cephas?
1 Corinthians 9:6 Or are Barnabas and I the only
apostles who must work for a living?
1 Corinthians 9:7 Who serves as a soldier at his
own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit?
Who tends a flock and does not drink of its milk?
1 Corinthians 9:8 Do I say this from a human
perspective? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing?
1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the Law
of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the
grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned?
1 Corinthians 9:10 Isn’t He actually speaking on
our behalf? Indeed, this was written for us, because when the
plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they should also expect
to share in the harvest.
1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown spiritual
seed among you, is it too much for us to reap a material harvest
from you?
1 Corinthians 9:12 If others have this right to
your support, shouldn’t we have it all the more? But we did not
exercise this right. Instead, we put up with anything rather than
hinder the gospel of Christ.
1 Corinthians 9:13 Do you not know that those
who work in the temple eat of its food, and those who serve at the
altar partake of its offerings?
1 Corinthians 9:14 In the same way, the Lord has
prescribed that those who preach the gospel should receive their
living from the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:15 But I have not used any of
these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that something
be done for me. Indeed, I would rather die than let anyone nullify
my boast.
1 Corinthians 9:16 Yet when I preach the gospel,
I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe
to me if I do not preach the gospel!
1 Corinthians 9:17 If my preaching is voluntary,
I have a reward. But if it is not voluntary, I am still entrusted
with a responsibility.
1 Corinthians 9:18 What then is my reward? That
in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not
use up my rights in preaching it.
1 Corinthians 9:19 Though I am free of
obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as
many as possible.
1 Corinthians 9:20 To the Jews I became like a
Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one
under the law (though I myself am not under the law), to win those
under the law.
1 Corinthians 9:21 To those without the law I
became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law
of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the
law.
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, to
win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by
all possible means I might save some.
1 Corinthians 9:23 I do all this for the sake of
the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a
race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in
such a way as to take the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:25 Everyone who competes in the
games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that
is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
1 Corinthians 9:26 Therefore I do not run
aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.
1 Corinthians 9:27 No, I discipline my body and
make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I
myself will not be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 10:1 I do not want you to be
unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud,
and that they all passed through the sea.
1 Corinthians 10:2 They were all baptized into
Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
1 Corinthians 10:3 They all ate the same
spiritual food
1 Corinthians 10:4 and drank the same spiritual
drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied
them, and that rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:5 Nevertheless, God was not
pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the
wilderness.
1 Corinthians 10:6 These things took place as
examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.
1 Corinthians 10:7 Do not be idolaters, as some
of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to
drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.”
1 Corinthians 10:8 We should not commit sexual
immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three
thousand of them died.
1 Corinthians 10:9 We should not test Christ, as
some of them did, and were killed by snakes.
1 Corinthians 10:10 And do not complain, as some
of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.
1 Corinthians 10:11 Now these things happened to
them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom
the fulfillment of the ages has come.
1 Corinthians 10:12 So the one who thinks he is
standing firm should be careful not to fall.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you
except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let
you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee
from idolatry.
1 Corinthians 10:15 I speak to reasonable
people; judge for yourselves what I say.
1 Corinthians 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing
that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not
the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one loaf,
we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.
1 Corinthians 10:18 Consider the people of
Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in
the altar?
1 Corinthians 10:19 Am I suggesting, then, that
food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is
anything?
1 Corinthians 10:20 No, but the sacrifices of
pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to
be participants with demons.
1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of
the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the
table of the Lord and the table of demons too.
1 Corinthians 10:22 Are we trying to provoke the
Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?
1 Corinthians 10:23 “Everything is permissible,”
but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but
not everything is edifying.
1 Corinthians 10:24 No one should seek his own
good, but the good of others.
1 Corinthians 10:25 Eat anything sold in the
meat market without raising questions of conscience,
1 Corinthians 10:26 for, “The earth is the
Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”
1 Corinthians 10:27 If an unbeliever invites you
to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without
raising questions of conscience.
1 Corinthians 10:28 But if someone tells you,
“This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake
of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience—
1 Corinthians 10:29 the other one’s conscience,
I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by
someone else’s conscience?
1 Corinthians 10:30 If I partake in the meal
with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I
give thanks?
1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink
or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:32 Do not become a stumbling
block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—
1 Corinthians 10:33 as I also try to please
everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the
good of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 11:1 You are to imitate me, just
as I imitate Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:2 Now I commend you for
remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions,
just as I passed them on to you.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand
that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is
man, and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:4 Every man who prays or
prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.
1 Corinthians 11:5 And every woman who prays or
prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is
just as if her head were shaved.
1 Corinthians 11:6 If a woman does not cover her
head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for
a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her
head.
1 Corinthians 11:7 A man ought not to cover his
head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the
glory of man.
1 Corinthians 11:8 For man did not come from
woman, but woman from man.
1 Corinthians 11:9 Neither was man created for
woman, but woman for man.
1 Corinthians 11:10 For this reason a woman
ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the
angels.
1 Corinthians 11:11 In the Lord, however, woman
is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
1 Corinthians 11:12 For just as woman came from
man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
1 Corinthians 11:13 Judge for yourselves: Is it
proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
1 Corinthians 11:14 Doesn’t nature itself teach
you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
1 Corinthians 11:15 but that if a woman has long
hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a
covering.
1 Corinthians 11:16 If anyone is inclined to
dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of
God.
1 Corinthians 11:17 In the following
instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do
more harm than good.
1 Corinthians 11:18 First of all, I hear that
when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you,
and in part I believe it.
1 Corinthians 11:19 And indeed, there must be
differences among you to show which of you are approved.
1 Corinthians 11:20 Now then, when you come
together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat.
1 Corinthians 11:21 For as you eat, each of you
goes ahead without sharing his meal. While one remains hungry,
another gets drunk.
1 Corinthians 11:22 Don’t you have your own
homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of
God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you?
Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!
1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord
what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was
betrayed, took bread,
1 Corinthians 11:24 and when He had given
thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of Me.”
1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way, after
supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in
My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of
Me.”
1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this
bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He
comes.
1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore, whoever eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 11:28 Each one must examine
himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
1 Corinthians 11:29 For anyone who eats and
drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on
himself.
1 Corinthians 11:30 That is why many among you
are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 11:31 Now if we judged ourselves
properly, we would not come under judgment.
1 Corinthians 11:32 But when we are judged by
the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be
condemned with the world.
1 Corinthians 11:33 So, my brothers, when you
come together to eat, wait for one another.
1 Corinthians 11:34 If anyone is hungry, he
should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not
result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions
about the remaining matters.
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about spiritual gifts,
brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
1 Corinthians 12:2 You know that when you were
pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I inform you that
no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be
cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy
Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:4 There are different gifts,
but the same Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:5 There are different
ministries, but the same Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:6 There are different ways of
working, but the same God works all things in all people.
1 Corinthians 12:7 Now to each one the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:8 To one there is given through
the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of
knowledge by the same Spirit,
1 Corinthians 12:9 to another faith by the same
Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
1 Corinthians 12:10 to another the working of
miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between
spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still
another the interpretation of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are the work of
one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He
determines.
1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though
it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many,
they all form one body. So it is with Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were
all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free,
and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
1 Corinthians 12:14 For the body does not
consist of one part, but of many.
1 Corinthians 12:15 If the foot should say,
“Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would
not make it any less a part of the body.
1 Corinthians 12:16 And if the ear should say,
“Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would
not make it any less a part of the body.
1 Corinthians 12:17 If the whole body were an
eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were
an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
1 Corinthians 12:18 But in fact, God has
arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to
His design.
1 Corinthians 12:19 If they were all one part,
where would the body be?
1 Corinthians 12:20 As it is, there are many
parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:21 The eye cannot say to the
hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do
not need you.”
1 Corinthians 12:22 On the contrary, the parts
of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
1 Corinthians 12:23 and the parts we consider
less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable
parts are treated with special modesty,
1 Corinthians 12:24 whereas our presentable
parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has
given greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
1 Corinthians 12:25 so that there should be no
division in the body, but that its members should have mutual
concern for one another.
1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices
with it.
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of
Christ, and each of you is a member of it.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And in the church God has
appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers,
then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing,
helping, administration, and various tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:29 Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
1 Corinthians 12:30 Do all have gifts of
healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
1 Corinthians 12:31 But eagerly desire the
greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.
1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of
men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or
a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I
am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to
the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love,
I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is
kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:5 It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of
wrongs.
1 Corinthians 13:6 Love takes no pleasure in
evil, but rejoices in the truth.
1 Corinthians 13:7 It bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But where
there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues,
they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be
dismissed.
1 Corinthians 13:9 For we know in part and we
prophesy in part,
1 Corinthians 13:10 but when the perfect comes,
the partial passes away.
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked
like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.
1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a dim
reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I
know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Earnestly pursue love and
eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
1 Corinthians 14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue
does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him;
he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks
to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.
1 Corinthians 14:4 The one who speaks in a
tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the
church.
1 Corinthians 14:5 I wish that all of you could
speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who
prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he
interprets so that the church may be edified.
1 Corinthians 14:6 Now, brothers, if I come to
you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you, unless I bring
you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
1 Corinthians 14:7 Even in the case of lifeless
instruments, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone recognize
the tune they are playing unless the notes are distinct?
1 Corinthians 14:8 Again, if the trumpet sounds
a muffled call, who will prepare for battle?
1 Corinthians 14:9 So it is with you. Unless you
speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know
what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
1 Corinthians 14:10 Assuredly, there are many
different languages in the world, yet none of them is without
meaning.
1 Corinthians 14:11 If, then, I do not know the
meaning of someone’s language, I am a foreigner to the speaker,
and he is a foreigner to me.
1 Corinthians 14:12 It is the same with you.
Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in
gifts that build up the church.
1 Corinthians 14:13 Therefore, the one who
speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.
1 Corinthians 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue,
my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
1 Corinthians 14:15 What then shall I do? I will
pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will
sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
1 Corinthians 14:16 Otherwise, if you speak a
blessing in spirit, how can someone who is uninstructed say “Amen”
to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
1 Corinthians 14:17 You may be giving thanks
well enough, but the other one is not edified.
1 Corinthians 14:18 I thank God that I speak in
tongues more than all of you.
1 Corinthians 14:19 But in the church, I would
rather speak five coherent words to instruct others than ten
thousand words in a tongue.
1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers, stop thinking like
children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be
mature.
1 Corinthians 14:21 It is written in the Law:
“By strange tongues and foreign lips I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to Me, says the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 14:22 Tongues, then, are a sign,
not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for
believers, not for unbelievers.
1 Corinthians 14:23 So if the whole church comes
together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who are
uninstructed or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that
you are out of your minds?
1 Corinthians 14:24 But if an unbeliever or
uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he
will be convicted and called to account by all,
1 Corinthians 14:25 and the secrets of his heart
will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God,
proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”
1 Corinthians 14:26 What then shall we say,
brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a
teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of
these must be done to build up the church.
1 Corinthians 14:27 If anyone speaks in a
tongue, two, or at most three, should speak in turn, and someone
must interpret.
1 Corinthians 14:28 But if there is no
interpreter, he should remain silent in the church and speak only
to himself and God.
1 Corinthians 14:29 Two or three prophets should
speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
1 Corinthians 14:30 And if a revelation comes to
someone who is seated, the first speaker should stop.
1 Corinthians 14:31 For you can all prophesy in
turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.
1 Corinthians 14:32 The spirits of prophets are
subject to prophets.
1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of
disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:34 Women are to be silent in
the churches. They are not permitted to speak, but must be in
submission, as the law says.
1 Corinthians 14:35 If they wish to inquire
about something, they are to ask their own husbands at home; for
it is dishonorable for a woman to speak in the church.
1 Corinthians 14:36 Did the word of God
originate with you? Or are you the only ones it has reached?
1 Corinthians 14:37 If anyone considers himself
a prophet or spiritual person, let him acknowledge that what I am
writing you is the Lord’s command.
1 Corinthians 14:38 But if anyone ignores this,
he himself will be ignored.
1 Corinthians 14:39 So, my brothers, be eager to
prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
1 Corinthians 14:40 But everything must be done
in a proper and orderly manner.
1 Corinthians 15:1 Now, brothers, I want to
remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received,
and in which you stand firm.
1 Corinthians 15:2 By this gospel you are saved,
if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you
have believed in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed
on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:4 that He was buried, that He
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:5 and that He appeared to
Cephas and then to the Twelve.
1 Corinthians 15:6 After that, He appeared to
more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still
living, though some have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:7 Then He appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all He appeared
to me also, as to one of untimely birth.
1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the
apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the church of God.
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am
what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked
harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was
with me.
1 Corinthians 15:11 Whether, then, it was I or
they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.
1 Corinthians 15:12 But if it is preached that
Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that
there is no resurrection of the dead?
1 Corinthians 15:13 If there is no resurrection
of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been
raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.
1 Corinthians 15:15 In that case, we are also
exposed as false witnesses about God. For we have testified about
God that He raised Christ from the dead, but He did not raise Him
if in fact the dead are not raised.
1 Corinthians 15:16 For if the dead are not
raised, then not even Christ has been raised.
1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
1 Corinthians 15:18 Then those also who have
fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
1 Corinthians 15:19 If our hope in Christ is for
this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.
1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been
raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:21 For since death came through
a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so
in Christ all will be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:23 But each in his own turn:
Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to
Him.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then the end will come, when
He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed
all dominion, authority, and power.
1 Corinthians 15:25 For He must reign until He
has put all His enemies under His feet.
1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy to be
destroyed is death.
1 Corinthians 15:27 For “God has put everything
under His feet.” Now when it says that everything has been put
under Him, this clearly does not include the One who put
everything under Him.
1 Corinthians 15:28 And when all things have
been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will be made subject
to Him who put all things under Him, so that God may be all in
all.
1 Corinthians 15:29 If these things are not so,
what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are
not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
1 Corinthians 15:30 And why do we endanger
ourselves every hour?
1 Corinthians 15:31 I face death every day,
brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:32 If I fought wild beasts in
Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not
raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad
company corrupts good character.”
1 Corinthians 15:34 Sober up as you ought, and
stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to
your shame.
1 Corinthians 15:35 But someone will ask, “How
are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?”
1 Corinthians 15:36 You fool! What you sow does
not come to life unless it dies.
1 Corinthians 15:37 And what you sow is not the
body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or something
else.
1 Corinthians 15:38 But God gives it a body as
He has designed, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
1 Corinthians 15:39 Not all flesh is the same:
Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another,
and fish another.
1 Corinthians 15:40 There are also heavenly
bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies
is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of
another.
1 Corinthians 15:41 The sun has one degree of
splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star
differs from star in splendor.
1 Corinthians 15:42 So will it be with the
resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised
imperishable.
1 Corinthians 15:43 It is sown in dishonor; it
is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a natural body;
it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there
is also a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15:45 So it is written: “The first
man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving
spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:46 The spiritual, however, was
not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual.
1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man was of the
dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:48 As was the earthly man, so
also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man,
so also are those who are of heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:49 And just as we have borne
the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the
likeness of the heavenly man.
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I declare to you,
brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
1 Corinthians 15:51 Listen, I tell you a
mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
1 Corinthians 15:52 in an instant, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will
sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed.
1 Corinthians 15:53 For the perishable must be
clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:54 When the perishable has been
clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality,
then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been
swallowed up in victory.”
1 Corinthians 15:55 “Where, O Death, is your
victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved
brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of
the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in
vain.
1 Corinthians 16:1 Now about the collection for
the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:
1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every
week, each of you should set aside a portion of his income, saving
it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed.
1 Corinthians 16:3 Then, on my arrival, I will
send letters with those you recommend to carry your gift to
Jerusalem.
1 Corinthians 16:4 And if it is advisable for me
to go also, they can travel with me.
1 Corinthians 16:5 After I go through Macedonia,
however, I will come to you; for I will be going through
Macedonia.
1 Corinthians 16:6 Perhaps I will stay with you
awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my
journey, wherever I go.
1 Corinthians 16:7 For I do not want to see you
now only in passing; I hope to spend some time with you, if the
Lord permits.
1 Corinthians 16:8 But I will stay in Ephesus
until Pentecost,
1 Corinthians 16:9 because a great door for
effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.
1 Corinthians 16:10 If Timothy comes, see to it
that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is doing
the work of the Lord, just as I am.
1 Corinthians 16:11 No one, then, should treat
him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he can
return to me, for I am expecting him along with the brothers.
1 Corinthians 16:12 Now about our brother
Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He
was not at all inclined to go now, but he will go when he has the
opportunity.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert. Stand firm
in the faith. Be men of courage. Be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:14 Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:15 You know that Stephanas and
his household were the first converts in Achaia, and they have
devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you,
brothers,
1 Corinthians 16:16 to submit to such as these,
and to every fellow worker and laborer.
1 Corinthians 16:17 I am glad that Stephanas,
Fortunatus, and Achaicus have arrived, because they have supplied
what was lacking from you.
1 Corinthians 16:18 For they refreshed my spirit
and yours as well. Show your appreciation, therefore, to such men.
1 Corinthians 16:19 The churches in the province
of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in
the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
1 Corinthians 16:20 All the brothers here send
you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
1 Corinthians 16:21 This greeting is in my own
hand—Paul.
1 Corinthians 16:22 If anyone does not love the
Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord!
1 Corinthians 16:23 The grace of the Lord Jesus
be with you.
1 Corinthians 16:24 My love be with all of you
in Christ Jesus. Amen.
2 CORINTHIANS
2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church
of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
2 Corinthians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of
all comfort,
2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the
comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:5 For just as the sufferings of
Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort
overflows.
2 Corinthians 1:6 If we are afflicted, it is for
your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your
comfort, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same
sufferings we experience.
2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is sure,
because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also
you will share in our comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:8 We do not want you to be
unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province
of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure,
so that we despaired even of life.
2 Corinthians 1:9 Indeed, we felt we were under
the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in
ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
2 Corinthians 1:10 He has delivered us from such
a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our
hope that He will yet again deliver us,
2 Corinthians 1:11 as you help us by your
prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the favor
shown us in answer to their prayers.
2 Corinthians 1:12 And this is our boast: Our
conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the
world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and
sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the
grace of God.
2 Corinthians 1:13 For we do not write you
anything that is beyond your ability to read and understand. And I
hope that you will understand us completely,
2 Corinthians 1:14 as you have already
understood us in part, so that you may boast of us just as we will
boast of you in the day of our Lord Jesus.
2 Corinthians 1:15 Confident of this, I planned
to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing.
2 Corinthians 1:16 I wanted to visit you on my
way to Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and then to
have you help me on my way to Judea.
2 Corinthians 1:17 When I planned this, did I do
it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to
say “Yes, yes” when I really mean “No, no”?
2 Corinthians 1:18 But as surely as God is
faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
2 Corinthians 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus
Christ, who was proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus and
Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been
“Yes.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God
are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to
the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21 Now it is God who establishes
both us and you in Christ. He anointed us,
2 Corinthians 1:22 placed His seal on us, and
put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:23 I call God as my witness that
it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
2 Corinthians 1:24 Not that we lord it over your
faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it
is by faith that you stand firm.
2 Corinthians 2:1 So I made up my mind not to
make another painful visit to you.
2 Corinthians 2:2 For if I grieve you, who is
left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?
2 Corinthians 2:3 I wrote as I did so that on my
arrival I would not be saddened by those who ought to make me
rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my
joy.
2 Corinthians 2:4 For through many tears I wrote
you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you
but to let you know how much I love you.
2 Corinthians 2:5 Now if anyone has caused
grief, he has not grieved me but all of you—to some degree, not to
overstate it.
2 Corinthians 2:6 The punishment imposed on him
by the majority is sufficient for him.
2 Corinthians 2:7 So instead, you ought to
forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by
excessive sorrow.
2 Corinthians 2:8 Therefore I urge you to
reaffirm your love for him.
2 Corinthians 2:9 My purpose in writing you was
to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.
2 Corinthians 2:10 If you forgive anyone, I also
forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it
in the presence of Christ for your sake,
2 Corinthians 2:11 in order that Satan should
not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
2 Corinthians 2:12 Now when I went to Troas to
preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the
Lord,
2 Corinthians 2:13 I had no peace in my spirit,
because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye
to them and went on to Macedonia.
2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who
always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us
spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the sweet
aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are
perishing.
2 Corinthians 2:16 To the one, we are an odor of
death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life. And
who is qualified for such a task?
2 Corinthians 2:17 For we are not like so many
others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in
Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.
2 Corinthians 3:1 Are we beginning to commend
ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of
recommendation to you or from you?
2 Corinthians 3:2 You yourselves are our letter,
inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone.
2 Corinthians 3:3 It is clear that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with
ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone
but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:4 Such confidence before God is
ours through Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are competent in
ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence
comes from God.
2 Corinthians 3:6 And He has qualified us as
ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;
for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:7 Now if the ministry of death,
which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that
the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its
fleeting glory,
2 Corinthians 3:8 will not the ministry of the
Spirit be even more glorious?
2 Corinthians 3:9 For if the ministry of
condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry
of righteousness!
2 Corinthians 3:10 Indeed, what was once
glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that
surpasses it.
2 Corinthians 3:11 For if what was fading away
came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which
endures!
2 Corinthians 3:12 Therefore, since we have such
a hope, we are very bold.
2 Corinthians 3:13 We are not like Moses, who
would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing
at the end of what was fading away.
2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were closed.
For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old
covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be
removed.
2 Corinthians 3:15 And even to this day when
Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:16 But whenever anyone turns to
the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled
faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord,
who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore, since God in His
mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Corinthians 4:2 Instead, we have renounced
secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we
distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of
the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the
sight of God.
2 Corinthians 4:3 And even if our gospel is
veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has
blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not proclaim
ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your
servants for Jesus’ sake.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light
shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give
us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:7 Now we have this treasure in
jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from
God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:8 We are hard pressed on all
sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
2 Corinthians 4:9 persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:10 We always carry around in our
body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
revealed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:11 For we who are alive are
always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of
Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.
2 Corinthians 4:12 So then, death is at work in
us, but life is at work in you.
2 Corinthians 4:13 And in keeping with what is
written: “I believed, therefore I have spoken,” we who have the
same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak,
2 Corinthians 4:14 knowing that the One who
raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us
with you in His presence.
2 Corinthians 4:15 All this is for your benefit,
so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may
overflow in thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose
heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self
is being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary
affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is
far beyond comparison.
2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on
what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is
temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 5:1 Now we know that if the
earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from
God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Corinthians 5:2 For in this tent we groan,
longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,
2 Corinthians 5:3 because when we are clothed,
we will not be found naked.
2 Corinthians 5:4 So while we are in this tent,
we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed
but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life.
2 Corinthians 5:5 And God has prepared us for
this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a pledge of what
is to come.
2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always
confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body,
we are away from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by
sight.
2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, then, and
would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:9 So we aspire to please Him,
whether we are here in this body or away from it.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for
the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:11 Therefore, since we know what
it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is
clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.
2 Corinthians 5:12 We are not commending
ourselves to you again. Instead, we are giving you an occasion to
be proud of us, so that you can answer those who take pride in
appearances rather than in the heart.
2 Corinthians 5:13 If we are out of our mind, it
is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For Christ’s love compels us,
because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all
died.
2 Corinthians 5:15 And He died for all, that
those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him
who died for them and was raised again.
2 Corinthians 5:16 So from now on we regard no
one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in
this way, we do so no longer.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the
new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:18 All this is from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry
of reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 5:19 that God was reconciling the
world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against
them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We
implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the
righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s fellow workers, then,
we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
2 Corinthians 6:2 For He says: “In the time of
favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
2 Corinthians 6:3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s
way, so that no one can discredit our ministry.
2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we
commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles,
hardships, and calamities;
2 Corinthians 6:5 in beatings, imprisonments,
and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger;
2 Corinthians 6:6 in purity, knowledge,
patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
2 Corinthians 6:7 in truthful speech and in the
power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand
and in the left;
2 Corinthians 6:8 through glory and dishonor,
slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;
2 Corinthians 6:9 as unknown, yet well-known;
dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;
2 Corinthians 6:10 sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet
possessing everything.
2 Corinthians 6:11 We have spoken freely to you,
Corinthians. Our hearts are open wide.
2 Corinthians 6:12 It is not our affection, but
yours, that is restrained.
2 Corinthians 6:13 As a fair exchange, I ask you
as my children: Open wide your hearts also.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked
with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with
wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:15 What harmony is there between
Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an
unbeliever?
2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement can exist
between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the
living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk
among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
2 Corinthians 6:17 “Therefore come out from
among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
2 Corinthians 6:18 And: “I will be a Father to
you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord
Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, beloved, since we
have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that
defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:2 Make room for us in your
hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have
exploited no one.
2 Corinthians 7:3 I do not say this to condemn
you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live
and die together with you.
2 Corinthians 7:4 Great is my confidence in you;
great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all
our troubles my joy overflows.
2 Corinthians 7:5 For when we arrived in
Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every
direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the
downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
2 Corinthians 7:7 and not only by his arrival,
but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about
your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I
rejoiced all the more.
2 Corinthians 7:8 Even if I caused you sorrow by
my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see
that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time.
2 Corinthians 7:9 And now I rejoice, not because
you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to
repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so
were not harmed in any way by us.
2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings
repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly
sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:11 Consider what this godly
sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to
clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what
zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to
be innocent in this matter.
2 Corinthians 7:12 So even though I wrote to
you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who
was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would
be made clear to you in the sight of God.
2 Corinthians 7:13 On account of this, we are
encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even
more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been
refreshed by all of you.
2 Corinthians 7:14 Indeed, I was not embarrassed
by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything
we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be
true as well.
2 Corinthians 7:15 And his affection for you is
even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you
welcomed him with fear and trembling.
2 Corinthians 7:16 I rejoice that I can have
complete confidence in you.
2 Corinthians 8:1 Now, brothers, we want you to
know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.
2 Corinthians 8:2 In the terrible ordeal they
suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich
generosity.
2 Corinthians 8:3 For I testify that they gave
according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own
accord,
2 Corinthians 8:4 they earnestly pleaded with us
for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
2 Corinthians 8:5 And not only did they do as we
expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to
us, because it was the will of God.
2 Corinthians 8:6 So we urged Titus to help
complete your act of grace, just as he had started it.
2 Corinthians 8:7 But just as you excel in
everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete
earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also
excel in this grace of giving.
2 Corinthians 8:8 I am not making a demand, but
I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the
earnestness of others.
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:10 And this is my opinion about
what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the
first not only to give, but even to have such a desire.
2 Corinthians 8:11 Now finish the work, so that
you may complete it just as eagerly as you began, according to
your means.
2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the eagerness is
there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not
according to what he does not have.
2 Corinthians 8:13 It is not our intention that
others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may
be equality.
2 Corinthians 8:14 At the present time, your
surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will
meet your need. Then there will be equality.
2 Corinthians 8:15 As it is written: “He who
gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no
shortfall.”
2 Corinthians 8:16 But thanks be to God, who put
into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.
2 Corinthians 8:17 For not only did he welcome
our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition.
2 Corinthians 8:18 Along with Titus we are
sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his
work in the gospel.
2 Corinthians 8:19 More than that, this brother
was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the offering—the
gracious gift we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show
our eagerness to help.
2 Corinthians 8:20 We hope to avoid any
criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.
2 Corinthians 8:21 For we are taking great care
to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in
the eyes of men.
2 Corinthians 8:22 And we are sending along with
them our brother whose earnestness has been proven many times and
in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you.
2 Corinthians 8:23 As for Titus, he is my
partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are
messengers of the churches, to the glory of Christ.
2 Corinthians 8:24 In full view of the churches,
then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our
boasting about you.
2 Corinthians 9:1 Now about the service to the
saints, there is no need for me to write to you.
2 Corinthians 9:2 For I know your eagerness to
help, and I have been boasting to the Macedonians that since last
year you in Achaia were prepared to give. And your zeal has
stirred most of them to do likewise.
2 Corinthians 9:3 But I am sending the brothers
in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not
prove empty, but that you will be prepared, just as I said.
2 Corinthians 9:4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians
come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of
you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.
2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to
urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements
for the bountiful gift you had promised. This way, your gift will
be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.
2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously
will also reap generously.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one should give what he
has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion.
For God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all
grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having
all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:9 As it is written: “He has
scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures
forever.”
2 Corinthians 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to
the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store
of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.
2 Corinthians 9:11 You will be enriched in every
way to be generous on every occasion, so that through us your
giving will produce thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:12 For this ministry of service
is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also
overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:13 Because of the proof this
ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient
confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your
contribution to them and to all the others.
2 Corinthians 9:14 And their prayers for you
will express their affection for you, because of the surpassing
grace God has given you.
2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His
indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 10:1 Now by the mildness and
gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when
face to face with you, but bold when away.
2 Corinthians 10:2 I beg you that when I come I
may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume
that we live according to the flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we live in the
flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:4 The weapons of our warfare
are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power
to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:5 We tear down arguments and
every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take
captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:6 And we will be ready to
punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is
complete.
2 Corinthians 10:7 You are looking at outward
appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he
should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he
does.
2 Corinthians 10:8 For even if I boast somewhat
excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you
up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.
2 Corinthians 10:9 I do not want to seem to be
trying to frighten you by my letters.
2 Corinthians 10:10 For some say, “His letters
are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is
unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.”
2 Corinthians 10:11 Such people should consider
that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our
actions when present.
2 Corinthians 10:12 We do not dare to classify
or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they
measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with
themselves, they show their ignorance.
2 Corinthians 10:13 We, however, will not boast
beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God
has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you.
2 Corinthians 10:14 We are not overstepping our
bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to
reach you with the gospel of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:15 Neither do we boast beyond
our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith
increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase
as well,
2 Corinthians 10:16 so that we can preach the
gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in
the work already done in another man’s territory.
2 Corinthians 10:17 Rather, “Let him who boasts
boast in the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 10:18 For it is not the one who
commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord
commends.
2 Corinthians 11:1 I hope you will bear with a
little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that.
2 Corinthians 11:2 I am jealous for you with a
godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you
as a pure virgin to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3 I am afraid, however, that
just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may
be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:4 For if someone comes and
proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you
receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a
different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way
too easily.
2 Corinthians 11:5 I consider myself in no way
inferior to those “super-apostles.”
2 Corinthians 11:6 Although I am not a polished
speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made
this clear to you in every way possible.
2 Corinthians 11:7 Was it a sin for me to humble
myself in order to exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God
to you free of charge?
2 Corinthians 11:8 I robbed other churches by
accepting their support in order to serve you.
2 Corinthians 11:9 And when I was with you and
in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came
from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a
burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.
2 Corinthians 11:10 As surely as the truth of
Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the
regions of Achaia.
2 Corinthians 11:11 Why? Because I do not love
you? God knows I do!
2 Corinthians 11:12 But I will keep on doing
what I am doing, in order to undercut those who want an
opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things of which
they boast.
2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false
apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder, for Satan
himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:15 It is not surprising, then,
if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end
will correspond to their actions.
2 Corinthians 11:16 I repeat: Let no one take me
for a fool. But if you do, then receive me as a fool, so that I
too may boast a little.
2 Corinthians 11:17 In this confident boasting
of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool.
2 Corinthians 11:18 Since many are boasting
according to the flesh, I too will boast.
2 Corinthians 11:19 For you gladly tolerate
fools, since you are so wise.
2 Corinthians 11:20 In fact, you even put up
with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of
you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.
2 Corinthians 11:21 To my shame I concede that
we were too weak for that! Speaking as a fool, however, I can
match what anyone else dares to boast about.
2 Corinthians 11:22 Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So
am I.
2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they servants of Christ?
I am speaking like I am out of my mind, but I am so much more: in
harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in
frequent danger of death.
2 Corinthians 11:24 Five times I received from
the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
2 Corinthians 11:25 Three times I was beaten
with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I
spent a night and a day in the open sea.
2 Corinthians 11:26 In my frequent journeys, I
have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from
my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in
the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,
2 Corinthians 11:27 in labor and toil and often
without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in
cold and exposure.
2 Corinthians 11:28 Apart from these external
trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the
churches.
2 Corinthians 11:29 Who is weak, and I am not
weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief?
2 Corinthians 11:30 If I must boast, I will
boast of the things that show my weakness.
2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the
Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not
lying.
2 Corinthians 11:32 In Damascus, the governor
under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to
arrest me.
2 Corinthians 11:33 But I was lowered in a
basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp.
2 Corinthians 12:1 I must go on boasting.
Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and
revelations from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who
fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it
was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows.
2 Corinthians 12:3 And I know that this
man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—
2 Corinthians 12:4 was caught up to Paradise.
The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is
not permitted to tell.
2 Corinthians 12:5 I will boast about such a
man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:6 Even if I wanted to boast, I
would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I
refrain, so no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or
hears from me,
2 Corinthians 12:7 or because of these
surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming
conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan,
to torment me.
2 Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with
the Lord to take it away from me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace
is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so
that the power of Christ may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:10 That is why, for the sake of
Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am
strong.
2 Corinthians 12:11 I have become a fool, but
you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I
am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am
nothing.
2 Corinthians 12:12 The true marks of an
apostle—signs, wonders, and miracles—were performed among you with
great perseverance.
2 Corinthians 12:13 In what way were you
inferior to the other churches, except that I was not a burden to
you? Forgive me this wrong!
2 Corinthians 12:14 See, I am ready to come to
you a third time, and I will not be a burden, because I am not
seeking your possessions, but you. For children should not have to
save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
2 Corinthians 12:15 And for the sake of your
souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself. If I love you
more, will you love me less?
2 Corinthians 12:16 Be that as it may, I was not
a burden to you; but crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.
2 Corinthians 12:17 Did I exploit you by anyone
I sent you?
2 Corinthians 12:18 I urged Titus to visit you,
and I sent our brother with him. Did Titus exploit you in any way?
Did we not walk in the same Spirit and follow in the same
footsteps?
2 Corinthians 12:19 Have you been thinking all
along that we were making a defense to you? We speak before God in
Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you up.
2 Corinthians 12:20 For I am afraid that when I
come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you
wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage,
rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.
2 Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that when I come
again, my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved
over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of their
acts of impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.
2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am
coming to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony
of two or three witnesses.”
2 Corinthians 13:2 I already warned you the
second time I was with you. So now in my absence I warn those who
sinned earlier and everyone else: If I return, I will not spare
anyone,
2 Corinthians 13:3 since you are demanding proof
that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with
you, but is powerful among you.
2 Corinthians 13:4 For He was indeed crucified
in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. And though we are weak
in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for
yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you—unless you actually fail
the test?
2 Corinthians 13:6 And I hope you will realize
that we have not failed the test.
2 Corinthians 13:7 Now we pray to God that you
will not do anything wrong—not that we will appear to have stood
the test, but that you will do what is right, even if we appear to
have failed.
2 Corinthians 13:8 For we cannot do anything
against the truth, but only for the truth.
2 Corinthians 13:9 In fact, we rejoice when we
are weak but you are strong, and our prayer is for your
perfection.
2 Corinthians 13:10 This is why I write these
things while absent, so that when I am present I will not need to
be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord gave me for
building you up, not for tearing you down.
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, rejoice!
Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind,
live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:12 Greet one another with a
holy kiss.
2 Corinthians 13:13 All the saints send you
greetings.
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with all of you.
GALATIANS
Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men
nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him
from the dead—
Galatians 1:2 and all the brothers with me, To
the churches of Galatia:
Galatians 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins to
rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our
God and Father,
Galatians 1:5 to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Galatians 1:6 I am amazed how quickly you are
deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are
turning to a different gospel—
Galatians 1:7 which is not even a gospel.
Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the
gospel of Christ.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from
heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to
you, let him be under a curse!
Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I
say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the
one you received, let him be under a curse!
Galatians 1:10 Am I now seeking the approval of
men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still
trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:11 For I certify to you, brothers,
that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.
Galatians 1:12 I did not receive it from any
man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from
Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former
way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of
God and tried to destroy it.
Galatians 1:14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond
many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the
traditions of my fathers.
Galatians 1:15 But when God, who set me apart
from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
Galatians 1:16 to reveal His Son in me so that I
might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult
with flesh and blood,
Galatians 1:17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to
the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later
returned to Damascus.
Galatians 1:18 Only after three years did I go
up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him
fifteen days.
Galatians 1:19 But I saw none of the other
apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
Galatians 1:20 I assure you before God that what
I am writing to you is no lie.
Galatians 1:21 Later I went to the regions of
Syria and Cilicia.
Galatians 1:22 I was personally unknown,
however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
Galatians 1:23 They only heard the account: “The
man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once
tried to destroy.”
Galatians 1:24 And they glorified God because of
me.
Galatians 2:1 Fourteen years later I went up
again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along
also.
Galatians 2:2 I went in response to a revelation
and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.
But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders, for fear
that I was running or had already run in vain.
Galatians 2:3 Yet not even Titus, who was with
me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.
Galatians 2:4 This issue arose because some
false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our
freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
Galatians 2:5 We did not give in to them for a
moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.
Galatians 2:6 But as for the highly
esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does
not show favoritism—those leaders added nothing to me.
Galatians 2:7 On the contrary, they saw that I
had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just
as Peter had been to the circumcised.
Galatians 2:8 For the One who was at work in
Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my
apostleship to the Gentiles.
Galatians 2:9 And recognizing the grace that I
had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be
pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that
we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
Galatians 2:10 They only asked us to remember
the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
Galatians 2:11 When Cephas came to Antioch,
however, I opposed him to his face, because he stood to be
condemned.
Galatians 2:12 For before certain men came from
James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he
began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the
circumcision group.
Galatians 2:13 The other Jews joined him in his
hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led
astray.
Galatians 2:14 When I saw that they were not
walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in
front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and
not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like
Jews?”
Galatians 2:15 We who are Jews by birth and not
Gentile “sinners”
Galatians 2:16 know that a man is not justified
by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too,
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith
in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law
no one will be justified.
Galatians 2:17 But if, while we seek to be
justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, does
that make Christ a minister of sin? Certainly not!
Galatians 2:18 If I rebuild what I have already
torn down, I prove myself to be a lawbreaker.
Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the
law so that I might live to God.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with
Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of
God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for
nothing.
Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians! Who has
bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly
portrayed as crucified.
Galatians 3:2 I would like to learn just one
thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or
by hearing with faith?
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? After starting
in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh?
Galatians 3:4 Have you suffered so much for
nothing, if it really was for nothing?
Galatians 3:5 Does God lavish His Spirit on you
and work miracles among you because you practice the law, or
because you hear and believe?
Galatians 3:6 So also, “Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Galatians 3:7 Understand, then, that those who
have faith are sons of Abraham.
Galatians 3:8 The Scripture foresaw that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to
Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
Galatians 3:9 So those who have faith are
blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Galatians 3:10 All who rely on works of the law
are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does
not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
Galatians 3:11 Now it is clear that no one is
justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live
by faith.”
Galatians 3:12 The law, however, is not based on
faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live
by them.”
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed
is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Galatians 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the
blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ
Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the
Spirit.
Galatians 3:15 Brothers, let me put this in
human terms. Even a human covenant, once it is ratified, cannot be
canceled or amended.
Galatians 3:16 The promises were spoken to
Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, “and to
seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your seed,” meaning One, who is
Christ.
Galatians 3:17 What I mean is this: The law that
came 430 years later does not revoke the covenant previously
established by God, so as to nullify the promise.
Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance depends on
the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God freely
granted it to Abraham through a promise.
Galatians 3:19 Why then was the law given? It
was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed
to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels
by a mediator.
Galatians 3:20 A mediator is unnecessary,
however, for only one party; but God is one.
Galatians 3:21 Is the law, then, opposed to the
promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that
could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come
from the law.
Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture pronounces all
things confined by sin, so that by faith in Jesus Christ the
promise might be given to those who believe.
Galatians 3:23 Before this faith came, we were
held in custody under the law, locked up until faith should be
revealed.
Galatians 3:24 So the law became our guardian to
lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25 Now that faith has come, we are
no longer under a guardian.
Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were baptized
into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek,
slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.
Galatians 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then
you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 4:1 What I am saying is that as long
as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although
he is the owner of everything.
Galatians 4:2 He is subject to guardians and
trustees until the date set by his father.
Galatians 4:3 So also, when we were children, we
were enslaved under the basic principles of the world.
Galatians 4:4 But when the time had fully come,
God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Galatians 4:5 to redeem those under the law,
that we might receive our adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God sent
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Galatians 4:7 So you are no longer a slave, but
a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.
Galatians 4:8 Formerly, when you did not know
God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
Galatians 4:9 But now that you know God, or
rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to
those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by
them all over again?
Galatians 4:10 You are observing special days
and months and seasons and years!
Galatians 4:11 I fear for you, that my efforts
for you may have been in vain.
Galatians 4:12 I beg you, brothers, become like
me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.
Galatians 4:13 You know that it was because of
an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.
Galatians 4:14 And although my illness was a
trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you
welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ
Jesus Himself.
Galatians 4:15 What then has become of your
blessing? For I can testify that, if it were possible, you would
have torn out your eyes and given them to me.
Galatians 4:16 Have I now become your enemy by
telling you the truth?
Galatians 4:17 Those people are zealous for you,
but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us,
so that you may be zealous for them.
Galatians 4:18 Nevertheless, it is good to be
zealous if it serves a noble purpose—at any time, and not only
when I am with you.
Galatians 4:19 My children, for whom I am again
in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,
Galatians 4:20 how I wish I could be with you
now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you.
Galatians 4:21 Tell me, you who want to be under
the law, do you not understand what the law says?
Galatians 4:22 For it is written that Abraham
had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free
woman.
Galatians 4:23 His son by the slave woman was
born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was
born through the promise.
Galatians 4:24 These things serve as
illustrations, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant
is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery: This is
Hagar.
Galatians 4:25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai
in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because
she is in slavery with her children.
Galatians 4:26 But the Jerusalem above is free,
and she is our mother.
Galatians 4:27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O
barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud,
you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the
desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”
Galatians 4:28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac,
are children of promise.
Galatians 4:29 At that time, however, the son
born by the flesh persecuted the son born by the Spirit. It is the
same now.
Galatians 4:30 But what does the Scripture say?
“Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will
never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”
Galatians 4:31 Therefore, brothers, we are not
children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has
set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more
by a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:2 Take notice: I, Paul, tell you
that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no
value to you at all.
Galatians 5:3 Again I testify to every man who
gets himself circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole
law.
Galatians 5:4 You who are trying to be justified
by the law have been severed from Christ; you have fallen away
from grace.
Galatians 5:5 But by faith we eagerly await
through the Spirit the hope of righteousness.
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is
faith, expressed through love.
Galatians 5:7 You were running so well. Who has
obstructed you from obeying the truth?
Galatians 5:8 Such persuasion does not come from
the One who calls you.
Galatians 5:9 A little leaven works through the
whole batch of dough.
Galatians 5:10 I am confident in the Lord that
you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will
bear the judgment, whoever he may be.
Galatians 5:11 Now, brothers, if I am still
preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that
case the offense of the cross has been abolished.
Galatians 5:12 As for those who are agitating
you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!
Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to
freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the
flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
Galatians 5:14 The entire law is fulfilled in a
single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Galatians 5:15 But if you keep on biting and
devouring one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one
another.
Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and
you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh craves what is
contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what
you want.
Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit,
you are not under the law.
Galatians 5:19 The acts of the flesh are
obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery;
Galatians 5:20 idolatry and sorcery; hatred,
discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,
Galatians 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies,
and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:23 gentleness, and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let
us walk in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited,
provoking and envying one another.
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in
a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit
of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
Galatians 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and
in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:3 If anyone thinks he is something
when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Galatians 6:4 Each one should test his own work.
Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in
someone else.
Galatians 6:5 For each one should carry his own
load.
Galatians 6:6 Nevertheless, the one who receives
instruction in the word must share in all good things with his
instructor.
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not to
be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.
Galatians 6:8 The one who sows to please his
flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows
to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary in
well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not
give up.
Galatians 6:10 Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the
family of faith.
Galatians 6:11 See what large letters I am using
to write to you with my own hand!
Galatians 6:12 Those who want to make a good
impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised.
They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ.
Galatians 6:13 For the circumcised do not even
keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that
they may boast in your flesh.
Galatians 6:14 But as for me, may I never boast,
except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:15 For neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision means anything. What counts is a new creation.
Galatians 6:16 Peace and mercy to all who walk
by this rule, even to the Israel of God.
Galatians 6:17 From now on let no one cause me
trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Galatians 6:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
EPHESIANS
Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in
Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1:4 For He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence.
In love
Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption as
His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of
His will,
Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of His glorious
grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the
riches of His grace
Ephesians 1:8 that He lavished on us with all
wisdom and understanding.
Ephesians 1:9 And He has made known to us the
mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He
purposed in Christ
Ephesians 1:10 as a plan for the fullness of
time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in
Christ.
Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen as
God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him
who works out everything by the counsel of His will,
Ephesians 1:12 in order that we, who were the
first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13 And in Him, having heard and
believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were
sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Ephesians 1:14 who is the pledge of our
inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s
possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, ever since I
heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the
saints,
Ephesians 1:16 I have not stopped giving thanks
for you, remembering you in my prayers,
Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and
revelation in your knowledge of Him.
Ephesians 1:18 I ask that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling,
the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:19 and the surpassing greatness of
His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the
working of His mighty strength,
Ephesians 1:20 which He exerted in Christ when
He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in
the heavenly realms,
Ephesians 1:21 far above all rule and authority,
power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the
present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:22 And God put everything under His
feet and made Him head over everything for the church,
Ephesians 1:23 which is His body, the fullness
of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your
trespasses and sins,
Ephesians 2:2 in which you used to walk when you
conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power
of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of
disobedience.
Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at
one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its
desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of
wrath.
Ephesians 2:4 But because of His great love for
us, God, who is rich in mercy,
Ephesians 2:5 made us alive with Christ even
when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been
saved!
Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2:7 in order that in the coming ages
He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated
by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been
saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift
of God,
Ephesians 2:9 not by works, so that no one can
boast.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance as our way of life.
Ephesians 2:11 Therefore remember that formerly
you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the
so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—
Ephesians 2:12 remember that at that time you
were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without
hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who
once were far away have been brought near through the blood of
Christ.
Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who
has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of
hostility
Ephesians 2:15 by abolishing in His flesh the
law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself
one new man out of the two, thus making peace
Ephesians 2:16 and reconciling both of them to
God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their
hostility.
Ephesians 2:17 He came and preached peace to you
who were far away and peace to those who were near.
Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have
access to the Father by one Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19 Therefore you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and
members of God’s household,
Ephesians 2:20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the
cornerstone.
Ephesians 2:21 In Him the whole building is
fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
Ephesians 2:22 And in Him you too are being
built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.
Ephesians 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the
prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...
Ephesians 3:2 Surely you have heard about the
stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,
Ephesians 3:3 that is, the mystery made known to
me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
Ephesians 3:4 In reading this, then, you will be
able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
Ephesians 3:5 which was not made known to men in
other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to
God’s holy apostles and prophets.
Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that through the
gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body,
and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel
by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His
power.
Ephesians 3:8 Though I am less than the least of
all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles
the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Ephesians 3:9 and to illuminate for everyone the
stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden
in God, who created all things.
Ephesians 3:10 His purpose was that now, through
the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the
rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
Ephesians 3:11 according to the eternal purpose
that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 3:12 In Him and through faith in Him
we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.
Ephesians 3:13 So I ask you not to be
discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your
glory.
Ephesians 3:14 ... for this reason I bow my
knees before the Father,
Ephesians 3:15 from whom every family in heaven
and on earth derives its name.
Ephesians 3:16 I ask that out of the riches of
His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in
your inner being,
Ephesians 3:17 so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ephesians 3:18 will have power, together with
all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and
depth
Ephesians 3:19 of the love of Christ, and to
know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His
power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:21 to Him be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen.
Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I
urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have
received:
Ephesians 4:2 with all humility and gentleness,
with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Ephesians 4:3 and with diligence to preserve the
unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
Ephesians 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Ephesians 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:7 Now to each one of us grace has
been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Ephesians 4:8 This is why it says: “When He
ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”
Ephesians 4:9 What does “He ascended” mean,
except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth?
Ephesians 4:10 He who descended is the very One
who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
Ephesians 4:11 And it was He who gave some to be
apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to
be pastors and teachers,
Ephesians 4:12 to equip the saints for works of
ministry and to build up the body of Christ,
Ephesians 4:13 until we all reach unity in the
faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the
full measure of the stature of Christ.
Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be
infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every
wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their
deceitful scheming.
Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in
love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is
the head.
Ephesians 4:16 From Him the whole body, fitted
and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds
itself up in love through the work of each individual part.
Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on
it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do,
in the futility of their thinking.
Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their
understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the
ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.
Ephesians 4:19 Having lost all sense of shame,
they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of
every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.
Ephesians 4:20 But this is not the way you came
to know Christ.
Ephesians 4:21 Surely you heard of Him and were
taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus—
Ephesians 4:22 to put off your former way of
life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires;
Ephesians 4:23 to be renewed in the spirit of
your minds;
Ephesians 4:24 and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put
off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all
members of one another.
Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do
not let the sun set upon your anger,
Ephesians 4:27 and do not give the devil a
foothold.
Ephesians 4:28 He who has been stealing must
steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands,
that he may have something to share with the one in need.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome talk come out
of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one
in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage
and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one
another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as
beloved children,
Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ
loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial
offering to God.
Ephesians 5:3 But among you, as is proper among
the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or
of any kind of impurity, or of greed.
Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity,
foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but
rather thanksgiving.
Ephesians 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No
immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater), has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty
words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on
the sons of disobedience.
Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with
them.
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but
now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
Ephesians 5:9 for the fruit of the light
consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
Ephesians 5:10 Test and prove what pleases the
Lord.
Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the
fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
Ephesians 5:12 For it is shameful even to
mention what the disobedient do in secret.
Ephesians 5:13 But everything exposed by the
light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes
a light itself.
Ephesians 5:14 So it is said: “Wake up, O
sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Ephesians 5:15 Pay careful attention, then, to
how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
Ephesians 5:16 redeeming the time, because the
days are evil.
Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but
understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which
leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit.
Ephesians 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms,
hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to
the Lord,
Ephesians 5:20 always giving thanks to God the
Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of
reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your husbands as
to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of
the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which
He is the Savior.
Ephesians 5:24 Now as the church submits to
Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in
everything.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just
as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her
Ephesians 5:26 to sanctify her, cleansing her by
the washing with water through the word,
Ephesians 5:27 and to present her to Himself as
a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish,
but holy and blameless.
Ephesians 5:28 In the same way, husbands ought
to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself.
Ephesians 5:29 Indeed, no one ever hated his own
body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the
church.
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of His body.
Ephesians 5:31 “For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will
become one flesh.”
Ephesians 5:32 This mystery is profound, but I
am speaking about Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless, each one of you
also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must
respect her husband.
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the
Lord, for this is right.
Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother”
(which is the first commandment with a promise),
Ephesians 6:3 “that it may go well with you and
that you may have a long life on the earth.”
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your
children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters
with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would
obey Christ.
Ephesians 6:6 And do this not only to please
them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the
will of God from your heart.
Ephesians 6:7 Serve with good will, as to the
Lord and not to men,
Ephesians 6:8 because you know that the Lord
will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is
slave or free.
Ephesians 6:9 And masters, do the same for your
slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who
is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no
favoritism with Him.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord
and in His mighty power.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so
that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take up the full armor
of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to
stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of
righteousness arrayed,
Ephesians 6:15 and with your feet fitted with
the readiness of the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up
the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times,
with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert
with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I
open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make
known the mystery of the gospel,
Ephesians 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in
chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:21 Tychicus, the beloved brother and
faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that
you also may know about me and what I am doing.
Ephesians 6:22 I have sent him to you for this
very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may
encourage your hearts.
Ephesians 6:23 Peace to the brothers and love
with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 6:24 Grace to all who love our Lord
Jesus Christ with an undying love.
PHILIPPIANS
Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of
Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi,
together with the overseers and deacons:
Philippians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I
remember you.
Philippians 1:4 In every prayer for all of you,
I always pray with joy,
Philippians 1:5 because of your partnership in
the gospel from the first day until now,
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that He
who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until
the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:7 It is right for me to feel this
way about all of you, since I have you in my heart. For in my
chains and in my defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are
all partners in grace with me.
Philippians 1:8 God is my witness how I long for
all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your
love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
Philippians 1:10 so that you may be able to test
and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day
of Christ,
Philippians 1:11 filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and
praise of God.
Philippians 1:12 Now I want you to know,
brothers, that my circumstances have actually served to advance
the gospel.
Philippians 1:13 As a result, it has become
clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that
I am in chains for Christ.
Philippians 1:14 And most of the brothers,
confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak
the word without fear.
Philippians 1:15 It is true that some preach
Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
Philippians 1:16 The latter do so in love,
knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.
Philippians 1:17 The former, however, preach
Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they
can add to the distress of my chains.
Philippians 1:18 What then is the issue? Just
this: that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ
is preached. And in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to
rejoice,
Philippians 1:19 because I know that through
your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, my
distress will turn out for my deliverance.
Philippians 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that
I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so
that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by
life or by death.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:22 But if I go on living in the
body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I
choose? I do not know.
Philippians 1:23 I am torn between the two. I
desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.
Philippians 1:24 But it is more necessary for
you that I remain in the body.
Philippians 1:25 Convinced of this, I know that
I will remain and will continue with all of you for your progress
and joy in the faith,
Philippians 1:26 so that through my coming to
you again your exultation in Christ Jesus will resound on account
of me.
Philippians 1:27 Nevertheless, conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then,
whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I
will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending side by
side for the faith of the gospel,
Philippians 1:28 without being frightened in any
way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their
destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.
Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you
on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer
for Him,
Philippians 1:30 since you are encountering the
same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Philippians 2:1 Therefore if you have any
encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any
fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
Philippians 2:2 then make my joy complete by
being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit
and purpose.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more
important than yourselves.
Philippians 2:4 Each of you should look not only
to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which
was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians 2:6 Who, existing in the form of
God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Philippians 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the
form of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as
a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death
on a cross.
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted Him to the
highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Philippians 2:11 and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, just as
you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more
in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God who works in you
to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose.
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without
complaining or arguing,
Philippians 2:15 so that you may be blameless
and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse
generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
Philippians 2:16 as you hold forth the word of
life, in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did
not run or labor in vain.
Philippians 2:17 But even if I am being poured
out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your
faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
Philippians 2:18 So you too should be glad and
rejoice with me.
Philippians 2:19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to
send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I learn
how you are doing.
Philippians 2:20 I have nobody else like him who
will genuinely care for your needs.
Philippians 2:21 For all the others look after
their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:22 But you know Timothy’s proven
worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to
advance the gospel.
Philippians 2:23 So I hope to send him as soon
as I see what happens with me.
Philippians 2:24 And I trust in the Lord that I
myself will come soon.
Philippians 2:25 But I thought it necessary to
send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and
fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my
needs.
Philippians 2:26 For he has been longing for all
of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.
Philippians 2:27 He was sick indeed, nearly unto
death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on
me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
Philippians 2:28 Therefore I am all the more
eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice,
and I may be less anxious.
Philippians 2:29 Welcome him in the Lord with
great joy, and honor men like him,
Philippians 2:30 because he nearly died for the
work of Christ, risking his life to make up for your deficit of
service to me.
Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in
the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you
again, and it is a safeguard for you.
Philippians 3:2 Watch out for those dogs, those
workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!
Philippians 3:3 For it is we who are the
circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in
Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
Philippians 3:4 though I myself could have such
confidence. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in
the flesh, I have more:
Philippians 3:5 circumcised on the eighth day,
of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of
Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
Philippians 3:6 as to zeal, persecuting the
church; as to righteousness in the law, faultless.
Philippians 3:7 But whatever was gain to me I
count as loss for the sake of Christ.
Philippians 3:8 More than that, I count all
things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having
my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith
in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the
power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being conformed to Him in His death,
Philippians 3:11 and so, somehow, to attain to
the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already
obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to
win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:15 All of us who are mature should
embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about
some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.
Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, we must live up
to what we have already attained.
Philippians 3:17 Join one another in following
my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk
according to the pattern we set for you.
Philippians 3:18 For as I have often told you
before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of
the cross of Christ.
Philippians 3:19 Their end is destruction, their
god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds
are set on earthly things.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in
heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus
Christ,
Philippians 3:21 who, by the power that enables
Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly
bodies to be like His glorious body.
Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I
love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you must stand
firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Philippians 4:2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to
agree with each other in the Lord.
Philippians 4:3 Yes, and I ask you, my true
yokefellow, to help these women who have labored with me for the
gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the Book of Life.
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I
will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be apparent
to all. The Lord is near.
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is
true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent
or praiseworthy—think on these things.
Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:10 Now I rejoice greatly in the
Lord that at last you have revived your concern for me. You were
indeed concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
Philippians 4:11 I am not saying this out of
need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my
circumstances.
Philippians 4:12 I know how to live humbly, and
I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every
situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and
having need.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through
Christ who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:14 Nevertheless, you have done
well to share in my affliction.
Philippians 4:15 And as you Philippians know, in
the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church but
you partnered with me in the matter of giving and receiving.
Philippians 4:16 For even while I was in
Thessalonica, you provided for my needs again and again.
Philippians 4:17 Not that I am seeking a gift,
but I am looking for the fruit that may be credited to your
account.
Philippians 4:18 I have all I need and more, now
that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a
fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your
needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:20 To our God and Father be glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Philippians 4:21 Greet all the saints in Christ
Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you greetings.
Philippians 4:22 All the saints send you
greetings, especially those from the household of Caesar.
Philippians 4:23 The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit.
COLOSSIANS
Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful
brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God
our Father.
Colossians 1:3 We always thank God, the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Colossians 1:4 because we have heard about your
faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—
Colossians 1:5 the faith and love proceeding
from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have
already heard in the word of truth, the gospel
Colossians 1:6 that has come to you. All over
the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has
been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly
understood the grace of God.
Colossians 1:7 You learned it from Epaphras, our
beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on
our behalf,
Colossians 1:8 and who also informed us of your
love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we
heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking
God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual
wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:10 so that you may walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit
in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Colossians 1:11 being strengthened with all
power according to His glorious might so that you may have full
endurance and patience, and joyfully
Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who
has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
light.
Colossians 1:13 He has rescued us from the
dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His
beloved Son,
Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were
created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things
were created through Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:17 He is before all things, and in
Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:18 And He is the head of the body,
the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead,
so that in all things He may have preeminence.
Colossians 1:19 For God was pleased to have all
His fullness dwell in Him,
Colossians 1:20 and through Him to reconcile to
Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of His cross.
Colossians 1:21 Once you were alienated from God
and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.
Colossians 1:22 But now He has reconciled you by
Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy,
unblemished, and blameless in His presence—
Colossians 1:23 if indeed you continue in your
faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel
you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under
heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings
for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to
Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the
church.
Colossians 1:25 I became its servant by the
commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the word of God,
Colossians 1:26 the mystery that was hidden for
ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints.
Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make
known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:28 We proclaim Him, admonishing and
teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone
perfect in Christ.
Colossians 1:29 To this end I also labor,
striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.
Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how much I
am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who
have not met me face to face,
Colossians 2:2 that they may be encouraged in
heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of
complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God,
namely Christ,
Colossians 2:3 in whom are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:4 I say this so that no one will
deceive you by smooth rhetoric.
Colossians 2:5 For although I am absent from you
in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see
your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.
Colossians 2:6 Therefore, just as you have
received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him,
Colossians 2:7 rooted and built up in Him,
established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
thankfulness.
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you
captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on
human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than
on Christ.
Colossians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of
the Deity dwells in bodily form.
Colossians 2:10 And you have been made complete
in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Colossians 2:11 In Him you were also
circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the
circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.
Colossians 2:12 And having been buried with Him
in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the
power of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Colossians 2:13 When you were dead in your
trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God
made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our trespasses,
Colossians 2:14 having canceled the debt
ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it
away, nailing it to the cross!
Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers
and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing
over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:16 Therefore let no one judge you
by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon,
or a Sabbath.
Colossians 2:17 These are a shadow of the things
to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights
in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with
speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up
without basis by his unspiritual mind.
Colossians 2:19 He has lost connection to the
head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its
joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.
Colossians 2:20 If you have died with Christ to
the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still
belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations:
Colossians 2:21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do
not touch!”?
Colossians 2:22 These will all perish with use,
because they are based on human commands and teachings.
Colossians 2:23 Such restrictions indeed have an
appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their
false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they
are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Colossians 3:1 Therefore, since you have been
raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is
seated at the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is
now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is your life,
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, the
components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity,
lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:6 Because of these, the wrath of
God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Colossians 3:7 When you lived among them, you
also used to walk in these ways.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must put aside all
such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy
language from your lips.
Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since
you have taken off the old self with its practices,
Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:11 Here there is no Greek or Jew,
circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free,
but Christ is all and is in all.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God,
holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another and
forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive
as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:14 And over all these virtues put
on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in
your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body.
And be thankful.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly
dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all
wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with
gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or
deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands,
as is fitting in the Lord.
Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do
not be harsh with them.
Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in
everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your
children, so they will not become discouraged.
Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey your earthly
masters in everything, not only to please them while they are
watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with
your whole being, for the Lord and not for men,
Colossians 3:24 because you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the
Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:25 Whoever does wrong will be
repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
Colossians 4:1 Masters, supply your slaves with
what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master
in heaven.
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer,
being watchful and thankful,
Colossians 4:3 as you pray also for us, that God
may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the
mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
Colossians 4:4 Pray that I may declare it
clearly, as I should.
Colossians 4:5 Act wisely toward outsiders,
redeeming the time.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be
gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer
everyone.
Colossians 4:7 Tychicus will tell you all the
news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a
fellow servant in the Lord.
Colossians 4:8 I have sent him to you for this
very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may
encourage your hearts.
Colossians 4:9 With him I am sending Onesimus,
our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will
tell you about everything here.
Colossians 4:10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus
sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. You have
already received instructions about him: If he comes to you,
welcome him.
Colossians 4:11 Jesus, who is called Justus,
also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow
workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to
me.
Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and
a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always
wrestling in prayer for you, so that you may stand mature and
fully assured in the full will of God.
Colossians 4:13 For I testify about him that he
goes to great pains for you and for those at Laodicea and
Hierapolis.
Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and
Demas send you greetings.
Colossians 4:15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea,
as well as Nympha and the church that meets at her house.
Colossians 4:16 After this letter has been read
among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the
Laodiceans, and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
Colossians 4:17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that
you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
Colossians 4:18 This greeting is in my own
hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
1 THESSALONIANS
1 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
1 Thessalonians 1:2 We always thank God for all
of you, remembering you in our prayers
1 Thessalonians 1:3 and continually recalling
before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love,
and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:4 Brothers who are beloved by
God, we know that He has chosen you,
1 Thessalonians 1:5 because our gospel came to
you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and
with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your
sake.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 And you became imitators of
us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of
the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.
1 Thessalonians 1:7 As a result, you have become
an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
1 Thessalonians 1:8 For not only did the message
of the Lord ring out from you to Macedonia and Achaia, but your
faith in God has gone out to every place, so that we have no need
to say anything more.
1 Thessalonians 1:9 For they themselves report
what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God
1 Thessalonians 1:10 and to await His Son from
heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the
coming wrath.
1 Thessalonians 2:1 You yourselves know,
brothers, that our visit to you was not in vain.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 As you are aware, we had
already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. But
in the face of strong opposition, we were bold in our God to speak
to you the gospel of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:3 For our appeal does not
arise from deceit or ulterior motives or trickery.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 Instead, we speak as those
approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to
please men but God, who examines our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:5 As you know, we never used
words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!
1 Thessalonians 2:6 Nor did we seek praise from
you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had
authority to demand it.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 On the contrary, we were
gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 We cared so deeply that we
were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but
our own lives as well. That is how beloved you have become to us.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 Surely you recall, brothers,
our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not
be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of
God.
1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and so
is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was
among you who believed.
1 Thessalonians 2:11 For you know that we
treated each of you as a father treats his own children—
1 Thessalonians 2:12 encouraging you, comforting
you, and urging you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls
you into His own kingdom and glory.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we continually thank
God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from
us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the true word
of God—the word which is now at work in you who believe.
1 Thessalonians 2:14 For you, brothers, became
imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ
Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they
suffered from the Jews,
1 Thessalonians 2:15 who killed both the Lord
Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are
displeasing to God and hostile to all men,
1 Thessalonians 2:16 hindering us from telling
the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to
heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come
upon them.
1 Thessalonians 2:17 Brothers, although we were
torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), our
desire to see you face to face was even more intense.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 For we wanted to come to
you—indeed I, Paul, tried again and again—but Satan obstructed us.
1 Thessalonians 2:19 After all, who is our hope,
our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the
presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
1 Thessalonians 2:20 You are indeed our glory
and our joy.
1 Thessalonians 3:1 So when we could bear it no
longer, we were willing to be left on our own in Athens.
1 Thessalonians 3:2 We sent Timothy, our brother
and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen
and encourage you in your faith,
1 Thessalonians 3:3 so that none of you would be
shaken by these trials. For you know that we are destined for
this.
1 Thessalonians 3:4 Indeed, when we were with
you, we kept warning you that we would suffer persecution; and as
you know, it has come to pass.
1 Thessalonians 3:5 For this reason, when I
could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for
fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and caused our labor
to be in vain.
1 Thessalonians 3:6 But just now, Timothy has
returned from his visit with the good news about your faith, your
love, and the fond memories you have preserved, longing to see us
just as we long to see you.
1 Thessalonians 3:7 For this reason, brothers,
in all our distress and persecution, we have been reassured about
you, because of your faith.
1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we can go on living,
as long as you are standing firm in the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 3:9 How can we adequately thank
God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence?
1 Thessalonians 3:10 Night and day we pray most
earnestly that we may see you face to face and supply what is
lacking from your faith.
1 Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father
Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 And may the Lord cause you
to increase and overflow with love for one another and for
everyone else, just as our love for you overflows,
1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that He may establish
your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and
Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4:1 Finally, brothers, we ask
and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is
pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how
you already live, so you should do so all the more.
1 Thessalonians 4:2 For you know the
instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For it is God’s will that
you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality;
1 Thessalonians 4:4 each of you must know how to
control his own body in holiness and honor,
1 Thessalonians 4:5 not in lustful passion like
the Gentiles who do not know God;
1 Thessalonians 4:6 and no one should ever
violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord
will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and
solemnly warned you.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us to
impurity, but to holiness.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 Anyone, then, who rejects
this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives
you His Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about brotherly love,
you do not need anyone to write to you, because you yourselves
have been taught by God to love one another.
1 Thessalonians 4:10 And you are indeed showing
this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge
you, brothers, to excel more and more
1 Thessalonians 4:11 and to aspire to live
quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own
hands, as we instructed you.
1 Thessalonians 4:12 Then you will behave
properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want
you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you
will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 For since we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring
with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 By the word of the Lord, we
declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming
of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ
will be the first to rise.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 After that, we who are
alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with
the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore encourage one
another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 Now about the times and
seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you are fully aware that
the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying,
“Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly,
like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you, brothers, are not
in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 For you are all sons of the
light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the
darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not sleep as
the others do, but let us remain awake and sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep
at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the
day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and
love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not appointed us
to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:10 He died for us so that,
whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage and
build one another up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:12 But we ask you, brothers,
to acknowledge those who work diligently among you, who preside
over you in the Lord and give you instruction.
1 Thessalonians 5:13 In love, hold them in
highest regard because of their work. Live in peace with one
another.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you, brothers,
to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak,
and be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:15 Make sure that no one
repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another
and for all people.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice at all times.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in every
circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not extinguish the
Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:20 Do not treat prophecies
with contempt,
1 Thessalonians 5:21 but test all things. Hold
fast to what is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from every form of
evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul,
and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 The One who calls you is
faithful, and He will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:25 Brothers, pray for us as
well.
1 Thessalonians 5:26 Greet all the brothers with
a holy kiss.
1 Thessalonians 5:27 I charge you before the
Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
1 Thessalonians 5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you.
2 THESSALONIANS
2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and
Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Thessalonians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are obligated to thank
God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your
faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is
increasing.
2 Thessalonians 1:4 That is why we boast among
God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of
all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.
2 Thessalonians 1:5 All this is clear evidence
of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of
the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
2 Thessalonians 1:6 After all, it is only right
for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to grant relief to you
who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the
Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
2 Thessalonians 1:8 in blazing fire, inflicting
vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel
of our Lord Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 They will suffer the penalty
of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord
and the glory of His might,
2 Thessalonians 1:10 on the day He comes to be
glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have
believed, including you who have believed our testimony.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 To this end, we always pray
for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and
that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of
faith,
2 Thessalonians 1:12 so that the name of our
Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to
the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now concerning the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we
ask you, brothers,
2 Thessalonians 2:2 not to be easily
disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming
to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come.
2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you in
any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the
man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and exalt
himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will
seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
2 Thessalonians 2:5 Do you not remember that I
told you these things while I was still with you?
2 Thessalonians 2:6 And you know what is now
restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it
will continue until he is taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one
will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of
His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless
one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind
of power, sign, and false wonder,
2 Thessalonians 2:10 and with every wicked
deception directed against those who are perishing, because they
refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
2 Thessalonians 2:11 For this reason God will
send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,
2 Thessalonians 2:12 in order that judgment may
come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in
wickedness.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we should always thank
God for you, brothers who are loved by the Lord, because God has
chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of
the Spirit and by faith in the truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:14 To this He called you
through our gospel, so that you may share in the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brothers, stand
firm and cling to the traditions we taught you, whether by speech
or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself and God our Father, who by grace has loved us and
given us eternal comfort and good hope,
2 Thessalonians 2:17 encourage your hearts and
strengthen you in every good word and deed.
2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for
us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be held in
honor, just as it was with you.
2 Thessalonians 3:2 And pray that we may be
delivered from wicked and evil men; for not everyone holds to the
faith.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful,
and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:4 And we have confidence in
the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do what we
command.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 May the Lord direct your
hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you,
brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from
any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping
with the tradition you received from us.
2 Thessalonians 3:7 For you yourselves know how
you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among
you,
2 Thessalonians 3:8 nor did we eat anyone’s food
without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night
and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:9 Not that we lack this right,
but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even while we were with
you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he
shall not eat.”
2 Thessalonians 3:11 Yet we hear that some of
you are leading undisciplined lives and accomplishing nothing but
being busybodies.
2 Thessalonians 3:12 We command and urge such
people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn
their own living.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 But as for you, brothers,
do not grow weary in well-doing.
2 Thessalonians 3:14 Take note of anyone who
does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do
not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.
2 Thessalonians 3:15 Yet do not regard him as an
enemy, but warn him as a brother.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace
Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be
with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:17 This greeting is in my own
hand—Paul. This is my mark in every letter; it is the way I write.
2 Thessalonians 3:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with all of you.
1 TIMOTHY
1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
1 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my true child in the
faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ
Jesus our Lord.
1 Timothy 1:3 As I urged you on my departure to
Macedonia, you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men
not to teach false doctrines
1 Timothy 1:4 or devote themselves to myths and
endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the
stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.
1 Timothy 1:5 The goal of our instruction is the
love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a
sincere faith.
1 Timothy 1:6 Some have strayed from these ways
and turned aside to empty talk.
1 Timothy 1:7 They want to be teachers of the
law, but they do not understand what they are saying or that which
they so confidently assert.
1 Timothy 1:8 Now we know that the law is good,
if one uses it legitimately.
1 Timothy 1:9 We realize that law is not enacted
for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the
ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of
father or mother, for murderers,
1 Timothy 1:10 for the sexually immoral, for
homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for
anyone else who is averse to sound teaching
1 Timothy 1:11 that agrees with the glorious
gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord,
who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and
appointed me to service.
1 Timothy 1:13 I was formerly a blasphemer, a
persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in
ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
1 Timothy 1:14 And the grace of our Lord
overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ
Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a trustworthy saying,
worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners, of whom I am the worst.
1 Timothy 1:16 But for this very reason I was
shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus
might display His perfect patience as an example to those who
would believe in Him for eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal,
immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever
and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:18 Timothy, my child, I entrust you
with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about
you, so that by them you may fight the good fight,
1 Timothy 1:19 holding on to faith and a good
conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their
faith.
1 Timothy 1:20 Among them are Hymenaeus and
Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to
blaspheme.
1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that
petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for
everyone—
1 Timothy 2:2 for kings and all those in
authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all
godliness and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:3 This is good and pleasing in the
sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:4 who wants everyone to be saved and
to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 Timothy 2:6 who gave Himself as a ransom for
all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.
1 Timothy 2:7 For this reason I was appointed as
a preacher, an apostle, and a faithful and true teacher of the
Gentiles. I am telling the truth; I am not lying about anything.
1 Timothy 2:8 Therefore I want the men
everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or
dissension.
1 Timothy 2:9 Likewise, I want the women to
adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with
self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive
clothes,
1 Timothy 2:10 but with good deeds, as is proper
for women who profess to worship God.
1 Timothy 2:11 A woman must learn in quietness
and full submissiveness.
1 Timothy 2:12 I do not permit a woman to teach
or to exercise authority over a man; she is to remain quiet.
1 Timothy 2:13 For Adam was formed first, and
then Eve.
1 Timothy 2:14 And it was not Adam who was
deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into
transgression.
1 Timothy 2:15 Women, however, will be saved
through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and
holiness, with self-control.
1 Timothy 3:1 This is a trustworthy saying: If
anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above
reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
1 Timothy 3:3 not dependent on wine, not violent
but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.
1 Timothy 3:4 An overseer must manage his own
household well and keep his children under control, with complete
dignity.
1 Timothy 3:5 For if someone does not know how
to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of
God?
1 Timothy 3:6 He must not be a recent convert,
or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as
the devil.
1 Timothy 3:7 Furthermore, he must have a good
reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace
and into the snare of the devil.
1 Timothy 3:8 Deacons likewise must be
dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for
money.
1 Timothy 3:9 They must hold to the mystery of
the faith with a clear conscience.
1 Timothy 3:10 Additionally, they must first be
tested. Then, if they are above reproach, let them serve as
deacons.
1 Timothy 3:11 In the same way, the women must
be dignified, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all
things.
1 Timothy 3:12 A deacon must be the husband of
but one wife, a good manager of his children and of his own
household.
1 Timothy 3:13 For those who have served well as
deacons acquire for themselves a high standing and great
confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 3:14 Although I hope to come to you
soon, I am writing you these things
1 Timothy 3:15 in case I am delayed, so that you
will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household,
which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation
of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, the mystery
of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by
the Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations,
was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly states
that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow
deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
1 Timothy 4:2 influenced by the hypocrisy of
liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.
1 Timothy 4:3 They will prohibit marriage and
require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be
received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the
truth.
1 Timothy 4:4 For every creation of God is good,
and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,
1 Timothy 4:5 because it is sanctified by the
word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:6 By pointing out these things to
the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus,
nourished by the words of faith and sound instruction that you
have followed.
1 Timothy 4:7 But reject irreverent, silly
myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness.
1 Timothy 4:8 For physical exercise is of
limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding
promise for the present life and for the one to come.
1 Timothy 4:9 This is a trustworthy saying,
worthy of full acceptance.
1 Timothy 4:10 To this end we labor and strive,
because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior
of everyone, and especially of those who believe.
1 Timothy 4:11 Command and teach these things.
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth,
but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in
love, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to
the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.
1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift that is
in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you
at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
1 Timothy 4:15 Be diligent in these matters and
absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
1 Timothy 4:16 Pay close attention to your life
and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing
you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
1 Timothy 5:1 Do not rebuke an older man, but
appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers,
1 Timothy 5:2 older women as mothers, and
younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
1 Timothy 5:3 Honor the widows who are truly
widows.
1 Timothy 5:4 But if a widow has children or
grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their
own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the
sight of God.
1 Timothy 5:5 The widow who is truly in need and
left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day in
her petitions and prayers.
1 Timothy 5:6 But she who lives for pleasure is
dead even while she is still alive.
1 Timothy 5:7 Give these instructions to the
believers, so that they will be above reproach.
1 Timothy 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his
own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and
is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Timothy 5:9 A widow should be enrolled if she
is at least sixty years old, the wife of one man,
1 Timothy 5:10 and well known for good deeds
such as bringing up children, entertaining strangers, washing the
feet of the saints, imparting relief to the afflicted, and
devoting herself to every good work.
1 Timothy 5:11 But refuse to enroll younger
widows. For when their passions draw them away from Christ, they
will want to marry,
1 Timothy 5:12 and thus will incur judgment
because they are setting aside their first faith.
1 Timothy 5:13 At the same time they will also
learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only
idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they
should not mention.
1 Timothy 5:14 So I advise the younger widows to
marry, have children, and manage their households, denying the
adversary occasion for slander.
1 Timothy 5:15 For some have already turned
aside to follow Satan.
1 Timothy 5:16 If any believing woman has
dependent widows, she must assist them and not allow the church to
be burdened, so that it can help the widows who are truly in need.
1 Timothy 5:17 Elders who lead effectively are
worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at
preaching and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “Do not
muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker
is worthy of his wages.”
1 Timothy 5:19 Do not entertain an accusation
against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three
witnesses.
1 Timothy 5:20 But those who persist in sin
should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will
stand in fear of sin.
1 Timothy 5:21 I solemnly charge you before God
and Christ Jesus and the elect angels to maintain these principles
without bias, and to do nothing out of partiality.
1 Timothy 5:22 Do not be too quick in the laying
on of hands and thereby share in the sins of others. Keep yourself
pure.
1 Timothy 5:23 Stop drinking only water and use
a little wine instead, because of your stomach and your frequent
ailments.
1 Timothy 5:24 The sins of some men are obvious,
going ahead of them to judgment; but the sins of others do not
surface until later.
1 Timothy 5:25 In the same way, good deeds are
obvious, and even the ones that are inconspicuous cannot remain
hidden.
1 Timothy 6:1 All who are under the yoke of
slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so
that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited.
1 Timothy 6:2 Those who have believing masters
should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should
serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service
are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.
1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches another doctrine
and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and
with godly teaching,
1 Timothy 6:4 he is conceited and understands
nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies
and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil
suspicions,
1 Timothy 6:5 and constant friction between men
of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard
godliness as a means of gain.
1 Timothy 6:6 Of course, godliness with
contentment is great gain.
1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into the
world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.
1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with these.
1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to be rich,
however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish
and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root
of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from
the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee from
these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
perseverance, and gentleness.
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the
faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when
you made the good confession before many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of
God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who made
the good confession in His testimony before Pontius Pilate:
1 Timothy 6:14 Keep this commandment without
stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Timothy 6:15 which the blessed and only
Sovereign One—the King of kings and Lord of lords—will bring about
in His own time.
1 Timothy 6:16 He alone is immortal and dwells
in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone
see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in
the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in
the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all
things for us to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:18 Instruct them to do good, to be
rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,
1 Timothy 6:19 treasuring up for themselves a
firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that
which is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:20 O Timothy, guard what has been
entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing
arguments of so-called “knowledge,”
1 Timothy 6:21 which some have professed and
thus swerved away from the faith. Grace be with you all.
2 TIMOTHY
2 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ
Jesus,
2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord.
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a
clear conscience as did my forefathers, as I constantly remember
you night and day in my prayers.
2 Timothy 1:4 Recalling your tears, I long to
see you so that I may be filled with joy.
2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere
faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother
Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.
2 Timothy 1:6 For this reason I remind you to
fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying
on of my hands.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit
of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in
suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
2 Timothy 1:9 He has saved us and called us to a
holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and
by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.
2 Timothy 1:10 And now He has revealed this
grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has
abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality
through the gospel,
2 Timothy 1:11 to which I was appointed as a
preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.
2 Timothy 1:12 For this reason, even though I
suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed,
and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted
to Him for that day.
2 Timothy 1:13 Hold on to the pattern of sound
teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are
in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:14 Guard the treasure entrusted to
you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
2 Timothy 1:15 You know that everyone in the
Province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and
Hermogenes.
2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord grant mercy to the
household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and
was unashamed of my chains.
2 Timothy 1:17 Indeed, when he arrived in Rome,
he searched diligently until he found me.
2 Timothy 1:18 May the Lord grant Onesiphorus
His mercy on that day. You know very well how much he ministered
to me in Ephesus.
2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my child, be strong
in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard
me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who
will be qualified to teach others as well.
2 Timothy 2:3 Join me in suffering, like a good
soldier of Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:4 A soldier refrains from entangling
himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who
enlisted him.
2 Timothy 2:5 Likewise, a competitor does not
receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules.
2 Timothy 2:6 The hardworking farmer should be
the first to partake of the crops.
2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I am saying, for the
Lord will give you insight into all things.
2 Timothy 2:8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from
the dead, descended from David, as proclaimed by my gospel,
2 Timothy 2:9 for which I suffer to the extent
of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be
chained!
2 Timothy 2:10 For this reason I endure all
things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the
salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
2 Timothy 2:11 This is a trustworthy saying: If
we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign
with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, He remains
faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:14 Remind the believers of these
things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words,
which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.
2 Timothy 2:15 Make every effort to present
yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately
handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:16 But avoid irreverent, empty
chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,
2 Timothy 2:17 and the talk of such men will
spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
2 Timothy 2:18 who have deviated from the truth.
They say that the resurrection has already occurred, and they
undermine the faith of some.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s firm
foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who
are His,” and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must
turn away from iniquity.”
2 Timothy 2:20 A large house contains not only
vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed
are for honorable use, but others are for common use.
2 Timothy 2:21 So if anyone cleanses himself of
what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful
to the Master, and prepared for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee from youthful passions and
pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those
who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:23 But reject foolish and ignorant
speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling.
2 Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must
not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach,
and forbearing.
2 Timothy 2:25 He must gently reprove those who
oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading
to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 2:26 Then they will come to their
senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them
captive to his will.
2 Timothy 3:1 But understand this: In the last
days terrible times will come.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2 Timothy 3:3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, without love of good,
2 Timothy 3:4 traitorous, reckless, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but
denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
2 Timothy 3:6 They are the kind who worm their
way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed
down with sins and led astray by various passions,
2 Timothy 3:7 who are always learning but never
able to come to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Timothy 3:8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed
Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in
mind and disqualified from the faith.
2 Timothy 3:9 But they will not advance much
further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be
plain to everyone.
2 Timothy 3:10 You, however, have observed my
teaching, my conduct, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love,
my perseverance,
2 Timothy 3:11 my persecutions, and the
sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What
persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live
godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
2 Timothy 3:13 while evil men and imposters go
from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
2 Timothy 3:14 But as for you, continue in the
things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from
whom you have learned them.
2 Timothy 3:15 From infancy you have known the
Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and
is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for
training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:17 so that the man of God may be
complete, fully equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 4:1 I charge you in the presence of
God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead,
and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be prepared in
season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with
every form of patient instruction.
2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when men
will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will
gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
2 Timothy 4:4 So they will turn their ears away
from the truth and turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4:5 But you, be sober in all things,
endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your
ministry.
2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being poured out
like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:8 From now on there is laid up for
me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all
who crave His appearing.
2 Timothy 4:9 Make every effort to come to me
quickly,
2 Timothy 4:10 because Demas, in his love of
this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has
gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark
and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the
ministry.
2 Timothy 4:12 Tychicus, however, I have sent to
Ephesus.
2 Timothy 4:13 When you come, bring the cloak
that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the
parchments.
2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did
great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
2 Timothy 4:15 You too should beware of him, for
he has vigorously opposed our message.
2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one stood
with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against
them.
2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and
strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully
proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered
from the mouth of the lion.
2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord will rescue me from
every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom.
To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
2 Timothy 4:19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, as well
as the household of Onesiphorus.
2 Timothy 4:20 Erastus has remained at Corinth,
and Trophimus I left sick in Miletus.
2 Timothy 4:21 Make every effort to come to me
before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, as do Pudens, Linus,
Claudia, and all the brothers.
2 Timothy 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit.
Grace be with you all.
TITUS
Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle
of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge
of the truth that leads to godliness,
Titus 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which
God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
Titus 1:3 In His own time He has made His word
evident in the proclamation entrusted to me by the command of God
our Savior.
Titus 1:4 To Titus, my true child in our common
faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Savior.
Titus 1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was
that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders
in every town, as I directed you.
Titus 1:6 An elder must be blameless, the
husband of but one wife, having children who are believers and who
are not open to accusation of indiscretion or insubordination.
Titus 1:7 As God’s steward, an overseer must be
above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to
drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
Titus 1:8 Instead, he must be hospitable, a
lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
Titus 1:9 He must hold firmly to the faithful
word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound
teaching and refute those who contradict it.
Titus 1:10 For many are rebellious and full of
empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision,
Titus 1:11 who must be silenced. For the sake of
dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach
things they should not.
Titus 1:12 As one of their own prophets has
said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. Therefore
rebuke them sternly, so that they will be sound in the faith
Titus 1:14 and will pay no attention to Jewish
myths or to the commands of men who have rejected the truth.
Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure; but
to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both
their minds and their consciences are defiled.
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but by
their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and
unfit for any good deed.
Titus 2:1 But as for you, speak the things that
are consistent with sound doctrine.
Titus 2:2 Older men are to be temperate,
dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and
perseverance.
Titus 2:3 Older women, likewise, are to be
reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or addicted to much
wine, but teachers of good.
Titus 2:4 In this way they can train the young
women to love their husbands and children,
Titus 2:5 to be self-controlled, pure, managers
of their households, kind, and submissive to their own husbands,
so that the word of God will not be discredited.
Titus 2:6 In the same way, urge the younger men
to be self-controlled.
Titus 2:7 In everything, show yourself to be an
example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity,
dignity,
Titus 2:8 and wholesome speech that is above
reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having
nothing bad to say about us.
Titus 2:9 Slaves are to submit to their own
masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
Titus 2:10 not stealing from them, but showing
all good faith, so that in every respect they will adorn the
teaching about God our Savior.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to everyone.
Titus 2:12 It instructs us to renounce
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright,
and godly lives in the present age,
Titus 2:13 as we await the blessed hope and
glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:14 He gave Himself for us to redeem us
from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His
own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Titus 2:15 Speak these things as you encourage
and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Titus 3:1 Remind the believers to submit to
rulers and authorities, to be obedient and ready for every good
work,
Titus 3:2 to malign no one, and to be peaceable
and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.
Titus 3:3 For at one time we too were foolish,
disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and
pleasures—living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one
another.
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness of God our
Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not by the righteous
deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing
of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:6 This is the Spirit He poured out on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by His
grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:8 This saying is trustworthy. And I want
you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God
will take care to devote themselves to good deeds. These things
are excellent and profitable for the people.
Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish controversies,
genealogies, arguments, and quarrels about the law, because these
things are pointless and worthless.
Titus 3:10 Reject a divisive man after a first
and second admonition,
Titus 3:11 knowing that such a man is corrupt
and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Titus 3:12 As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus
to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, because I
have decided to winter there.
Titus 3:13 Do your best to equip Zenas the
lawyer and Apollos, so that they will have everything they need.
Titus 3:14 And our people must also learn to
devote themselves to good works in order to meet the pressing
needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful.
Titus 3:15 All who are with me send you
greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with all
of you.
PHILEMON
Philemon 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,
Philemon 1:2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus
our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house:
Philemon 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon 1:4 I always thank my God, remembering
you in my prayers,
Philemon 1:5 because I hear about your faith in
the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
Philemon 1:6 I pray that your partnership in the
faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good
thing that is ours in Christ.
Philemon 1:7 I take great joy and encouragement
in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of
the saints.
Philemon 1:8 So although in Christ I am bold
enough to order you to do what is proper,
Philemon 1:9 I prefer to appeal on the basis of
love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus as
well.
Philemon 1:10 I appeal to you for my child
Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains.
Philemon 1:11 Formerly he was useless to you,
but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Philemon 1:12 I am sending back to you him who
is my very heart.
Philemon 1:13 I would have liked to keep him
with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me in my
chains for the gospel.
Philemon 1:14 But I did not want to do anything
without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of
compulsion, but by your own free will.
Philemon 1:15 For perhaps this is why he was
separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back
for good—
Philemon 1:16 no longer as a slave, but better
than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to
me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.
Philemon 1:17 So if you consider me a partner,
receive him as you would receive me.
Philemon 1:18 But if he has wronged you in any
way or owes you anything, charge it to my account.
Philemon 1:19 I, Paul, write this with my own
hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very
self.
Philemon 1:20 Yes, brother, let me have some
benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
Philemon 1:21 Confident of your obedience, I
write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
Philemon 1:22 In the meantime, prepare a guest
room for me, because I hope that through your prayers I will be
restored to you.
Philemon 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in
Christ Jesus, sends you greetings,
Philemon 1:24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas,
and Luke, my fellow workers.
Philemon 1:25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit.
HEBREWS
Hebrews 1:1 On many past occasions and in many
different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.
Hebrews 1:2 But in these last days He has spoken
to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and
through whom He made the universe.
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s
glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all
things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification
for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:4 So He became as far superior to the
angels as the name He has inherited is excellent beyond theirs.
Hebrews 1:5 For to which of the angels did God
ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or
again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”?
Hebrews 1:6 And again, when God brings His
firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship
Him.”
Hebrews 1:7 Now about the angels He says: “He
makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”
Hebrews 1:8 But about the Son He says: “Your
throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the
scepter of Your kingdom.
Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and
hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You above
Your companions with the oil of joy.”
Hebrews 1:10 And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You
laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of
Your hands.
Hebrews 1:11 They will perish, but You remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Hebrews 1:12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and
Your years will never end.”
Hebrews 1:13 Yet to which of the angels did God
ever say: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a
footstool for Your feet”?
Hebrews 1:14 Are not the angels ministering
spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 2:1 We must pay closer attention,
therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
Hebrews 2:2 For if the message spoken by angels
was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its
just punishment,
Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect
such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the
Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
Hebrews 2:4 and was affirmed by God through
signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to His will.
Hebrews 2:5 For it is not to angels that He has
subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
Hebrews 2:6 But somewhere it is testified in
these words: “What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son
of man that You care for him?
Hebrews 2:7 You made him a little lower than the
angels; You crowned him with glory and honor
Hebrews 2:8 and placed everything under his
feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing
outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything
subject to him.
Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor
because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might
taste death for everyone.
Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it
was fitting for God, for whom and through whom all things exist,
to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Hebrews 2:11 For both the One who sanctifies and
those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not
ashamed to call them brothers.
Hebrews 2:12 He says: “I will proclaim Your name
to My brothers; I will sing Your praises in the assembly.”
Hebrews 2:13 And again: “I will put My trust in
Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given
Me.”
Hebrews 2:14 Now since the children have flesh
and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death
He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the
devil,
Hebrews 2:15 and free those who all their lives
were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Hebrews 2:16 For surely it is not the angels He
helps, but the descendants of Abraham.
Hebrews 2:17 For this reason He had to be made
like His brothers in every way, so that He might become a merciful
and faithful high priest in service to God, in order to make
atonement for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:18 Because He Himself suffered when He
was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, holy brothers, who share
in the heavenly calling, set your focus on Jesus, the apostle and
high priest whom we confess.
Hebrews 3:2 He was faithful to the One who
appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.
Hebrews 3:3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of
greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has
greater honor than the house itself.
Hebrews 3:4 And every house is built by someone,
but God is the builder of everything.
Hebrews 3:5 Now Moses was faithful as a servant
in all God’s house, testifying to what would be spoken later.
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ is faithful as the Son
over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our
confidence and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear His voice,
Hebrews 3:8 do not harden your hearts, as you
did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,
Hebrews 3:9 where your fathers tested and tried
Me, and for forty years saw My works.
Hebrews 3:10 Therefore I was angry with that
generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and
they have not known My ways.’
Hebrews 3:11 So I swore on oath in My anger,
‘They shall never enter My rest.’”
Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of
you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living
God.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, as
long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by
sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:14 We have come to share in Christ if
we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.
Hebrews 3:15 As it has been said: “Today, if you
hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the
rebellion.”
Hebrews 3:16 For who were the ones who heard and
rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?
Hebrews 3:17 And with whom was God angry for
forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell
in the wilderness?
Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they
would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed?
Hebrews 3:19 So we see that it was because of
their unbelief that they were unable to enter.
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, while the promise of
entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you
be deemed to have fallen short of it.
Hebrews 4:2 For we also received the good news
just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to
them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended
it.
Hebrews 4:3 Now we who have believed enter that
rest. As for the others, it is just as God has said: “So I swore
on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’” And yet
His works have been finished since the foundation of the world.
Hebrews 4:4 For somewhere He has spoken about
the seventh day in this manner: “And on the seventh day God rested
from all His works.”
Hebrews 4:5 And again, as He says in the passage
above: “They shall never enter My rest.”
Hebrews 4:6 Since, then, it remains for some to
enter His rest, and since those who formerly heard the good news
did not enter because of their disobedience,
Hebrews 4:7 God again designated a certain day
as “Today,” when a long time later He spoke through David as was
just stated: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your
hearts.”
Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest,
God would not have spoken later about another day.
Hebrews 4:9 There remains, then, a Sabbath rest
for the people of God.
Hebrews 4:10 For whoever enters God’s rest also
rests from his own work, just as God did from His.
Hebrews 4:11 Let us, therefore, make every
effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following
the same pattern of disobedience.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and
active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the
thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden
from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the
eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great
high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one
who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of
grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 5:1 Every high priest is appointed from
among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer
gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Hebrews 5:2 He is able to deal gently with those
who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is beset by
weakness.
Hebrews 5:3 That is why he is obligated to offer
sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the
people.
Hebrews 5:4 No one takes this honor upon
himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ did not take upon
Himself the glory of becoming a high priest, but He was called by
the One who said to Him: “You are My Son; today I have become Your
Father.”
Hebrews 5:6 And in another passage God says:
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ earthly
life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and
tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard
because of His reverence.
Hebrews 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned
obedience from what He suffered.
Hebrews 5:9 And having been made perfect, He
became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him
Hebrews 5:10 and was designated by God as high
priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5:11 We have much to say about this, but
it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing.
Hebrews 5:12 Although by this time you ought to
be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles
of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!
Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is
still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature,
who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good
from evil.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore let us leave the
elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
faith in God,
Hebrews 6:2 instruction about baptisms, the
laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal
judgment.
Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do, if God permits.
Hebrews 6:4 It is impossible for those who have
once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have
shared in the Holy Spirit,
Hebrews 6:5 who have tasted the goodness of the
word of God and the powers of the coming age—
Hebrews 6:6 and then have fallen away—to be
restored to repentance, because they themselves are crucifying the
Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to open shame.
Hebrews 6:7 For land that drinks in the rain
often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for
whom it is tended receives the blessing of God.
Hebrews 6:8 But land that produces thorns and
thistles is worthless, and its curse is imminent. In the end it
will be burned.
Hebrews 6:9 Even though we speak like this,
beloved, we are convinced of better things in your case—things
that accompany salvation.
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust. He will not
forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you
have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
Hebrews 6:11 We want each of you to show this
same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
Hebrews 6:12 Then you will not be sluggish, but
will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has
been promised.
Hebrews 6:13 When God made His promise to
Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by
Himself,
Hebrews 6:14 saying, “I will surely bless you
and multiply your descendants.”
Hebrews 6:15 And so Abraham, after waiting
patiently, obtained the promise.
Hebrews 6:16 Men swear by someone greater than
themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all
argument.
Hebrews 6:17 So when God wanted to make the
unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the
promise, He guaranteed it with an oath.
Hebrews 6:18 Thus by two unchangeable things in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take
hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for
the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind
the curtain,
Hebrews 6:20 where Jesus our forerunner has
entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the
order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:1 This Melchizedek was king of Salem
and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the
slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
Hebrews 7:2 and Abraham apportioned to him a
tenth of everything. First, his name means “king of
righteousness.” Then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
Hebrews 7:3 Without father or mother or
genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son
of God, he remains a priest for all time.
Hebrews 7:4 Consider how great Melchizedek was:
Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder.
Hebrews 7:5 Now the law commands the sons of
Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that
is, from their brothers—though they too are descended from
Abraham.
Hebrews 7:6 But Melchizedek, who did not trace
his descent from Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed
him who had the promises.
Hebrews 7:7 And indisputably, the lesser is
blessed by the greater.
Hebrews 7:8 In the case of the Levites, mortal
men collect the tenth; but in the case of Melchizedek, it is
affirmed that he lives on.
Hebrews 7:9 And so to speak, Levi, who collects
the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham.
Hebrews 7:10 For when Melchizedek met Abraham,
Levi was still in the loin of his ancestor.
Hebrews 7:11 Now if perfection could have been
attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on this basis the
people received the law), why was there still need for another
priest to appear—one in the order of Melchizedek and not in the
order of Aaron?
Hebrews 7:12 For when the priesthood is changed,
the law must be changed as well.
Hebrews 7:13 He of whom these things are said
belonged to a different tribe, from which no one has ever served
at the altar.
Hebrews 7:14 For it is clear that our Lord
descended from Judah, a tribe as to which Moses said nothing about
priests.
Hebrews 7:15 And this point is even more clear
if another priest like Melchizedek appears,
Hebrews 7:16 one who has become a priest not by
a law of succession, but by the power of an indestructible life.
Hebrews 7:17 For it is testified: “You are a
priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 7:18 So the former commandment is set
aside because it was weak and useless
Hebrews 7:19 (for the law made nothing perfect),
and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
Hebrews 7:20 And none of this happened without
an oath. For others became priests without an oath,
Hebrews 7:21 but Jesus became a priest with an
oath by the One who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn and will not
change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’”
Hebrews 7:22 Because of this oath, Jesus has
become the guarantee of a better covenant.
Hebrews 7:23 Now there have been many other
priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.
Hebrews 7:24 But because Jesus lives forever, He
has a permanent priesthood.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able to save
completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always
lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 7:26 Such a high priest truly befits
us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners,
and exalted above the heavens.
Hebrews 7:27 Unlike the other high priests, He
does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins
and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once
for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 7:28 For the law appoints as high
priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law,
appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 8:1 The point of what we are saying is
this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
Hebrews 8:2 and who ministers in the sanctuary
and true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.
Hebrews 8:3 And since every high priest is
appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it was necessary for
this One also to have something to offer.
Hebrews 8:4 Now if He were on earth, He would
not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer gifts
according to the law.
Hebrews 8:5 The place where they serve is a copy
and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when
he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make
everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Hebrews 8:6 Now, however, Jesus has received a
much more excellent ministry, just as the covenant He mediates is
better and is founded on better promises.
Hebrews 8:7 For if that first covenant had been
without fault, no place would have been sought for a second.
Hebrews 8:8 But God found fault with the people
and said: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah.
Hebrews 8:9 It will not be like the covenant I
made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them
out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by My
covenant, and I disregarded them, declares the Lord.
Hebrews 8:10 For this is the covenant I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord.
I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their
hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.
Hebrews 8:11 No longer will each one teach his
neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they
will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will forgive their iniquities
and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:13 By speaking of a new covenant, He
has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging
will soon disappear.
Hebrews 9:1 Now the first covenant had
regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.
Hebrews 9:2 A tabernacle was prepared. In its
first room were the lampstand, the table, and the consecrated
bread. This was called the Holy Place.
Hebrews 9:3 Behind the second curtain was a room
called the Most Holy Place,
Hebrews 9:4 containing the golden altar of
incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. Inside the ark
were the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the
stone tablets of the covenant.
Hebrews 9:5 Above the ark were the cherubim of
glory, overshadowing the mercy seat. But we cannot discuss these
things in detail now.
Hebrews 9:6 When everything had been prepared in
this way, the priests entered regularly into the first room to
perform their sacred duties.
Hebrews 9:7 But only the high priest entered the
second room, and then only once a year, and never without blood,
which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had
committed in ignorance.
Hebrews 9:8 By this arrangement the Holy Spirit
was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been
disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
Hebrews 9:9 It is an illustration for the
present time, because the gifts and sacrifices being offered were
unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshiper.
Hebrews 9:10 They consist only in food and drink
and special washings—external regulations imposed until the time
of reform.
Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and
more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a
part of this creation.
Hebrews 9:12 He did not enter by the blood of
goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all
by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially
unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,
Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished
to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may
serve the living God!
Hebrews 9:15 Therefore Christ is the mediator of
a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the
promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them
from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Hebrews 9:16 In the case of a will, it is
necessary to establish the death of the one who made it,
Hebrews 9:17 because a will does not take effect
until the one who made it has died; it cannot be executed while he
is still alive.
Hebrews 9:18 That is why even the first covenant
was not put into effect without blood.
Hebrews 9:19 For when Moses had proclaimed every
commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of
calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and
sprinkled the scroll and all the people,
Hebrews 9:20 saying, “This is the blood of the
covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”
Hebrews 9:21 In the same way, he sprinkled with
blood the tabernacle and all the vessels used in worship.
Hebrews 9:22 According to the law, in fact,
nearly everything must be purified with blood, and without the
shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:23 So it was necessary for the copies
of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews 9:24 For Christ did not enter a man-made
copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to
appear on our behalf in the presence of God.
Hebrews 9:25 Nor did He enter heaven to offer
Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Most Holy
Place every year with blood that is not his own.
Hebrews 9:26 Otherwise, Christ would have had to
suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He
has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with
sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Hebrews 9:27 Just as man is appointed to die
once, and after that to face judgment,
Hebrews 9:28 so also Christ was offered once to
bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to
bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
Hebrews 10:1 For the law is only a shadow of the
good things to come, not the realities themselves. It can never,
by the same sacrifices offered year after year, make perfect those
who draw near to worship.
Hebrews 10:2 If it could, would not the
offerings have ceased? For the worshipers would have been cleansed
once for all, and would no longer have felt the guilt of their
sins.
Hebrews 10:3 Instead, those sacrifices are an
annual reminder of sins,
Hebrews 10:4 because it is impossible for the
blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Hebrews 10:5 Therefore, when Christ came into
the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
but a body You prepared for Me.
Hebrews 10:6 In burnt offerings and sin
offerings You took no delight.
Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is
written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O
God.’”
Hebrews 10:8 In the passage above He says,
“Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You
did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (although they are
offered according to the law).
Hebrews 10:9 Then He adds, “Here I am, I have
come to do Your will.” He takes away the first to establish the
second.
Hebrews 10:10 And by that will, we have been
sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all.
Hebrews 10:11 Day after day every priest stands
to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins.
Hebrews 10:12 But when this Priest had offered
for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand
of God.
Hebrews 10:13 Since that time, He waits for His
enemies to be made a footstool for His feet,
Hebrews 10:14 because by a single offering He
has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to
us about this. First He says:
Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant I will make
with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws
in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”
Hebrews 10:17 Then He adds: “Their sins and
lawless acts I will remember no more.”
Hebrews 10:18 And where these have been
forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.
Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have
confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
Hebrews 10:20 by the new and living way opened
for us through the curtain of His body,
Hebrews 10:21 and since we have a great priest
over the house of God,
Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with
pure water.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold resolutely to the hope
we profess, for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to spur
one another on to love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:25 Let us not neglect meeting
together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one
another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:26 If we deliberately go on sinning
after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further
sacrifice for sins remains,
Hebrews 10:27 but only a fearful expectation of
judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.
Hebrews 10:28 Anyone who rejected the law of
Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three
witnesses.
Hebrews 10:29 How much more severely do you
think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of
God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and
insulted the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:30 For we know Him who said,
“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge
His people.”
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:32 Remember the early days that you
were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in
the face of suffering.
Hebrews 10:33 Sometimes you were publicly
exposed to ridicule and persecution; at other times you were
partners with those who were so treated.
Hebrews 10:34 You sympathized with those in
prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,
knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.
Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your
confidence; it holds a great reward.
Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere, so that
after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has
promised.
Hebrews 10:37 For, “In just a little while, He
who is coming will come and will not delay.
Hebrews 10:38 But My righteous one will live by
faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink
back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve
their souls.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of what
we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:2 This is why the ancients were
commended.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the
universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not
made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better
sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous
when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks,
even though he is dead.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that
he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had
taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one
who pleased God.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible
to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that
He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about
things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his
family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the
righteousness that comes by faith.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when called to go
to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and
went, without knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:9 By faith he dwelt in the promised
land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did
Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the
city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:11 By faith Sarah, even though she
was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a
child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
Hebrews 11:12 And so from one man, and he as
good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
Hebrews 11:13 All these people died in faith,
without having received the things they were promised. However,
they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged
that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Hebrews 11:14 Now those who say such things show
that they are seeking a country of their own.
Hebrews 11:15 If they had been thinking of the
country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.
Hebrews 11:16 Instead, they were longing for a
better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was
tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the
promises was ready to offer his one and only son,
Hebrews 11:18 even though God had said to him,
“Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
Hebrews 11:19 Abraham reasoned that God could
raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from
death.
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and
Esau concerning the future.
Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying,
blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the
top of his staff.
Hebrews 11:22 By faith Joseph, when his end was
near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave
instructions about his bones.
Hebrews 11:23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him
for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a
beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.
Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was grown,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
Hebrews 11:25 He chose to suffer oppression with
God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of
sin.
Hebrews 11:26 He valued disgrace for Christ
above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his
reward.
Hebrews 11:27 By faith Moses left Egypt, not
fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is
invisible.
Hebrews 11:28 By faith he kept the Passover and
the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn
would not touch Israel’s own firstborn.
Hebrews 11:29 By faith the people passed through
the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to
follow, they were drowned.
Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho
fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
Hebrews 11:31 By faith the prostitute Rahab,
because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those
who were disobedient.
Hebrews 11:32 And what more shall I say? Time
will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
David, Samuel, and the prophets,
Hebrews 11:33 who through faith conquered
kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who
shut the mouths of lions,
Hebrews 11:34 quenched the raging fire, and
escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness,
became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
Hebrews 11:35 Women received back their dead,
raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their
release, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
Hebrews 11:36 Still others endured mocking and
flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawed
in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in
sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.
Hebrews 11:38 The world was not worthy of them.
They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes
in the ground.
Hebrews 11:39 These were all commended for their
faith, yet they did not receive what was promised.
Hebrews 11:40 God had planned something better
for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every
encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with endurance the race set out for us.
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:3 Consider Him who endured such
hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose
heart.
Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you
have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Hebrews 12:5 And you have forgotten the
exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take
lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He
rebukes you.
Hebrews 12:6 For the Lord disciplines the one He
loves, and He chastises every son He receives.”
Hebrews 12:7 Endure suffering as discipline; God
is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his
father?
Hebrews 12:8 If you do not experience discipline
like everyone else, then you are illegitimate children and not
true sons.
Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore, we have all had
earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should
we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
Hebrews 12:10 Our fathers disciplined us for a
short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our
good, so that we may share in His holiness.
Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems enjoyable at
the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of
righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:12 Therefore strengthen your limp
hands and weak knees.
Hebrews 12:13 Make straight paths for your feet,
so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with everyone, as
well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short
of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to
cause trouble and defile many.
Hebrews 12:16 See to it that no one is sexually
immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his
birthright.
Hebrews 12:17 For you know that afterward, when
he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He could find
no ground for repentance, though he sought the blessing with
tears.
Hebrews 12:18 For you have not come to a
mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to
darkness, gloom, and storm;
Hebrews 12:19 to a trumpet blast or to a voice
that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.
Hebrews 12:20 For they could not bear what was
commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be
stoned.”
Hebrews 12:21 The sight was so terrifying that
even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”
Hebrews 12:22 Instead, you have come to Mount
Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You
have come to myriads of angels
Hebrews 12:23 in joyful assembly, to the
congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come
to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made
perfect,
Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of a new
covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word
than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse
Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused
Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we
reject Him who warns us from heaven?
Hebrews 12:26 At that time His voice shook the
earth, but now He has promised, “Once more I will shake not only
the earth, but heaven as well.”
Hebrews 12:27 The words “Once more” signify the
removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the
unshakable may remain.
Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving
an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so
worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
Hebrews 12:29 “For our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 13:1 Continue in brotherly love.
Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality
to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels
without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in prison as if you
were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were
suffering with them.
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all
and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the
sexually immoral and adulterers.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love
of money and be content with what you have, for God has said:
“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:6 So we say with confidence: “The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders who spoke the
word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and
imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried away by all kinds
of strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be
strengthened by grace and not by foods of no value to those
devoted to them.
Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar from which those
who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
Hebrews 13:11 Although the high priest brings
the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin,
the bodies are burned outside the camp.
Hebrews 13:12 And so Jesus also suffered outside
the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood.
Hebrews 13:13 Therefore let us go to Him outside
the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.
Hebrews 13:14 For here we do not have a
permanent city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us
continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips
that confess His name.
Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect to do good and
to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to
them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an
account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with
grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:18 Pray for us; we are convinced that
we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every
way.
Hebrews 13:19 And I especially urge you to pray
that I may be restored to you soon.
Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace, who
through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the
dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
Hebrews 13:21 equip you with every good thing to
do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His
sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Hebrews 13:22 I urge you, brothers, to bear with
my word of exhortation, for I have only written to you briefly.
Hebrews 13:23 Be aware that our brother Timothy
has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see
you.
Hebrews 13:24 Greet all your leaders and all the
saints. Those from Italy send you greetings.
Hebrews 13:25 Grace be with all of you.
JAMES
James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the
Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion:
Greetings.
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
when you encounter trials of many kinds,
James 1:3 because you know that the testing of
your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:4 Allow perseverance to finish its work,
so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he
should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him.
James 1:6 But he must ask in faith, without
doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown
and tossed by the wind.
James 1:7 That man should not expect to receive
anything from the Lord.
James 1:8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in
all his ways.
James 1:9 The brother in humble circumstances
should exult in his high position.
James 1:10 But the one who is rich should exult
in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of
the field.
James 1:11 For the sun rises with scorching heat
and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So
too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres
under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive
the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God
is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He
tempt anyone.
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when by his
own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
James 1:15 Then after desire has conceived, it
gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to
death.
James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved
brothers.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from
above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with
whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
James 1:18 He chose to give us birth through the
word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His
creation.
James 1:19 My beloved brothers, understand this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to
anger,
James 1:20 for man’s anger does not bring about
the righteousness that God desires.
James 1:21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth
and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted
in you, which can save your souls.
James 1:22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers
only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
James 1:23 For anyone who hears the word but
does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a
mirror,
James 1:24 and after observing himself goes away
and immediately forgets what he looks like.
James 1:25 But the one who looks intently into
the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a
forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what
he does.
James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious
and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his
religion is worthless.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before
our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in
their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the
world.
James 2:1 My brothers, as you hold out your
faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
James 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting
wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby
clothes also comes in.
James 2:3 If you lavish attention on the man in
fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the
poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,”
James 2:4 have you not discriminated among
yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not
God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to
inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
James 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is
it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
James 2:7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme
the noble name by which you have been called?
James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law
stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are
doing well.
James 2:9 But if you show favoritism, you sin
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
James 2:10 Whoever keeps the whole law but
stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:11 For He who said, “Do not commit
adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit
adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
James 2:12 Speak and act as those who are going
to be judged by the law that gives freedom.
James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be
shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over
judgment.
James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if
someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith
save him?
James 2:15 Suppose a brother or sister is
without clothes and daily food.
James 2:16 If one of you tells him, “Go in
peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his
physical needs, what good is that?
James 2:17 So too, faith by itself, if it does
not result in action, is dead.
James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith
and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will
show you my faith by my deeds.
James 2:19 You believe that God is one. Good for
you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
James 2:20 O foolish man, do you want evidence
that faith without deeds is worthless?
James 2:21 Was not our father Abraham justified
by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
James 2:22 You see that his faith was working
with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.
James 2:23 And the Scripture was fulfilled that
says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
James 2:24 As you can see, a man is justified by
his deeds and not by faith alone.
James 2:25 In the same way, was not even Rahab
the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the
spies and sent them off on another route?
James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 3:1 Not many of you should become
teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be
judged more strictly.
James 3:2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone
is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to
control his whole body.
James 3:3 When we put bits into the mouths of
horses to make them obey us, we can guide the whole animal.
James 3:4 Consider ships as well. Although they
are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a
very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined.
James 3:5 In the same way, the tongue is a small
part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how
small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.
James 3:6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of
wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole
person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on
fire by hell.
James 3:7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles,
and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by
man,
James 3:8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is
a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and
Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s
likeness.
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth come blessing
and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!
James 3:11 Can both fresh water and salt water
flow from the same spring?
James 3:12 My brothers, can a fig tree grow
olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring
produce fresh water.
James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among
you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the
humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:14 But if you harbor bitter jealousy and
selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the
truth.
James 3:15 Such wisdom does not come from above,
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.
James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first of
all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy
and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
James 3:18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the
fruit of righteousness.
James 4:1 What causes conflicts and quarrels
among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?
James 4:2 You crave what you do not have; you
kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and
fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
James 4:3 And when you do ask, you do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander
it on your pleasures.
James 4:4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that
friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore,
whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an
enemy of God.
James 4:5 Or do you think the Scripture says
without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns
with envy?
James 4:6 But He gives us more grace. This is
why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the
humble.”
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and He will draw
near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your
laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and He will exalt you.
James 4:11 Brothers, do not slander one another.
Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against
the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a
practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.
James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,
the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge
your neighbor?
James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or
tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there,
carry on business, and make a profit.”
James 4:14 You do not even know what will happen
tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a
little while and then vanishes.
James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the
Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
James 4:16 As it is, you boast in your proud
intentions. All such boasting is evil.
James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the right
thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
James 5:1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and
wail over the misery to come upon you.
James 5:2 Your riches have rotted and moths have
eaten your clothes.
James 5:3 Your gold and silver are corroded.
Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh
like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.
James 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the
workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The
cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of
Hosts.
James 5:5 You have lived on earth in luxury and
self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of
slaughter.
James 5:6 You have condemned and murdered the
righteous, who did not resist you.
James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the
Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the
soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
James 5:8 You, too, be patient and strengthen
your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
James 5:9 Do not complain about one another,
brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is
standing at the door!
James 5:10 Brothers, as an example of patience
in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the
Lord.
James 5:11 See how blessed we consider those who
have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have
seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and
mercy.
James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear,
not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes”
be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under
judgment.
James 5:13 Is any one of you suffering? He
should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
James 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should
call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with
oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will
restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has
sinned, he will be forgiven.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The
prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
James 5:17 Elijah was a man just like us. He
prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on
the land for three and a half years.
James 5:18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave
rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
James 5:19 My brothers, if one of you should
wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
James 5:20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover
over a multitude of sins.
1 PETER
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen
1 Peter 1:2 according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus
Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in
abundance.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth
into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead,
1 Peter 1:4 and into an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:5 who through faith are shielded by
God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the
last time.
1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though
now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various
trials
1 Peter 1:7 so that the proven character of your
faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined
by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation
of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen Him, you
love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him
and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
1 Peter 1:9 now that you are receiving the goal
of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the
prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and
investigated carefully,
1 Peter 1:11 trying to determine the time and
setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He
predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they
were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the
things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by
the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into
these things.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore prepare your minds for
action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be
given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not
conform to the passions of your former ignorance.
1 Peter 1:15 But just as He who called you is
holy, so be holy in all you do,
1 Peter 1:16 for it is written: “Be holy,
because I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:17 Since you call on a Father who
judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent
fear during your stay as foreigners.
1 Peter 1:18 For you know that it was not with
perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed
from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of
Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.
1 Peter 1:20 He was known before the foundation
of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.
1 Peter 1:21 Through Him you believe in God, who
raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and
hope are in God.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls
by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your
brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not
of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and
enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:24 For, “All flesh is like grass, and
all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and
the flowers fall,
1 Peter 1:25 but the word of the Lord stands
forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.
1 Peter 2:1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all
malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure
spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
1 Peter 2:3 now that you have tasted that the
Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:4 As you come to Him, the living
stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are
being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.
1 Peter 2:6 For it stands in Scripture: “See, I
lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the
one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”
1 Peter 2:7 To you who believe, then, this stone
is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the
builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
1 Peter 2:8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a
rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and
to this they were appointed.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to
proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into
His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:10 Once you were not a people, but now
you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but
now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners
and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war
against your soul.
1 Peter 2:12 Conduct yourselves with such honor
among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers,
they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits
us.
1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s
sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the
supreme authority,
1 Peter 2:14 or to governors as those sent by
him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
1 Peter 2:15 For it is God’s will that by doing
good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men.
1 Peter 2:16 Live in freedom, but do not use
your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
1 Peter 2:17 Treat everyone with high regard:
Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
1 Peter 2:18 Servants, submit yourselves to your
masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and
gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable.
1 Peter 2:19 For if anyone endures the pain of
unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be
commended.
1 Peter 2:20 How is it to your credit if you are
beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for
doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called,
because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that
you should follow in His footsteps:
1 Peter 2:22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit
was found in His mouth.”
1 Peter 2:23 When they heaped abuse on Him, He
did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but
entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
1 Peter 2:24 He Himself bore our sins in His
body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
1 Peter 2:25 For “you were like sheep going
astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of
your souls.
1 Peter 3:1 Wives, in the same way, submit
yourselves to your husbands, so that even if they refuse to
believe the word, they will be won over without words by the
behavior of their wives
1 Peter 3:2 when they see your pure and reverent
demeanor.
1 Peter 3:3 Your beauty should not come from
outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine
clothes,
1 Peter 3:4 but from the inner disposition of
your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is precious in God’s sight.
1 Peter 3:5 For this is how the holy women of
the past adorned themselves. They put their hope in God and were
submissive to their husbands,
1 Peter 3:6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and
called him lord. And you are her children if you do what is right
and refuse to give way to fear.
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way, treat
your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor
as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers
will not be hindered.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded
and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or
insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were
called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:10 For, “Whoever would love life and
see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from
deceitful speech.
1 Peter 3:11 He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous, and His ears are inclined to their prayer. But the face
of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:13 Who can harm you if you are zealous
for what is good?
1 Peter 3:14 But even if you should suffer for
what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do
not be shaken.”
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts sanctify Christ
as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks
you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with
gentleness and respect,
1 Peter 3:16 keeping a clear conscience, so that
those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in
Christ.
1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is God’s
will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins
once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to
God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,
1 Peter 3:19 in whom He also went and preached
to the spirits in prison
1 Peter 3:20 who disobeyed long ago when God
waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being
built. In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved
through water.
1 Peter 3:21 And this water symbolizes the
baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the
body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ,
1 Peter 3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at
the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers
subject to Him.
1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in
His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who
has suffered in his body is done with sin.
1 Peter 4:2 Consequently, he does not live out
his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will
of God.
1 Peter 4:3 For you have spent enough time in
the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in
debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable
idolatry.
1 Peter 4:4 Because of this, they consider it
strange of you not to plunge with them into the same flood of
reckless indiscretion, and they heap abuse on you.
1 Peter 4:5 But they will have to give an
account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
1 Peter 4:6 That is why the gospel was preached
even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged as
men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love one another deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:9 Show hospitality to one another
without complaining.
1 Peter 4:10 As good stewards of the manifold
grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received
to serve one another.
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should speak
as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should
serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God
may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and
the power forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the
fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange
were happening to you.
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice that you share in the
sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the
revelation of His glory.
1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted for the name of
Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God
rests on you.
1 Peter 4:15 Indeed, none of you should suffer
as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.
1 Peter 4:16 But if you suffer as a Christian,
do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.
1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to
begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will
the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
1 Peter 4:18 And, “If it is hard for the
righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the
sinner?”
1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according
to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator
and continue to do good.
1 Peter 5:1 As a fellow elder, a witness of
Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I
appeal to the elders among you:
1 Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is
among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because
it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
1 Peter 5:3 not lording it over those entrusted
to you, but being examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
1 Peter 5:5 Young men, in the same way, submit
yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with
humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but
gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under
God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him,
because He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your
adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, standing firm in your
faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world
are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.
1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered for a
little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His
eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you,
strengthen you, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:11 To Him be the power forever and
ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:12 Through Silvanus, whom I regard as
a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you
and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in
it.
1 Peter 5:13 The church in Babylon, chosen
together with you, sends you greetings, as does my son Mark.
1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of
love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
2 PETER
2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle
of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God
and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you
through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us
everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of
Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2 Peter 1:4 Through these He has given us His
precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may
become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped
the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every
effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
2 Peter 1:6 and to knowledge, self-control; and
to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
2 Peter 1:7 and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
2 Peter 1:8 For if you possess these qualities
and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
2 Peter 1:9 But whoever lacks these traits is
nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he
has been cleansed from his past sins.
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brothers, strive to make
your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things
you will never stumble,
2 Peter 1:11 and you will receive a lavish
reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
2 Peter 1:12 Therefore I will always remind you
of these things, even though you know them and are established in
the truth you now have.
2 Peter 1:13 I think it is right to refresh your
memory as long as I live in the tent of my body,
2 Peter 1:14 because I know that this tent will
soon be laid aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
2 Peter 1:15 And I will make every effort to
ensure that after my departure, you will be able to recall these
things at all times.
2 Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly
devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
2 Peter 1:17 For He received honor and glory
from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic
Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.”
2 Peter 1:18 And we ourselves heard this voice
from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
2 Peter 1:19 We also have the word of the
prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay
attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the
day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
2 Peter 1:20 Above all, you must understand that
no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation.
2 Peter 1:21 For no such prophecy was ever
brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they
were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 2:1 Now there were also false prophets
among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.
They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying
the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on
themselves.
2 Peter 2:2 Many will follow in their depravity,
and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.
2 Peter 2:3 In their greed, these false teachers
will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict
against them remains in force, and their destruction does not
sleep.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels
when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in
chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
2 Peter 2:5 if He did not spare the ancient
world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but
preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
2 Peter 2:6 if He condemned the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example
of what is coming on the ungodly;
2 Peter 2:7 and if He rescued Lot, a righteous
man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
2 Peter 2:8 (for that righteous man, living
among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by
the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
2 Peter 2:9 if all this is so, then the Lord
knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the
unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
2 Peter 2:10 Such punishment is specially
reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh
and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to
slander glorious beings.
2 Peter 2:11 Yet not even angels, though greater
in strength and power, dare to bring such slanderous charges
against them before the Lord.
2 Peter 2:12 These men are like irrational
animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed.
They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such
creatures, they too will be destroyed.
2 Peter 2:13 The harm they will suffer is the
wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse
in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their
deception as they feast with you.
2 Peter 2:14 Their eyes are full of adultery;
their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable.
They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
2 Peter 2:15 They have left the straight way and
wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved
the wages of wickedness.
2 Peter 2:16 But he was rebuked for his
transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke
with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
2 Peter 2:17 These men are springs without water
and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for
them.
2 Peter 2:18 With lofty but empty words, they
appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who
are just escaping from others who live in error.
2 Peter 2:19 They promise them freedom, while
they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to
whatever has mastered him.
2 Peter 2:20 If indeed they have escaped the
corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it
again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
2 Peter 2:21 It would have been better for them
not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it
and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.
2 Peter 2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A
dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to
her wallowing in the mud.”
2 Peter 3:1 Beloved, this is now my second
letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome
thinking
2 Peter 3:2 by recalling what was foretold by
the holy prophets and commanded by our Lord and Savior through
your apostles.
2 Peter 3:3 Most importantly, you must
understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires.
2 Peter 3:4 “Where is the promise of His
coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep,
everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:5 But they deliberately overlook the
fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth
was formed out of water and by water,
2 Peter 3:6 through which the world of that time
perished in the flood.
2 Peter 3:7 And by that same word, the present
heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of
judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2 Peter 3:8 Beloved, do not let this one thing
escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a day.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His
promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:10 But the Day of the Lord will come
like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements
will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be
laid bare.
2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed
in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to
conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness
2 Peter 3:12 as you anticipate and hasten the
coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by
fire and the elements will melt in the heat.
2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with God’s promise,
we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where
righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, as you
anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at
peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.
2 Peter 3:15 Consider also that our Lord’s
patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also
wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
2 Peter 3:16 He writes this way in all his
letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his
letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people
distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own
destruction.
2 Peter 3:17 Therefore, beloved, since you
already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not
be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your
secure standing.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now
and to the day of eternity. Amen.
1 JOHN
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which
we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word
of life.
1 John 1:2 And this is the life that was
revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to
you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to
us.
1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen
and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this
fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus
Christ.
1 John 1:4 We write these things so that our joy
may be complete.
1 John 1:5 And this is the message we have heard
from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no
darkness at all.
1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with Him
yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we
make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing
these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does
sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the
Righteous One.
1 John 2:2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice
for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the
whole world.
1 John 2:3 By this we can be sure that we have
come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
1 John 2:4 If anyone says, “I know Him,” but
does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not
in him.
1 John 2:5 But if anyone keeps His word, the
love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that
we are in Him:
1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to abide in Him must
walk as Jesus walked.
1 John 2:7 Beloved, I am not writing to you a
new commandment, but an old one, which you have had from the
beginning. This commandment is the message you have heard.
1 John 2:8 Then again, I am also writing to you
a new commandment, which is true in Him and also in you. For the
darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2:9 If anyone claims to be in the light
but hates his brother, he is still in the darkness.
1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother remains in
the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.
1 John 2:11 But whoever hates his brother is in
the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he
is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1 John 2:12 I am writing to you, little
children, because your sins have been forgiven through His name.
1 John 2:13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know Him who is from the beginning. I am writing to
you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have
written to you, children, because you know the Father.
1 John 2:14 I have written to you, fathers,
because you know Him who is from the beginning. I have written to
you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides
in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in
the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the
desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of
life—is not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:17 The world is passing away, along
with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains
forever.
1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and
just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many
antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last
hour.
1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they did
not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have
remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of
them belonged to us.
1 John 2:20 You, however, have an anointing from
the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
1 John 2:21 I have not written to you because
you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you have it, and
because no lie comes from the truth.
1 John 2:22 Who is the liar, if it is not the
one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist,
who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does not have
the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
1 John 2:24 As for you, let what you have heard
from the beginning remain in you. If it does, you will also remain
in the Son and in the Father.
1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that He
Himself made to us: eternal life.
1 John 2:26 I have written these things to you
about those who are trying to deceive you.
1 John 2:27 And as for you, the anointing you
received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to
teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you
about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
1 John 2:28 And now, little children, remain in
Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed
before Him at His coming.
1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous,
you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been
born of Him.
1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father
has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And
that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that
it did not know Him.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are now children of God,
and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when
Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.
1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him
purifies himself, just as Christ is pure.
1 John 3:4 Everyone who practices sin practices
lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.
1 John 3:5 But you know that Christ appeared to
take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.
1 John 3:6 No one who remains in Him keeps on
sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive
you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as
Christ is righteous.
1 John 3:8 The one who practices sin is of the
devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start.
This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of
the devil.
1 John 3:9 Anyone born of God refuses to
practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on
sinning, because he has been born of God.
1 John 3:10 By this the children of God are
distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not
practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not
love his brother.
1 John 3:11 This is the message you have heard
from the beginning: We should love one another.
1 John 3:12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to
the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him?
Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were
righteous.
1 John 3:13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if
the world hates you.
1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from
death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not
love remains in death.
1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a
murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a
murderer.
1 John 3:16 By this we know what love is: Jesus
laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for
our brothers.
1 John 3:17 If anyone with earthly possessions
sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him,
how can the love of God abide in him?
1 John 3:18 Little children, let us love not in
word and speech, but in action and truth.
1 John 3:19 And by this we will know that we
belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
1 John 3:20 Even if our hearts condemn us, God
is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our hearts do not
condemn us, we have confidence before God,
1 John 3:22 and we will receive from Him
whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is
pleasing in His sight.
1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we
should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should
love one another just as He commanded us.
1 John 3:24 Whoever keeps His commandments
remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He
remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many
false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:2 By this you will know the Spirit of
God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is from God,
1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not
confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the
antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in
the world at this time.
1 John 4:4 You, little children, are from God
and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than
he who is in the world.
1 John 4:5 They are of the world. That is why
they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to
them.
1 John 4:6 We are from God. Whoever knows God
listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That
is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another,
because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of
God and knows God.
1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know
God, because God is love.
1 John 4:9 This is how God’s love was revealed
among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we
might live through Him.
1 John 4:10 And love consists in this: not that
we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning
sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also
ought to love one another.
1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we
love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in
us.
1 John 4:13 By this we know that we remain in
Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit.
1 John 4:14 And we have seen and testify that
the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:15 If anyone confesses that Jesus is
the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1 John 4:16 And we have come to know and believe
the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love
abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:17 In this way, love has been perfected
among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment;
for in this world we are just like Him.
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but
perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment.
The one who fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us.
1 John 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but
hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his
brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:21 And we have this commandment from
Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is
the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father
also loves those born of Him.
1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the
children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.
1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we
keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,
1 John 5:4 because everyone born of God
overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world: our faith.
1 John 5:5 Who then overcomes the world? Only he
who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
1 John 5:6 This is the One who came by water and
blood, Jesus Christ—not by water alone, but by water and blood.
And it is the Spirit who testifies to this, because the Spirit is
the truth.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that testify:
1 John 5:8 the Spirit, the water, and the
blood—and these three are in agreement.
1 John 5:9 Even if we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony that
God has given about His Son.
1 John 5:10 Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within him; whoever does not believe God has
made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed in the
testimony that God has given about His Son.
1 John 5:11 And this is that testimony: God has
given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life;
whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:13 I have written these things to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know
that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we
have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us.
1 John 5:15 And if we know that He hears us in
whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have
asked of Him.
1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother
committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask God, who will
give life to those who commit this kind of sin. There is a sin
that leads to death; I am not saying he should ask regarding that
sin.
1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin, yet
there is sin that does not lead to death.
1 John 5:18 We know that anyone born of God does
not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and
the evil one cannot touch him.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that
the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has
come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who
is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He
is the true God and eternal life.
1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves
from idols.
2 JOHN
2 John 1:1 The elder, To the chosen lady and her
children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all
who know the truth—
2 John 1:2 because of the truth that abides in
us and will be with us forever:
2 John 1:3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be with
us in truth and love.
2 John 1:4 I was overjoyed to find some of your
children walking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded
us.
2 John 1:5 And now I urge you, dear lady—not as
a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the
beginning—that we love one another.
2 John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk
according to His commandments. This is the very commandment you
have heard from the beginning, that you must walk in love.
2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into
the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the
flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
2 John 1:8 Watch yourselves, so that you do not
lose what we have worked for, but that you may be fully rewarded.
2 John 1:9 Anyone who runs ahead without
remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever
remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you but does not
bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even
greet him.
2 John 1:11 Whoever greets such a person shares
in his evil deeds.
2 John 1:12 I have many things to write to you,
but I would prefer not to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I
hope to come and speak with you face to face, so that our joy may
be complete.
2 John 1:13 The children of your elect sister
send you greetings.
3 JOHN
3 John 1:1 The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom
I love in the truth:
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in every way you
may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers.
3 John 1:3 For I was overjoyed when the brothers
came and testified about your devotion to the truth, in which you
continue to walk.
3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear
that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:5 Beloved, you are faithful in what you
are doing for the brothers, and especially since they are
strangers to you.
3 John 1:6 They have testified to the church
about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a
manner worthy of God.
3 John 1:7 For they went out on behalf of the
Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
3 John 1:8 Therefore we ought to support such
men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
3 John 1:9 I have written to the church about
this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our
instruction.
3 John 1:10 So if I come, I will call attention
to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he
refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do
so, even putting them out of the church.
3 John 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate what is
evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one
who does evil has not seen God.
3 John 1:12 Demetrius has received a good
testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also
testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.
3 John 1:13 I have many things to write to you,
but I would prefer not to do so with pen and ink.
3 John 1:14 Instead, I hope to see you soon and
speak with you face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send
you greetings. Greet each of our friends there by name.
JUDE
Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a
brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the
Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
Jude 1:2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to
you.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I made every effort
to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary
to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted
once for all to the saints.
Jude 1:4 For certain men have crept in among you
unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for
condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for
immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:5 Although you are fully aware of this, I
want to remind you that after Jesus had delivered His people out
of the land of Egypt, He destroyed those who did not believe.
Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not stay within
their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has
kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that
great day.
Jude 1:7 In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and
the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and
pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who
sustain the punishment of eternal fire.
Jude 1:8 Yet in the same way these dreamers
defile their bodies, reject authority, and slander glorious
beings.
Jude 1:9 But even the archangel Michael, when he
disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to
bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke
you!”
Jude 1:10 These men, however, slander what they
do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be
destroyed by the things they do instinctively.
Jude 1:11 Woe to them! They have traveled the
path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam;
they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.
Jude 1:12 These men are hidden reefs in your
love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only
themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the
wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.
Jude 1:13 They are wild waves of the sea,
foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest
darkness has been reserved forever.
Jude 1:14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also
prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of
His holy ones
Jude 1:15 to execute judgment on everyone, and
to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and
every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.”
Jude 1:16 These men are discontented grumblers,
following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they
flatter others for their own advantage.
Jude 1:17 But you, beloved, remember what was
foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ
Jude 1:18 when they said to you, “In the last
times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own
ungodly desires.”
Jude 1:19 These are the ones who cause
divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, by building
yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy
Spirit,
Jude 1:21 keep yourselves in the love of God as
you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal
life.
Jude 1:22 And indeed, have mercy on those who
doubt;
Jude 1:23 save others by snatching them from the
fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating
even the clothing stained by the flesh.
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you
from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious
presence, with great joy—
Jude 1:25 to the only God our Savior be glory,
majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord
before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.
REVELATION
Revelation 1:1 This is the revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon
come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant
John,
Revelation 1:2 who testifies to everything he
saw. This is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads
aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear
and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in
the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and
was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne,
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of
the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us
from our sins by His blood,
Revelation 1:6 who has made us to be a kingdom,
priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and power
forever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the
clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And
all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it
be! Amen.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and partner
in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus,
was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my
testimony about Jesus.
Revelation 1:10 On the Lord’s day I was in the
Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
Revelation 1:11 saying, “Write on a scroll what
you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
Revelation 1:12 Then I turned to see the voice
that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden
lampstands,
Revelation 1:13 and among the lampstands was One
like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash
around His chest.
Revelation 1:14 The hair of His head was white
like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing
fire.
Revelation 1:15 His feet were like polished
bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of
many waters.
Revelation 1:16 He held in His right hand seven
stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His
face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
Revelation 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His
feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said,
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
Revelation 1:18 the Living One. I was dead, and
behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of
Death and of Hades.
Revelation 1:19 Therefore write down the things
you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that will
happen after this.
Revelation 1:20 This is the mystery of the seven
stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands:
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the
seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in
Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven
stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden
lampstands.
Revelation 2:2 I know your deeds, your labor,
and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who
are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who
falsely claim to be apostles.
Revelation 2:3 Without growing weary, you have
persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.
Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you: You
have abandoned your first love.
Revelation 2:5 Therefore, keep in mind how far
you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first.
But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your
lampstand from its place.
Revelation 2:6 But you have this to your credit:
You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I
will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise
of God.
Revelation 2:8 To the angel of the church in
Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who
died and returned to life.
Revelation 2:9 I know your affliction and your
poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of
those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of
Satan.
Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about
to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into
prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days.
Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of
life.
Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will
not be harmed by the second death.
Revelation 2:12 To the angel of the church in
Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the
sharp, double-edged sword.
Revelation 2:13 I know where you live, where the
throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have
not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful
witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against
you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who
taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so
they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual
immorality.
Revelation 2:15 In the same way, some of you
also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Revelation 2:16 Therefore repent! Otherwise I
will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword
of My mouth.
Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I
will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone
inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:18 To the angel of the church in
Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes
are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
Revelation 2:19 I know your deeds—your love,
your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds
are greater than your first.
Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you: You
tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By
her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and
to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 2:21 Even though I have given her
time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will cast her onto a
bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will
suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.
Revelation 2:23 Then I will strike her children
dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who
searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according
to your deeds.
Revelation 2:24 But I say to the rest of you in
Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the
so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden
upon you.
Revelation 2:25 Nevertheless, hold fast to what
you have until I come.
Revelation 2:26 And to the one who overcomes and
continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the
nations.
Revelation 2:27 He will rule them with an iron
scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received
authority from My Father.
Revelation 2:28 And I will give him the morning
star.
Revelation 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in
Sardis write: These are the words of the One who holds the seven
Spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a
reputation for being alive, yet you are dead.
Revelation 3:2 Wake up and strengthen what
remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds
incomplete in the sight of My God.
Revelation 3:3 Remember, then, what you have
received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I
will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will
come upon you.
Revelation 3:4 But you do have a few people in
Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are
worthy, they will walk with Me in white.
Revelation 3:5 Like them, he who overcomes will
be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the
Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His
angels.
Revelation 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:7 To the angel of the church in
Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and
true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut,
and what He shuts no one can open.
Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have
placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you
have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have
not denied My name.
Revelation 3:9 Look at those who belong to the
synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I
will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know
that I love you.
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command
to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that
is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on
the earth.
Revelation 3:11 I am coming soon. Hold fast to
what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Revelation 3:12 The one who overcomes I will
make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again
leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name
of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of
heaven from My God), and My new name.
Revelation 3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:14 To the angel of the church in
Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and
true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.
Revelation 3:15 I know your deeds; you are
neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!
Revelation 3:16 So because you are
lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My
mouth!
Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have
grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you
are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from Me
gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments
so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not
exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Revelation 3:19 Those I love, I rebuke and
discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in
and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:21 To the one who overcomes, I will
grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame
and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Revelation 3:22 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked and saw a
door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard
speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will
show you what must happen after these things.”
Revelation 4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and
I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it.
Revelation 4:3 The One seated there looked like
jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald
encircled the throne.
Revelation 4:4 Surrounding the throne were
twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four
elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
Revelation 4:5 From the throne came flashes of
lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne
burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.
Revelation 4:6 And before the throne was
something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center,
around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes
in front and back.
Revelation 4:7 The first living creature was
like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a
man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.
Revelation 4:8 And each of the four living
creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and
within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Revelation 4:9 And whenever the living creatures
give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who
lives forever and ever,
Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down
before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who
lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne,
saying:
Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and
God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all
things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
Revelation 5:1 Then I saw a scroll in the right
hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides
and was sealed with seven seals.
Revelation 5:2 And I saw a mighty angel
proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and
open the scroll?”
Revelation 5:3 But no one in heaven or on earth
or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.
Revelation 5:4 And I began to weep bitterly,
because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside
it.
Revelation 5:5 Then one of the elders said to
me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root
of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to
have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled
by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven
horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God
sent out into all the earth.
Revelation 5:7 And He came and took the scroll
from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.
Revelation 5:8 When He had taken the scroll, the
four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before
the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls
full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: “Worthy
are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were
slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every
tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Revelation 5:10 You have made them to be a
kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the
earth.”
Revelation 5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the
voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling
the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands
of thousands.
Revelation 5:12 In a loud voice they were
saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and
riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
Revelation 5:13 And I heard every creature in
heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all
that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the
Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
Revelation 5:14 And the four living creatures
said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 6:1 Then I watched as the Lamb opened
one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living
creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”
Revelation 6:2 So I looked and saw a white
horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he
rode out to overcome and conquer.
Revelation 6:3 And when the Lamb opened the
second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
Revelation 6:4 Then another horse went forth. It
was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away
peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was
given a great sword.
Revelation 6:5 And when the Lamb opened the
third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I
looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a
pair of scales.
Revelation 6:6 And I heard what sounded like a
voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of
wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius,
and do not harm the oil and wine.”
Revelation 6:7 And when the Lamb opened the
fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say,
“Come!”
Revelation 6:8 Then I looked and saw a pale
green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close
behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth,
to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the
earth.
Revelation 6:9 And when the Lamb opened the
fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been
slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
Revelation 6:10 And they cried out in a loud
voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our
blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?”
Revelation 6:11 Then each of them was given a
white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full
number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just
as they had been killed.
Revelation 6:12 And when I saw the Lamb open the
sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black
like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,
Revelation 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to
the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great
wind.
Revelation 6:14 The sky receded like a scroll
being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its
place.
Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the
nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and
free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
Revelation 6:16 And they said to the mountains
and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One
seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
Revelation 6:17 For the great day of Their wrath
has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels
standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four
winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.
Revelation 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending
from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out
in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to
harm the land and the sea:
Revelation 7:3 “Do not harm the land or sea or
trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our
God.”
Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of those
who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
Revelation 7:5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000
were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of
Gad 12,000,
Revelation 7:6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh
12,000,
Revelation 7:7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
Revelation 7:8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, and from the tribe of Benjamin
12,000.
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and saw a
multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and
people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their
hands.
Revelation 7:10 And they cried out in a loud
voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb!”
Revelation 7:11 And all the angels stood around
the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.
And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,
Revelation 7:12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and
glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to
our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders addressed
me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where
have they come from?”
Revelation 7:14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.”
So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great
tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:15 For this reason, they are before
the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and
the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
Revelation 7:16 ‘Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.’
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb in the center of
the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs
of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.’”
Revelation 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who
stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.
Revelation 8:3 Then another angel, who had a
golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much
incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the
golden altar before the throne.
Revelation 8:4 And the smoke of the incense,
together with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from
the hand of the angel.
Revelation 8:5 Then the angel took the censer,
filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth;
and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of
lightning, and an earthquake.
Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels with the
seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
Revelation 8:7 Then the first angel sounded his
trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon
the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third
of the trees and all the green grass.
Revelation 8:8 Then the second angel sounded his
trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was
thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,
Revelation 8:9 a third of the living creatures
in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Revelation 8:10 Then the third angel sounded his
trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven
and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is
Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil,
and many people died from the bitter waters.
Revelation 8:12 Then the fourth angel sounded
his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were
struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was
without light, and a third of the night as well.
Revelation 8:13 And as I observed, I heard an
eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to
those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about
to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”
Revelation 9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded his
trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth,
and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.
Revelation 9:2 The star opened the pit of the
Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace,
and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.
Revelation 9:3 And out of the smoke, locusts
descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the
scorpions of the earth.
Revelation 9:4 They were told not to harm the
grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did
not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Revelation 9:5 The locusts were not given power
to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their
torment was like the stinging of a scorpion.
Revelation 9:6 In those days men will seek death
and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape
them.
Revelation 9:7 And the locusts looked like
horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on
their heads, and faces like the faces of men.
Revelation 9:8 They had hair like that of women,
and teeth like those of lions.
Revelation 9:9 They also had thoraxes like
breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the
roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
Revelation 9:10 They had tails with stingers
like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five
months.
Revelation 9:11 They were ruled by a king, the
angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it
is Apollyon.
Revelation 9:12 The first woe has passed.
Behold, two woes are still to follow.
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded his
trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar before God
Revelation 9:14 saying to the sixth angel with
the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great
river Euphrates.”
Revelation 9:15 So the four angels who had been
prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to
kill a third of mankind.
Revelation 9:16 And the number of mounted troops
was two hundred million; I heard their number.
Revelation 9:17 Now the horses and riders in my
vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of
fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like the
heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and
sulfur.
Revelation 9:18 A third of mankind was killed by
the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from
their mouths.
Revelation 9:19 For the power of the horses was
in their mouths and in their tails; indeed, their tails were like
snakes, having heads with which to inflict harm.
Revelation 9:20 Now the rest of mankind who were
not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of
their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of
gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or
walk.
Revelation 9:21 Furthermore, they did not repent
of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality, and theft.
Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel
coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above
his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like
pillars of fire.
Revelation 10:2 He held in his hand a small
scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and
his left foot on the land.
Revelation 10:3 Then he cried out in a loud
voice like the roar of a lion. And when he cried out, the seven
thunders sounded their voices.
Revelation 10:4 When the seven thunders had
spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from
heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do
not write it down.”
Revelation 10:5 Then the angel I had seen
standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to
heaven.
Revelation 10:6 And he swore by Him who lives
forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the
earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it:
“There will be no more delay!
Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of
the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the
mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His
servants the prophets.”
Revelation 10:8 Then the voice that I had heard
from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll
that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on
the land.”
Revelation 10:9 And I went to the angel and
said, “Give me the small scroll.” “Take it and eat it,” he said.
“It will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be as
sweet as honey.”
Revelation 10:10 So I took the small scroll from
the angel’s hand and ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my
mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned bitter.
Revelation 10:11 And they told me, “You must
prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and
kings.”
Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring rod
like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and
the altar, and count the number of worshipers there.
Revelation 11:2 But exclude the courtyard
outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given
over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42
months.
Revelation 11:3 And I will empower my two
witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in
sackcloth.”
Revelation 11:4 These witnesses are the two
olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of
the earth.
Revelation 11:5 If anyone wants to harm them,
fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this
way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.
Revelation 11:6 These witnesses have power to
shut the sky so that no rain will fall during the days of their
prophecy, and power to turn the waters into blood and to strike
the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish.
Revelation 11:7 When the two witnesses have
finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss
will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.
Revelation 11:8 Their bodies will lie in the
street of the great city—figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where
their Lord was also crucified.
Revelation 11:9 For three and a half days all
peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies
and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb.
Revelation 11:10 And those who dwell on the
earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one
another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.
Revelation 11:11 But after the three and a half
days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and
they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw
them.
Revelation 11:12 And the witnesses heard a loud
voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to
heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.
Revelation 11:13 And in that hour there was a
great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven
thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and
gave glory to the God of heaven.
Revelation 11:14 The second woe has passed.
Behold, the third woe is coming shortly.
Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded
his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of
the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign forever and ever.”
Revelation 11:16 And the twenty-four elders who
sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped
God,
Revelation 11:17 saying: “We give thanks to You,
O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have
taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 11:18 The nations were enraged, and
Your wrath has come. The time has come to judge the dead and to
reward Your servants the prophets, as well as the saints and those
who fear Your name, both small and great—and to destroy those who
destroy the earth.”
Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God in
heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His
temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and
peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in
heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet
and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
Revelation 12:2 She was pregnant and crying out
in the pain and agony of giving birth.
Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in
heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven
royal crowns on his heads.
Revelation 12:4 His tail swept a third of the
stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon
stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to
devour her child as soon as she gave birth.
Revelation 12:5 And she gave birth to a son, a
male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.
And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the
wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished
for 1,260 days.
Revelation 12:7 Then a war broke out in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon
and his angels fought back.
Revelation 12:8 But the dragon was not strong
enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and
his angels.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was hurled
down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver
of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels
with him.
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in
heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the
kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the
accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them
day and night before our God.
Revelation 12:11 They have conquered him by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did
not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens,
and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with
great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a
short time.”
Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he
had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given
birth to the male child.
Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given two
wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to
her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time,
and times, and half a time.
Revelation 12:15 Then from the mouth of the
serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep
her away in the torrent.
Revelation 12:16 But the earth helped the woman
and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that had poured from
the dragon’s mouth.
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was enraged at
the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who
keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
Revelation 13:1 Then I saw a beast with ten
horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal
crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
Revelation 13:2 The beast I saw was like a
leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the
dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great
authority.
Revelation 13:3 One of the heads of the beast
appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed,
and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
Revelation 13:4 They worshiped the dragon who
had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast,
saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”
Revelation 13:5 The beast was given a mouth to
speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42
months.
Revelation 13:6 And the beast opened its mouth
to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His
tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.
Revelation 13:7 Then the beast was permitted to
wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given
authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.
Revelation 13:8 And all who dwell on the earth
will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from
the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the
Lamb who was slain.
Revelation 13:9 He who has an ear, let him hear:
Revelation 13:10 “If anyone is destined for
captivity, into captivity he will go; if anyone is to die by the
sword, by the sword he must be killed.” Here is a call for the
perseverance and faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:11 Then I saw another beast rising
out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke
like a dragon.
Revelation 13:12 And this beast exercised all
the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those
who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had
been healed.
Revelation 13:13 And the second beast performed
great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth
in the presence of the people.
Revelation 13:14 Because of the signs it was
given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those
who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast
that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.
Revelation 13:15 The second beast was permitted
to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image
could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.
Revelation 13:16 And the second beast required
all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to
receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
Revelation 13:17 so that no one could buy or
sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of
its name.
Revelation 13:18 Here is a call for wisdom: Let
the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it
is the number of a man, and that number is 666.
Revelation 14:1 Then I looked and saw the Lamb
standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and
His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Revelation 14:2 And I heard a sound from heaven
like the roar of many waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And
the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps.
Revelation 14:3 And they sang a new song before
the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders.
And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been
redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 14:4 These are the ones who have not
been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the
Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as
firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
Revelation 14:5 And no lie was found in their
mouths; they are blameless.
Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying
overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell
on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.
Revelation 14:7 And he said in a loud voice,
“Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has
come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the
sea and the springs of waters.”
Revelation 14:8 Then a second angel followed,
saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the
nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
Revelation 14:9 And a third angel followed them,
calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its
image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand,
Revelation 14:10 he too will drink the wine of
God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he
will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy
angels and of the Lamb.
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment
rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those
who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives
the mark of its name.”
Revelation 14:12 Here is a call for the
perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and
the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven
telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the
Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest
from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
Revelation 14:14 And I looked and saw a white
cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a
golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
Revelation 14:15 Then another angel came out of
the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the
cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to
harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.”
Revelation 14:16 So the One seated on the cloud
swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Revelation 14:17 Then another angel came out of
the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Revelation 14:18 Still another angel, with
authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a
loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp
sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the
earth, because its grapes are ripe.”
Revelation 14:19 So the angel swung his sickle
over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw
them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.
Revelation 14:20 And the winepress was trodden
outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high
as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another great and
marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven final
plagues, with which the wrath of God is completed.
Revelation 15:2 And I saw something like a sea
of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had
conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. They
were holding harps from God,
Revelation 15:3 and they sang the song of God’s
servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your
works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of
the nations!
Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear You, O Lord,
and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will
come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been
revealed.”
Revelation 15:5 After this I looked, and the
temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven.
Revelation 15:6 And out of the temple came the
seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright
linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.
Revelation 15:7 Then one of the four living
creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the
wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.
Revelation 15:8 And the temple was filled with
smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could
enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were
completed.
Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from
the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out on the earth
the seven bowls of God’s wrath.”
Revelation 16:2 So the first angel went and
poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores
broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its
image.
Revelation 16:3 And the second angel poured out
his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood like that of the
dead, and every living thing in the sea died.
Revelation 16:4 And the third angel poured out
his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to
blood.
Revelation 16:5 And I heard the angel of the
waters say: “Righteous are You, O Holy One, who is and was,
because You have brought these judgments.
Revelation 16:6 For they have spilled the blood
of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as
they deserve.”
Revelation 16:7 And I heard the altar reply:
“Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments.”
Revelation 16:8 Then the fourth angel poured out
his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people
with fire.
Revelation 16:9 And the people were scorched by
intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority
over these plagues; yet they did not repent and give Him glory.
Revelation 16:10 And the fifth angel poured out
his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged
into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish
Revelation 16:11 and curse the God of heaven for
their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds.
Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out
his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up
to prepare the way for the kings of the East.
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits
that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the
beast, and the false prophet.
Revelation 16:14 These are demonic spirits that
perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to
assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a
thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that
he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”
Revelation 16:16 And they assembled the kings in
the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Revelation 16:17 Then the seventh angel poured
out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came from the throne
in the temple, saying, “It is done!”
Revelation 16:18 And there were flashes of
lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great
earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon
the earth—so mighty was the great quake.
Revelation 16:19 The great city was split into
three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God
remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of
the fury of His wrath.
Revelation 16:20 Then every island fled, and no
mountain could be found.
Revelation 16:21 And great hailstones weighing
almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And
men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so
horrendous.
Revelation 17:1 Then one of the seven angels
with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you
the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
Revelation 17:2 The kings of the earth were
immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were
intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”
Revelation 17:3 And the angel carried me away in
the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a
scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had
seven heads and ten horns.
Revelation 17:4 The woman was dressed in purple
and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls.
She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the
impurities of her sexual immorality.
Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead a mysterious
name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND
OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Revelation 17:6 I could see that the woman was
drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I
was utterly amazed at the sight of her.
Revelation 17:7 “Why are you so amazed?” said
the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the
beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw—it was,
and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and
go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose
names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of
the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is
not, and yet will be.
Revelation 17:9 This calls for a mind with
wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman
sits.
Revelation 17:10 There are also seven kings.
Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when
he does come, he must remain for only a little while.
Revelation 17:11 The beast that was, and now is
not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is
going into destruction.
Revelation 17:12 The ten horns you saw are ten
kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one
hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
Revelation 17:13 These kings have one purpose:
to yield their power and authority to the beast.
Revelation 17:14 They will make war against the
Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of
lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called
and chosen and faithful ones.”
Revelation 17:15 Then the angel said to me, “The
waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and
multitudes and nations and tongues.
Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns and the beast
that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her
desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Revelation 17:17 For God has put it into their
hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom
to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
Revelation 17:18 And the woman you saw is the
great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel
descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was
illuminated by his glory.
Revelation 18:2 And he cried out in a mighty
voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair
for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean
bird, and every detestable beast.
Revelation 18:3 All the nations have drunk the
wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were
immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown
wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”
Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from
heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not
share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.
Revelation 18:5 For her sins are piled up to
heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Revelation 18:6 Give back to her as she has done
to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a
double portion in her own cup.
Revelation 18:7 As much as she has glorified
herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment
and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a
widow and will never see grief.’
Revelation 18:8 Therefore her plagues will come
in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by
fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
Revelation 18:9 Then the kings of the earth who
committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep
and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that
consumes her.
Revelation 18:10 In fear of her torment, they
will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city,
the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has
come.”
Revelation 18:11 And the merchants of the earth
will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy
their cargo—
Revelation 18:12 cargo of gold, silver, precious
stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of
all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious
wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
Revelation 18:13 of cinnamon, spice, incense,
myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and
wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and chariots; of slaves and souls
of men.
Revelation 18:14 And they will say: “The fruit
of your soul’s desire has departed from you; all your luxury and
splendor have vanished, never to be seen again.”
Revelation 18:15 The merchants who sold these
things and grew their wealth from her will stand at a distance, in
fear of her torment. They will weep and mourn,
Revelation 18:16 saying: “Woe, woe to the great
city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with
gold and precious stones and pearls!
Revelation 18:17 For in a single hour such
fabulous wealth has been destroyed!” Every shipmaster, passenger,
and sailor, and all who make their living from the sea, will stand
at a distance
Revelation 18:18 and cry out at the sight of the
smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever
like this great city?” they will exclaim.
Revelation 18:19 Then they will throw dust on
their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the
great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by
her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”
Revelation 18:20 Rejoice over her, O heaven, O
saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for
you His judgment against her.
Revelation 18:21 Then a mighty angel picked up a
stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea,
saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast
down, never to be seen again.
Revelation 18:22 And the sound of harpists and
musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in
you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you
again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again.
Revelation 18:23 The light of a lamp will never
shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will
never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great
ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your
sorcery.”
Revelation 18:24 And there was found in her the
blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the
earth.
Revelation 19:1 After this I heard a sound like
the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
Revelation 19:2 For His judgments are true and
just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth
with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that
was poured out by her hand.”
Revelation 19:3 And a second time they called
out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”
Revelation 19:4 And the twenty-four elders and
the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on
the throne, saying: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
Revelation 19:5 Then a voice came from the
throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those
who fear Him, small and great alike!”
Revelation 19:6 And I heard a sound like the
roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and
like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For
the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and
give Him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His
bride has made herself ready.
Revelation 19:8 She was given clothing of fine
linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the
righteous acts of the saints.
Revelation 19:9 Then the angel told me to write,
“Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the
Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
Revelation 19:10 So I fell at his feet to
worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow
servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of
Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy.”
Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven standing
open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is
called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages
war.
Revelation 19:12 He has eyes like blazing fire,
and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him
that only He Himself knows.
Revelation 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped
in blood, and His name is The Word of God.
Revelation 19:14 The armies of heaven, dressed
in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.
Revelation 19:15 And from His mouth proceeds a
sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will
rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the
fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
Revelation 19:16 And He has a name written on
His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in
the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying
overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
Revelation 19:18 so that you may eat the flesh
of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of
everyone slave and free, small and great.”
Revelation 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the
kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against
the One seated on the horse, and against His army.
Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured
along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed
signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped
its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive
into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Revelation 19:21 And the rest were killed with
the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the
horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Revelation 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down
from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great
chain.
Revelation 20:2 He seized the dragon, that
ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a
thousand years.
Revelation 20:3 And he threw him into the Abyss,
shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the
nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he
must be released for a brief period of time.
Revelation 20:4 Then I saw the thrones, and
those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw
the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of
Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the
beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their
foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ
for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:5 The rest of the dead did not
come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is
the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who
share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power
over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will
reign with Him for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are
complete, Satan will be released from his prison,
Revelation 20:8 and will go out to deceive the
nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble
them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
Revelation 20:9 And they marched across the
broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints
and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed
them.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil who had deceived
them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the
beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they
will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne
and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence,
and no place was found for them.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and
small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and
one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged
according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up its dead, and
Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged
according to his deeds.
Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were
thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of
fire.
Revelation 20:15 And if anyone was found whose
name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the
lake of fire.
Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the
sea was no more.
Revelation 21:2 I saw the holy city, the new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from
the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man,
and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God
Himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:4 ‘He will wipe away every tear
from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or
crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:5 And the One seated on the throne
said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this
down, for these words are faithful and true.”
Revelation 21:6 And He told me, “It is done! I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the
thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 21:7 The one who overcomes will
inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.
Revelation 21:8 But to the cowardly and
unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and
sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the
lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 21:9 Then one of the seven angels
with the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and said
to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the
Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city
of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
Revelation 21:11 shining with the glory of God.
Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as
clear as crystal.
Revelation 21:12 The city had a great and high
wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve
tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.
Revelation 21:13 There were three gates on the
east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the
west.
Revelation 21:14 The wall of the city had twelve
foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Revelation 21:15 The angel who spoke with me had
a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and
walls.
Revelation 21:16 The city lies foursquare, with
its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with
the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length
and width and height.
Revelation 21:17 And he measured its wall to be
144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
Revelation 21:18 The wall was made of jasper,
and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.
Revelation 21:19 The foundations of the city
walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first
foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony,
the fourth emerald,
Revelation 21:20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth
carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth
topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the
twelfth amethyst.
Revelation 21:21 And the twelve gates were
twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The
main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.
Revelation 21:22 But I saw no temple in the
city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
Revelation 21:23 And the city has no need of sun
or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the
city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Revelation 21:24 By its light the nations will
walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.
Revelation 21:25 Its gates will never be shut at
the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:26 And into the city will be
brought the glory and honor of the nations.
Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever
enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but
only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me a river
of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne
of God and of the Lamb
Revelation 22:2 down the middle of the main
street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of
life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for
each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the
nations.
Revelation 22:3 No longer will there be any
curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city,
and His servants will worship Him.
Revelation 22:4 They will see His face, and His
name will be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:5 There will be no more night in
the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of
the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign
forever and ever.
Revelation 22:6 Then the angel said to me,
“These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the
spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants
what must soon take place.”
Revelation 22:7 “Behold, I am coming soon.
Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.”
Revelation 22:8 And I am John, who heard and saw
these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to
worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things.
Revelation 22:9 But he said to me, “Do not do
that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the
prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship
God!”
Revelation 22:10 Then he told me, “Do not seal
up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.
Revelation 22:11 Let the unrighteous continue to
be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the
righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy
continue to be holy.”
Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon, and
My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has
done.
Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who wash
their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life
and may enter the city by its gates.
Revelation 22:15 But outside are the dogs, the
sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and
everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel
to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say,
“Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is
thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink
freely.
Revelation 22:18 I testify to everyone who hears
the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God
will add to him the plagues described in this book.
Revelation 22:19 And if anyone takes away from
the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share
in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this
book.
Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these
things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be
with all the saints. Amen.
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